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Stand Fast in Times of Trial

Published January 18, 2013 Comfort , Faith Leave a Comment
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My heart has been especially burdened lately with the trials that many of you are experiencing. From lost jobs, to financial difficulties, hospital stays, and even family deaths, there just seems to be a lot of stuff happening that just isn’t fun. But I’m writing this blog to tell you that I have had confirmation from our Lord both from His Word and through several of His servants that He has not left our side. In fact, He’s right here holding out His hand to you so that you stay close to His protection and comfort. God wants you to stand fast in your times of trial.

When we talk about standing fast I always remember that the Bible says in Ephesians 6:11-13 for us to:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

This passage means that life is not without difficulties. We will experience them, and we must be prepared for them. We must stand and face them head on. The good news is that with God on our side, there is nothing we can’t face and see through to the end. Sometimes just facing the trial head on is really all God wants. In my opinion, God is constantly looking for examples of people who face the troubles of the world with peace, grace, and a sense of calm knowing that He is ultimately in charge. It’s those people who really make a difference in the natural world.

I still remember a man who I met at a Denver area church who told me he had just lost all of his life’s saving in the Enron debacle. He was so calm! It didn’t seem to bother him one bit, and surely that same problem could easily lead to depression or even suicide with any other person. I’m sure that everyone who meets him and hears his story will be moved, like me, by his faith in God to turn even that great trial into a triumph through standing firm. He told me, “Well, I guess God wanted me to work when I thought it was time to retire. He must have something really great in store for me.” Can you imagine how pleased God is that this man still believes and tells others about His glory?

You should realize, of course, that not all trials are from the devil. That’s because many times we have made improper choices that set certain problems into play. Nevertheless, Satan is going to take whatever problem you initiate and use it to steal from you or destroy you if he can. Really, because of God’s grace, that’s the really exciting choice we have every day. No matter what happens, no matter how difficult we think something in the world is, we can choose to let Satan use that difficulty to really mess us up, or we can choose to let God use the same difficulty for His glory. If you really focus on what’s happening supernaturally, you can even find hope and some joy in even the worst times by simply knowing that what God has in store for you later will be so great.

When my husband, Tim, went back to Kansas to take care of his sick dad, things could not have seemed lower. No matter what he did, he couldn’t find out what was wrong with his dad, and after a while Tim had to quit his job to act as a 24/7 nurse. A lot of people fretted over the situation and warned Tim that he wouldn’t be able to find work again and that he would go broke, etc. Well, at that time Tim had a choice: (1) let Satan use the situation to cause hopelessness and despair, or (2) let God use it to show His glory. Tim chose number two, constantly telling people that God would surely find him another job, and the money would be no problem because God would surely work everything out. In the end, Tim was able to spend the last year of his dad’s life with him. He talked to many people in Kansas, including his dad, about God’s will and favor. And you know what? We never even really felt any lack of money due to losing his job. There was a sense of peace, even in the middle of a huge trial, by just knowing that God was in charge and that He would use the situation to lead to something even greater.

No matter how your trial originates, you still have the same weapons – namely the grace of Jesus dying on the cross, the Word (Bible) of our Lord, and our community of believers to provide encouragement, enlightenment, and strength. It’s so important to just stand and face that trial, rather than to run away, hide in a comfortable place or hop a boat on the river of denial J . If you try to ignore it, the problem will still be there when you return – in fact, it might have even grown into a bigger issue. And while you’re standing firm, sharpen your sword, which is the Word of God – dig into your Bible to refresh your memory of who you are and the promises our Lord made to you.

When I have things going poorly in my life I try to step back and ask a few questions and quickly move to the resolution.

1. What have I done in the natural world (like sin or un-forgiveness) that may have contributed to or started this difficulty?

If I identify something that has started the problem, then I accept the responsibility for the action or sin and ask for forgiveness. I then look for the resolution – it may mean humbly apologizing to someone, or making amends in the situation, or just standing in there for the natural course of things – like when you break a law and have to go through the court system. Sometimes I’m not sure what the root cause is and I just go to prayer and ask for revelation on what I have done. I ask for forgiveness, blessing, and supernatural help. Once I’ve done this, I try to leave it alone and let God walk with me through the problem however long it takes. That means that I try not to worry about it or continue discussing it. I simply release it so that my heart can remain pure and free.

2. Have I forgotten to pray spiritual coverage  to keep me and my household protected?

Sometimes I realize that I have gotten overly confident in my flesh and that I have not asked, on a daily basis, for God’s supernatural wisdom and perfection. This usually happens when I don’t get in the Word for even one tiny verse and my focus gets off my Lord and His purpose for my life. I immediately ask for forgiveness and ask for supernatural wisdom, revelation, and protection over me, my friends and family, my household and any one that I come into contact with each day.

3. Maybe I am doing the right thing – if so, is the attack from the enemy simply one designed to get me off track from living a Godly life?

If I’m on a Godly track and I think I am doing exactly what God wants me to do, regardless of what the world would say to do, then I just smile and feel fortunate that the enemy is trying to deter me from accomplishing something big. When this happens, I know that it’s some of the strongest demons that are in play, so I try to remember that it’s important now more than ever to press into my Lord through prayer, His Word, and His people. The Bible says that some demons react only to prayer and fasting, and so sometimes I fast.

And so, my beautiful brothers and sisters, stand firm! Be armed with the knowledge that your Heavenly Father is right there with you to help you muscle through your difficult time! In the end, getting through it by standing firm and choosing to side with God will be worth it. Whatever your trial may be, if you choose to walk with God, He will bless you with wisdom, abundant peace, and sharpened tools for life in the natural world.

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Salvation Seed Planting

Published November 4, 2012 Faith , Sharing your faith Leave a Comment
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Salvation Seed Planting

I apologize for my lengthy absence, but I just emerged from a one-year “valley of grief” in which six of my loved ones left this world to be with the Lord. A couple of times I felt a little nervous when my loved ones passed on, and I realized that I may not have done a good job of sharing the good news of the saving grace of our Lord. But, praise God, in both cases I found out from other people that those who had died had definitely come to the Lord before their journey. I was so relieved to know that each one had their heavenly ticket in hand on the day of their departure! I feel like I really dodged a spiritual bullet, so to speak, because I personally hadn’t made sure that they were ready to go. So I was convicted that I had better step up my game because I can’t live with the idea that someone might miss out on heaven just because of some petty excuses I had not to share. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and so here are a few tips that I found helpful for getting past those excuses and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with other people simply by planting seeds.

Seed planting for the Lord is very easy, and when we do it with love and diligence it’s very effective! There are some who might say that you should just get to the point, lay out the Gospel, and ask for the commitment. But I’ve been in sales for many years and I learned that the first principle of sales is this: people love to buy but hate to be sold. People like to mull information over, make their own decisions, and feel like those decisions are their ideas. That’s why I like seed planting. It might not be as quick for getting overt results, but I feel like it presents information with love, lets God do His work in each person, and lets that person come to God in his or her own time. This method is especially good for friends and family because your credibility with them might not be as sound as with new friends and acquaintances. Remember that friends and family have seen you at your fleshly worst and knew you before you were seriously born again (and remember “a prophet in his own home . . .”).

Seed planting for salvation mirrors seed planting in your garden because first you prepare the ground, then you plant the seed, and finally you nurture and water the seed for harvest. Actually planting the seed can be as simple and indirect as saying, “God bless you,” or “I’ll pray for you,” but can be a bit more direct, such as mentioning how God led you in something you have just done. Still, the planting itself will go a lot further when you’ve prepared the person to whom you’re going to speak. In every case, always pray about each word, encounter, and opportunity to share.

1. Preparing the ground. This step is very important and involves developing a bit of a relationship and trust, which can take some time. Mainly, preparing the ground is letting people know who you are and that you stand for the Truth of our Lord. It’s developing a friendly and loving relationship with people. Just think about it – this step might take a lifetime with some people. But if it takes that long to get a person to hear the seed without recoiling, then the time is worth it. People will listen to what you’re doing only when they don’t feel criticized, convicted, or force-fed, so take your time. If you sense resistance or the person closing up, then back off immediately and change the subject.

2. Planting the seeds involve prayer, patience, and love.

Prayer – I always ask the Lord what He would like me to say and when to speak – remember that His timing is always perfect. I try to be mindful of His promptings and act accordingly. Remember to pray to cover the people you talk to from the lies the enemy will try to plant during your time with them.

Patience – Sometimes I find that it’s best to let the other people vent their objections or show me their wounds before I plant any seeds. Remember that Paul gained a common ground with the people he encountered before he presented the good news. There’s no need to refute every word they say at this beginning point. People in the world are naturally skeptical – thinking that you will be pushy and unkind – so you’ll automatically build rapport with them when you are quiet, kind, and listening.

Love – I guard my words and attitude so that I don’t provoke some argument. Honestly, arguing is like putting superglue on the pinhole of opportunity, and one little argument might mean that you won’t get another chance to show God’s love. I try to remember that I might be the only ambassador of our Lord that this person meets. I might be their only hope to hear the Gospel and know Jesus. So I try to be respectful, polite, loving.

Here’s how I plant seeds with different people in my life!

A. Family members and close friends – I like to sprinkle the Word and the work of the Lord in my life into conversations any chance I get. I allow my family to be who they are, and I also try not to shock them by always showing them I’m the Jesus freak that I am. For example, I have one family member who I have been praying about for salvation for quite some time. I try to mention how the Lord is working in my life – especially when there are miracles happening that the world might label as “lucky.” People like my family member usually have a woundedness that you might never even know about. They need to know that the Lord loves them and is interested in their success and wellbeing. So I often pray about difficulties that they might be having and ask the Lord for a result. I tell them that the Lord is going to take care of this problem so that when it gets solved easily, inexpensively, etc they will know that the Lord is at work. This allows me to let them see the hand of God at work in their life.

B. Work people – I don’t hide who I am at work. I do need to be careful because I work for a governmental agency and people get all uptight about the “separation of church and state” (which, by way, is not the interpretation that our forefathers intended – but that’s another blog). But people do know that I am a follower of Jesus. Now the downside to being so transparent is that I KNOW that I am under a magnifying glass and that I have to always be on my best behavior. Once again, I let people know how the Lord is working in my life without trying to convict them or act like I am special or perfect. I offer to pray for them when life is difficult. I listen to them and try to be a friend. Once again, I love to share how God is working in my life. I recently had major surgery and was back at work 22 days afterward. People were amazed that I was back so quickly and working full days, so I let everyone know that I asked God for a supernatural recovery and that is what they are witnessing!

C. Acquaintances – I don’t believe in coincidences; instead, I believe that every human encounter is from God and is purposeful. When it comes to acquaintances, I don’t always know what I am supposed to do, but I at least try to encourage and uplift people. It might be as simple as a kind word, a smile, a few dollars, or a shoulder to cry on and some Godly wisdom. I try to work God into the conversation, even if it’s just a comment that He loves them and wants to bless them. When people have a need, such as hunger, it’s best to try to meet that need first and then share our Lord with them. When I pray for people, I ask the Lord to show His hand at work in their life and then I let the people know what to look for. Once again, sharing out of the blessings in your life and your testimony is always great.

I always tell people, whoever they are, that I’m happy to pray for and with them and that I’m available to talk with them about Jesus anytime. I might not know all the answers, but I know that the Holy Spirit and the Bible will guide me. I try to be open and available. Just being present is a big deal. I’ve had people tell other people to call me to pray with them not only because they knew I was a follower of Jesus, but also simply because I was around and willing to do it.

3. Nurturing and watering the seeds involves more relationship building and showing more loving proof of the Lord working in your life. Just because someone doesn’t commit to God in the seed planting phase doesn’t mean that I should stop encouraging and loving them, so I keep trying to build our relationship whenever possible. If I see that the person is becoming uncomfortable around me, I back way off and try to talk to them only about what they are interested in for a while. I try not to only meet with people to tell them about God. I’ve found, instead, that if I earn their trust over time, they will slowly be open to hearing more about God on their own terms. The time is coming when we will need to be bold and direct, but the seed planting method is a good place to start fine tuning your evangelism skills and practicing sharing the word.

4. The Harvest is the end goal – the person’s commitment to our Lord. I don’t always assume that I will be the actual harvester, but I am pleased to be used in this capacity when it arises. I know that often seeds that are planted take time to germinate and sprout.

When someone fully commits to Jesus Christ, it is likely due to seeds that were planted by others sometimes many years ago. So when somebody comes into my life, I not only like to look for fertile soil to plant my own seeds, but also for existing seeds that I can water and nurture. One of these days, one of those seeds will take root! In the parable of the sower, Jesus said: “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” That’s the goal – a harvest that produces another follower of Jesus Christ, shining one more glorious light in the world. You can’t get there without a seed, so start sowing and planting today!

Things I learned in my encounter with losing family and friends

Published July 2, 2012 Characteristics of Believers , Comfort , Forgiveness 2 Comments
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I recently experienced the loss of four loved ones during a seven month period.  It was a surreal time, and I hated going in to tell my boss what was going on in my life.  I bet he thought that no one could make up something this crazy just to get out of work.  I wondered if people would be afraid to be around me since death and dying was so frequently affecting my loved ones.  During this rocky time, my husband was out of town taking care of his ailing father, who also recently left us to accept his promotion in eternity – death number five.  It was a bit much, and, like McCauley Culkin in the movie, I was home completely alone.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “why, God, why?”  “Why are you taking so many of my loved ones at this time?” I began to understand how fragile and fleeting this life is here on earth. I heard someone say that we often treat this life as if we’re humans having a spiritual encounter, when in fact we’re really spirits having a brief human encounter.  This statement alone gave me peace to understand that the bodies we occupy now are but temporary, and that at least our eternal bodies must be glorious and feel more like home.

Overall, my recent experience surrounded by so much death and dying solidified several truths that I’d heard, but hadn’t grasped or practiced at a higher level.  Here they are:

1.  Be nice to everyone and practice empathy; there really isn’t ever any good reason to be mean or vengeful.  It may not always seem natural to operate out of mercy and love rather than out of judgment and contempt, but the spiritual benefits are enormous.  There are enough negative people in the world who are looking to criticize others that you don’t need to criticize, too.  Remember that even though we have our golden ticket to eternity based on our belief that Christ is the Son of God, we are still accountable for our actions.

2.  Make peace and forgive those that have hurt you, even if you feel that you didn’t do anything wrong.  Step up, grow up, and offer the olive branch of peace.  Think about how bad you’ll feel when your friend or family member dies and you didn’t have a chance to make amends.  You have a choice to live a life free from the pain of unforgiveness.   Think about the ultimate model for forgiveness – Jesus.  He didn’t come back and seek out those that persecuted and put Him to death to get even. In fact, even while on the cross, He asked His father to “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Luke 23:34.

3.  Remember that you aren’t alone – God is with you so press into Him!  During this painful time I had so many people tell me how strong they thought I was.  I told them that if I looked strong it was because I was being held up by our heavenly Father.  I’ve never been more aware of the protection, peace, and compassion of God than during this time.  I surrounded myself with excellent spiritual manna such as truth-teaching TV programs, the word of God, my Christ loving brethren, and daily telephone prayer with my husband.

4.  Protect your spirit by only spending time with people who lift you up or who encourage you to be your best.  Limit time with the people who drain your energy, push your buttons, or criticize you, even if they are family.  These are the people that the enemy will use to push you into sinful and unlovely behavior.  People may not remember when you walked away exuding mercy and grace, but they will always remember the one time that you snapped. Don’t give the enemy a foothold just because you didn’t bridle your tongue.

5.  Shine up your spiritual armor.  Study Ephesians 6:10-20, and remember that Ephesians 6:12 tells us “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.”  It’s important for us to remember that although we’re in a war, we don’t have to become a victim or hostage in that war. Every day I asked the Lord to protect me from the evil one and to help me walk in love.

6.  Resist the urge to complain and whine about what you’re going through.  Remember that your heavenly Father will use everything for his Glory, and that when you come through the fire you will be blessed and will have grown spiritually!  I can’t easily explain why bad things happen to anyone – let alone good people – but I can say that those who keep a good attitude and keep their focus on God will come through like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:12-27, who emerged from the fire without even the smell of smoke upon them.

7.  Treat yourself kindly.  Exercise and eat good quality, healthy food. My doctor has been working very closely with me during this time to make sure that I’m rested and feeding my immune and adrenal systems.  The one big thing she keeps stressing is for me to eat high quality, nutritious food.  So resist the urge to eat “comfort food” and stay away from sugar, fast food, and processed foods.  Eat more fruits, vegetables and good organic meats.  Also, treat yourself occasionally to your favorite relaxing activity.  Personally speaking, I love a good spa visit for a pedicure, facial or massage.

Tough times don’t have to beat you down. Do the natural by taking care of yourself, and the supernatural by relying on God for the rest, and even the hardest times will help you grow spiritually and help to continue in your ministry to others! People notice how others handle difficult situations, so let them start taking notes about you!

Be Blessed

Denise and Tim

Arming the Saints Ministries

Spiritual Manna in the smallest things

Published June 18, 2012 Inspiration Leave a Comment
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Before we embark for a time on dreams and visions, it occurred to me to tell you why I haven’t posted for a while.  As some of you know, my husband, Tim, went to Kansas to care for his earthly father after a stroke. On May 21, the Lord took Tim’s dad home and we have been in a whirlwind of activity since. The amount of work families must do to “take care of things” after a death is really astounding. I’ve been back and forth to Kansas, packing furniture, helping with the estate, and generally just trying to help Tim.

 All the while, I kept thanking God for the life of Tim’s dad, for the blessings He has given us to see us through this thing, and for His peace. You know, Tim lost his job over this business, but every day he would wake up, thank God for the increase in time, and go to work. While he was in Kansas, Tim completed his third album, which will be a true testament to God’s glory when it comes out this fall.

 All of this reminded me that while you we are busy with other things, we must always take the time to move up, spiritually speaking. But if our plans are to systematically study the Bible or to spend three hours a day praying, those plans may seem daunting as our time dwindles. So what I do when the world presses in on me is to simply monitor what I hear, see, and experience. Don’t get me wrong, I still read the Word every day – it’s become a habit for me.  But when I don’t have nearly the amount of time I would like to study God’s word, I become a faithful monitor of what I do have going on in my life. When the radio is on, I turn to a Christian music station (I call it Satan repellant).  When the TV is on, I try to find a good Christian speaker (like Charles Stanley, Ravi Zacharias, or Alistair Begg) or at least a God-inspired movie or uplifting sports show. At all times, I try to guard my thoughts from the destructive mantras of secular humanism, agnosticism, and atheism. And if you make a conscious effort to do the same thing, you will find small bits of soul-filling Christian inspiration that will carry you through hard times by reminding you who you really work for. If you look hard enough for them, you’ll find them in the most amazing places.  

 For example, the other night I was tired after moving furniture and I just wanted to watch something on TV while I got ready for bed. The first channel I turned to had Nik Wallenda tightrope walking across Niagara Falls.  “Oh great,” I thought, “just what I need – some guy trying to impress humanity by doing some meaningless act on national television while everyone sits and waits for him to fall.” Just as I was about to turn the channel, they said they were going to listen in on Nik as he spoke to his team via radio. The announcers drew silent, and suddenly you could hear Nik saying, over and over, “thank you Jesus, thank you Lord.” Turns out that Nik was praying his way across the Falls, giving God the glory for all that was going on in his life, and basically evangelizing to the world. My heart jumped and I quickly realized that this was the bit of inspiration I was looking for. Nik was more than just a tightrope walker – he was God’s tightrope walker. And I am more than just someone cleaning up after someone else had passed on – I am an image-bearer working for God’s glory.

 Thank you, Father, for allowing me the opportunity to do your work in this world, and to tell others that I do it all to glorify you.            

Dreams and Visions

Published May 13, 2012 Hearing God , Supernatural 4 Comments
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Dreams and Visions

Did you know that a sign of the end times is an increase in prophetic dreams and visions? The Bible says,

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. (Acts 2:17 and Joel 2:28 (NIV))

I have been experiencing spiritual and prophetic dreams more frequently over the past year. In future posts, I’ll share them and their meanings with you. But first, I want to tell you why I believe this is happening to me and how you can share in this blessing.

As we mentioned in our book, 7 Spiritual Truths and the Lies that Hide Them, God will speak to you in the way that He knows that you will listen. My husband actively looks for signs in nature showing that God is working with him on various things. Because of that, God sends signs through nature to my husband (these are big and obvious supernatural signs – the kind that would make you say, “Wow, did you see that?!”). In the book, we joke that if you believe that God will speak to you through billboards, then you better start looking at all of the billboards. But seriously, think about how you listen for God to speak to you. Is it through your feelings? Is it through visions? Does He talk to you out loud? Maybe he speaks to you through other people. I know a lot of people who were seeking God when suddenly someone came out of nowhere and helped them through their troubles with just the right supernatural advice.

You may have had a relationship with someone in which you knew what they were thinking before they even said anything. I would never presume to know what God is thinking, but once you know how He speaks to you, it becomes much easier to really KNOW that it is Him who is speaking. And then as your level of communication deepens, your relationship becomes more intimate.

These days I talk to God constantly, and I am constantly watching for His reply. Sometimes it comes with just a “Holy Spirit-type” feeling, but lately it’s been in dreams. Because I am open to hearing from God in dreams, He is using them to speak to me.

I am so excited about this new gift, and I am equally excited to share it with you!  I want you to feel like you are walking hand-in-hand with God each moment of each day, and to feel the closeness of your loving Father.

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