Sleep?

I have prayed that the Holy Spirit would write this for me because I haven't been getting enough sleep and my mind feels like spaghetti !

Do ya'll do that? Do you have so much to do that you've shred your inner man until your outer man can't keep up? Recent busy-ness has caused this to be the case for me and yet I know , especially at times like this , that it is not I that gets things done , in my life, it is God.

Still, it is good discipline to be pushed beyond what you think you can bear. Isn't that what the armed services do as well? They push and prod, stretch the limits of a person beyond what they think is normal. With the end result being a strong , highly disciplined soldier.

We are soldiers for the kingdom. All who have taken up the banner of the Lord and pledged to serve Him , are recruits into a vast army of spiritual fighting machines. We have a living Holy Spirit , like a continuous flow of intel from on high, living within us. He is the spirit of truth. He is also the spirit of remembrance.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Recently, my son was really stressed about the upcoming baseball season . On the way to practice I explained to him that the Holy Spirit can help him remember things, he thinks, he may have forgotten. So we prayed and he had a great practice and did indeed remember the things he learned in previous seasons.

I pray fervently every time I'm about to take an exam , that the Holy spirit will cause me to remember the things I have been taught. It is the reason we are to study the word of God daily , so when we are living our daily lives , He can bring to our minds the things we have been taught. Studying the word is how it gets in us to start with , and if you don't study how then can you remember? Studying is a good discipline, for a soldier of the kingdom ,but there are many others .

1Th. 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th. 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1Th. 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
1Th. 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th. 5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
1Th. 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
1Th. 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1Th. 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th. 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th. 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th. 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
1Th. 5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
1Th. 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1Th. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Th. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Though I said we are soldiers ,we don't wage war like the world does. We don't fight evil with evil. We aren't fueled by pride and go to exact revenge . We are not pumped full of rage and anger to be killing machines .That is what nations send their armies to do. In the typical army movie, you can find people that smoke and drink and cuss, but it's o.k. because they are sent to kill or be killed. It is not so with us. We are called to wear holiness as our banner and to yield to our enemies the right of way....for a season. Our enemies are not of flesh and blood , but of the spirit. So when we are spit on , or engaged in battle , we take it to the King. We let the offender believe they have the victory , for the moment, then take our situations before the throne , in secret.

That is my favorite part of our mission, that which we do in secret.

Matt. 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

There are times when we must join together and fight side by side, with prayer and praise , and what a beautiful experience it is when the people of God are as one in battle. There are things going on that the human eye cannot see. Our words , spoken from our mouths, make things happen in the spiritual realm that will amaze us someday. Yet, these words are given to us by the Holy Spirit which resides within us. They are His words , spoken through us.

Still, everyone needs sleep sometimes. When the battle has been fought and God has obtained the victory , it is time for rest. The Lord gives His children rest.

Psa. 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

While we sleep, He looks out for us and keeps us safe.

Psa. 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Upon entering into the facebook/twitter world ,I now can see how that is done. As we are sleeping, other believers around the world are praying and fighting the battle of the Lord , as our fellow soldiers. How awesome is that?

The battle is the Lord's but we are His footman, His hands and feet. We are to be diligent and disciplined but we are allowed some rest. So that when we awake we are fresh and ready to do battle again.

I used to have real issues with getting out of bed and it is a work in progress, but, I know , that when my feet hit the floor, that the enemies of God immediately are wishing I was back in bed! Haha! Because , as we say here, "It is on!" The same can be said of you as well. I pray that you begin to see who you are in Christ. I pray you see how powerful and mighty God has made you and that YOUR fervent prayers can change the world we live in , and I pray after the battle you get some rest. Have a blessed week.

Kindness

KIndness is one of those attributes a Godly person is supposed to have that often goes unrecognized. It is a character of the Holy Spirit that is supposed to shine through in all we do.

Col. 3:12 ¶ Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col. 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col. 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Col. 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

It is the one little word in the midst of all those others that is so easy to do. All the other words are difficult , with forgiveness and longsuffering as two of the hardest. So why do we overlook and underestimate the act of kindness?

This life is challenging at times and down right unfair to say the least , or so it can seem. This isn't what the Lord wanted for us in the beginning. In Genesis we see He created for us a perfect world and walked and talked with us daily. We messed it up , by not following the rules our Daddy gave us. Yet, in His kindness, He made a way for us to return to Him.

This week I've been thinking about this simple little word , little did I know I was going to be faced with an opportunity to test it. This wasn't a test like one would think. It wasn't a "pay it forward" moment , though I wished it had been. It was simply that one of my children disobeyed and the result of that disobedience had great consequences for all that were involved. It is out of kindness that I don't go further into detail but , let's just say , it was one of those moments a parent feels like a total failure.

As these things were going on , I could hear in the back of my mind, " Kindness" . Every instinct within me wanted justice , retaliation, punishment , and punishment did ensue , but with kindness . I did , as we say " give the child what for" , but after all was said and done, kindness was what the Lord required .

When someone hurts you, embarrasses you, appears to be something only to find out they are not who they say they are, we naturally put a guard up against future attacks. It is o.k. to beware . It is o.k. to learn from bad experiences , but it is not o.k. , to be unkind. It is not o.k. to be rude , slanderous, backbiting, etc. when we have been wronged. It is so easy to reward evil for evil , but it is not of God to do so.

God is kind. He is kind enough not to wipe us out for all the evil we have done and don't others deserve that same kindness? If you're not "feeling it" , then pray for God to give you the spirit of kindness in that situation and remember when we are weak , He is made strong. Trust that He has it all under control. He will finish what He has begun in you.

Lastly, we are coming upon the season of spring in Texas and of course many will be making ready their gardens and sowing seeds. I encourage you to sow some seeds of kindness and regardless of the situation , do all things with kindness and watch what fruit that will bare. No one deserves to be spoken to ugly or unkindly, no matter what the offense. We are all in this together. God bless ya'll in all you do this week.