ACE #428: You Can't Win In Hand to Hand Combat

Last week, my husband and I went to the movies to see Captain America: Civil War.  I have been a Marvel fan for many years, but my husband is new to this world.  Captain America has always been my favorite even though he was running a close race with Thor.

In one of the last fight scenes, Captain America (aka Steve Rogers) and Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) were engaged in heavy combat.  Iron Man's computer told him that he could not beat Captain America in a hand to hand battle.  "Cap" would always be stronger and quicker because of the weight of Iron Man's suit; yet Tony was still swinging...as hard as he could.  


It reminded me that there will be times when our enemies will test us.  They will be functioning from a dark place while we are walking in the light.  We are always supposed to be mindful that we, Christians, don't fight dirty or try to match them; we are to fight in the Spirit through prayer, fasting, and studying the Word of God.

In the end of the movie, it was the use of Captain America's shield that won him the battle. Iron Man had everything he needed in his suit...but he didn't have a shield. Cap's shield protected him from the powerful blows and the fiery beams of Iron Man and every other enemy in the movie. As long as he had his shield, he stayed much more confident while in the fight. It was his shield that ultimately handicapped his enemy and ended the battle.  

We can't win against the enemy in hand to hand combat if we are not properly equipped.  We have to fight from our vantage point - in the Spirit and dressed in the full Armor of God.  So, put your shield up and keep fighting fearlessly!

#faith

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

ACE #427: Put Your Stone Down

John 8 (NIV)

8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”



This morning as I was contemplating what to write, a song came on the radio, "Pray For Me."  I listened closely to the song and went to John 8 to read the story about the woman caught in adultery.  The people were so willing to put others in front of a group to call out their sins.  And I immediately thought, How did they catch her in adultery unless they were meddling...tipping around her front door...

But it was amazing to me how quiet the Savior was.  Two times it said he bent down to write on the ground.  What did He write?  I have no idea by this particular text.  But it would seem to me that just maybe He could have been writing down her sins, just so that He could have blotted them out easily with His hand or His foot...because that is why He died for our sins, right?  Or maybe He was writing down all of the sins of the people who were standing before Him accusing someone else...tending to someone else's shortcomings...and not their own.  It was amazing to me that not one person in the crowd acted in forgiveness, grace or even love. Nobody even tried to intercede on her behalf to save her life.   Well...the ONE did.  Because He represented the new law of love.  


If you see your brother or sister struggling with sin, put your stone down. Don't be like these people and call them up in front of a group and shame them.  Jesus addressed the woman alone.  And even when He did that, He didn't condemn her...He blessed her!


I am grateful today for the love of Jesus Christ.  I am not perfect, but I take seriously the very last sentence that says, "Go now and leave your life of sin."  I encourage you to take your petition to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to give you the strength to overcome your sin.  If you do not have the strength, ask someone to intercede for you and pray on your behalf until your strength comes.  

We all have sinned and fall short...some of us still live in a life of sin purposely...some of us struggle more than others, but are trying to come out of sin...some of us are working daily to live to be more Christ-like.  That is the goal after all...to be more like Him.

Pray For Me - Dawkins & Dawkins

How many times have you been the one
Sittin' in the judgment seat
Or sweepin' 'round somebody else's door
When you live 3 blocks down the street
Don't be so quick to tear your brother down
'Cause it might have just been one of them days
It doesn't take that long to tear somebody down
But it takes less time to pray
If you see me doin' wrong
Why don't you pray for me, pray for me?
There's no need to cast a stone
Why don't you pray for me, pray for me?
If you just happen to see me fall just
Pray for me, pray for me?
Why not be the one that I can call
To pray for me?
Don't make a habit of lookin' for faults
If the motive ain't love
The only reason you're where you are
Is somebody decided to help you up
It'd be a shame for you to close your eyes
Turn your back and just walk away
Just take the time to care enough
To go down on your knees and pray
If you see me doin' wrong
Why don't you pray for me, pray for me?
There's no need to cast a stone
Why don't you pray for me, pray for me?
If you just happen to see me fall just
Pray for me, pray for me

Why not be the one that I can call
To pray for me?
Don't forget where you came from
Remember, you were that someone
Take the time to think about
The hand that pulled you out
And on your way up to the top
Stop and forget me not
If you see me doin' wrong
Why don't you pray for me, pray for me?
There's no need to cast a stone
Why don't you pray for me, pray for me?
If you just happen to see me fall just
Pray for me, pray for me
Why not be the one that I can call
To pray for me?
You're my brother, you're my sister
Won't you pray for me?
In the name of my Father
Won't you pray for me?
In the name of my Father
Won't you pray for me?