The Christian Soldier: Ready For Spiritual Warfare!!!

  “Love Is What It Does!!!” A great pastor used to always quote this saying. I have been spending time thinking about this!!! One of the ways that Satan attacks us is by making us feel unloved.  Love is a powerful emotion.  When someone does not feel love the enemy can creep in and stir up feelings of rejection and loneliness.  These feelings can also lead to feelings of failure and that’s when the enemy can really stir up trouble.  He wants you to feel defeated and give up on life.  What better way to do so than to make you feel unloved?  We are called to disciple and shepherd not only the easy ones, but also those who are hurting. Self-inflicted pain, disease, emotional, financial, or relationship loss, and a variety of other factors could all contribute to the pain. Romans 12 is a good place to start walking with the wounded, regardless of the reason. 3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to th...

  How Does One Go On In Troubled Times? James 2:2 – 4, 2   My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. I was reading an excerpt from a powerful book by Karen Briggs (a cofounder of Christway Ministries), A Thing Called Process, and she wrote “Something about trouble produces a hidden power that cannot be hidden.”   She also said in the book, “the most anointed people, have some of the most troublesome stories.”   Family isn’t that the truth! The devil feels by attacking you, your dreams and fulfillment will be stopped. So, when he attacks, we find ourselves saying “why me?” Or how could this happen to me when I have tried to live a good life? Or why are people that mean no good prospering!!! Jesus warned us in the world you would have trouble, John 16:33.   He ...

  IS IT POSSIBLE TO COMBINE HERBAL MEDICINE AND CHRISTIANITY? One way of the enemy attacking the saints is through their health. Your health is invaluable when working in the ministry. The enemy genuinely believes if he can take away your health, he can cause disbelief in your heart toward God. This is the attack that was on Job. He believed that Job would lose faith in God if his health and everything he had was taken away. His wife even told him to curse God and die. But how could he proclaim faith if he did such a thing? So, if health is important, why do some Christians believe herbal products are a sin? If you do any amount of research on herbal medicine, you will certainly come across ideas that contradict Christianity. Nature worship, witchcraft, occult practices, and other practices are sometimes so intertwined with herbalism and natural health that it is difficult to tell them apart. Many devout Christians wonder if Christianity and herbalism can coexist. You are not ...

  Pastoral Care And The Fight Against Spiritual Wickedness   Because Pastoral Care is such an important piece in the battle against Satan, I want to continue this topic.   Jeremiah 3:15 states, “then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. Our jobs as shepherds are to care for the flock of God. We are their spiritual parents and should love them as our dear children.   The material here is from different experiences I have had in my life as a church leader and pastor.   I will also quote experiences from my mother and father, who were church leaders and over 50 years of experience in ministry. Lastly, I will also use material from my studies in seminary.   All the material is to help you in your Christian walk and to help leaders in their roles. Your Role As A Pastor or Leader I would consider you a first responder as a pastor. In that role, you have the chance to think deeply about how you may...

 Pastoral Care and Spiritual Warfare I would like to speak on something dear to my heart and that is on pastoral care.   Pastoral work is a never-ending battle of spiritual warfare. There was a time in Protestant history when spiritual struggle was emphasized in Christian life and pastoral ministry was ordinary fare. Deep study, protracted thought, and debate about Satan, devils, and spiritual combat were not uncommon among the Puritans. The level of knowledge they expressed in their works demonstrates how important this topic was to so many of our Reformed predecessors. Many Puritans were targets of intense theological and political opposition, and as a result, they were more attuned to the emotional element of spiritual battle. We Are Under Attack We must acknowledge without reservation that the church of our Lord Jesus is the target of the evil one's most severe and unrelenting attacks (Rev. 12:13). “Be sober, be vigilant,” the Apostle Peter advised church members, beca...