Spiritual Warfare Prayer

October 2, 2015 Gracie

Spiritual Warfare Prayer

I came across a fantastic spiritual warfare prayer on Facebook the other day. I had recently become a fan of this author’s page and, I have to say, her morning and evening prayers are both beautiful and inspiring. It seemed to exactly fit the words I needed to hear on an especially stressful morning.

spiritual warfare prayer Has that ever happened to you?

Have you ever felt plagued by thoughts of insecurity, low self-esteem, or even doubts about your purpose in life?

I’m sure we all have at one time or another. Sometimes, without any warning at all, negative thoughts or doubts pop up in your head, seemingly out of nowhere.

It can happen anywhere and at any time.

It’s happened to me too. The spiritual nagging was frustrating and relentless at first. I kept trying to think about something else, but the rounds of self-doubt just kept coming. What could I do? I remembered to put on the armor of God.

Spiritual Attacks Will Affect All of Us

Perhaps it’s a nagging thought that you aren’t good enough to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Satan always sprinkles a little bit of truth in with his lies. Yes, it’s true no one is worthy, but we must always remember the Cross. Jesus paid the ransom for our sins and we have been redeemed. We have access to His complete forgiveness and grace.

satan's lies Satan is counting on us to forget our relationship with the Father. He seeks to destroy the family of God.

Another spiritual attack you might face is the feeling that you’re unforgivable.

Why did I act that way?

I have to check myself because I can get lost in a cloud of blaming myself for dumb decisions over and over.

The past is the past. I’ve asked for God’s forgiveness. We can never forget that we serve a God of second chances.

Please don’t dwell on your past mistakes. God will forgive you if you’ve confessed what you’ve done.

Don’t believe Satan’s lies that you’re scarred for life and God doesn’t care about you. That’s a spiritual attack.

We Question What We Don’t Understand

Since I became a Christian I never doubted the truth of the Bible. I have, however, questioned God’s reasoning (instead of praying) when things don’t go the way I planned for my life or when a loved one is critically ill. I don’t understand why bad things have to happen to people I love. Regardless, I’m only a sinner and I must trust God throughout the trial.

Don’t be embarrassed when you’re faced with various temptations. Even Jesus was a target of the evil one.

But, we can be ready for the next time the evil one strikes.

armor of God I’ve collected a list of Bible verses that I can refer back to whenever I need that armor. I highly suggest you consider doing the same. Write them down and commit them to your heart so you can recall them instantly when you need spiritual strength.

This verse from 1 John 4:4 is a perfect example:

*”You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

A Spiritual Warfare Prayer Worth Saving

When I found the spiritual warfare prayer I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, I couldn’t wait to add it to my collection of “armor.”

I wanted to share it with you too, so you can start building your own armor when the devil attacks.

This prayer was written by Christian author, Susie Larson. Many thanks to her as she was kind enough to allow me to share it with you here:

Spiritual Warfare Prayer God bless and may everything you do this week bring glory and honor to Him!

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Our Exceptional God

Gianna Jessen

September 29, 2015 Gracie

God’s Girl

If I had to name just one woman who truly inspires me, it would be Gianna Jessen.

I know I’ve mentioned her before in my blog, but she’s especially been on my heart lately. If you don’t know her story, Gianna Jessen is an abortion survivor. She also has cerebral palsy, the result of the failed abortion attempt.

baby in the womb Gianna has dedicated her life to sharing her faith in God and speaking out against the senseless murder of babies in the womb. She has shared her story all over the world.

I love her honesty and I love her spunk despite the difficult circumstances of her life. One thing she is not – and that is a victim.

“I’m His girl. You don’t mess with God’s girl. I got a sign on my forehead that says: You better be nice to me, for my Father owns the world.” – Gianna Jessen

The Planned Parenthood videos with the horrific news of dismemberment of babies make me want to be sick. Of course, they’re claiming the tapes were “doctored.” Would we expect anything else? Whether they were doctored or not, that doesn’t make abortion right.

The fact is: God wanted those babies to be born and their lives were snuffed out.

Babies Have Rights Too, Just Ask Gianna Jessen

Sadly, any moral compass in our country is disappearing right before our very eyes. The “eject” button has been pressed by the media, Hollywood, politicians, and a self-absorbed generation of Americans who can’t be bothered. We will all be held accountable.

I don’t know about you, but I feel betrayed by the majority of the congressmen we elected during the mid-terms. I thought, with a supposed conservative majority, it was a signal that our nation may be turning back to God. And yet, time after time, this current crop of politicians have turned their backs on God and the sanctity of life with their decisions.

Shame on them. 🙁

I am disgusted.

Those politicians who are failing us and also those people holding up their pro-abortion signs, do not represent me. From the statistics I’ve seen, nor do they represent the majority of men and women in America.

Gianna Jessen - God's Girl Abortion is evil, plain and simple.

We might as well be right back in Biblical times when cult-worshippers sacrificed children on their counterfeit altars.

Planned Parenthood only does mammogram “referrals” – we’ve heard that time and time again. Regardless, for some very deceived people, this “referral” is more important than a baby’s life. Follow the money.

Haters of Christianity like to spread the lie that a woman who has had an abortion can’t go to Heaven. It frustrates me to hear that, because we have a loving God who knows the hearts of sinners and will forgive those who are truly seeking His pardon.

Abortion is morally wrong. Our country is shedding the blood of the innocent. America is killing its future. All life is valuable. All life is a gift from our Creator. We must receive and cherish the gifts we are given. We must honor the right to life. – Gianna Jessen

Godwin Is Not God

A few nights ago on social media, I was called out by someone for my pro-life views about the abortion holocaust. This guy quoted Godwin’s law.

“Who?”

Exactly.

I could care less what Godwin says.

Godwin is not God.

Christians follow God’s laws.

As the song says, there’s “no turning back, no turning back.”

Speaking of music, I wanted to share this beautiful song written and sung by Gianna. I hope it blesses you as much as it does me. The movie based on her life, “October Baby,” features this song.

God bless Gianna Jessen.

Our Exceptional God

Grace

September 21, 2015 Gracie

His Grace Is Enough

The word “Grace” is, to me, one of the most beautiful words in the English language. When you think about what the word means, unexpected and unmerited favor, it gives me great encouragement to know that God created the potential of this beautiful quality in all of us so that we can share it with others.

Grace started with Him. His grace is enough When Jesus paid the penalty for yours and my sin, His grace covered all of it.

Do we still sin? Yes, but if we truly repent, God forgives and continues to refine and perfect us. Remember the “potter and the clay” analogy? It’s a perfect description of how God works in all of our lives. God’s grace is a refining fire in the midst of trials.

Everyone has the opportunity to receive His grace. It makes me sad when I hear that there are people who still believe they have to earn their way into Heaven.

They can’t. It’s impossible. We must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation and that is the path we must take.

A Thorny Path

It’s a path that’s sometimes filled with thorns. Bad things will happen to us – we can expect it at some point in our lives. We may even question God about the injustice of it all.

Take heart, dear one.

God has promised He would always be with us, and if it’s in His divine plan, He will bring healing if it accomplishes His purpose. There is always a purpose.

Cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease – there are so many words like these that strike fear and discouragement when they become a part of our lives or of someone we love.

How do we survive a diagnosis such as these?

faith and prayer With Faith. It has to be with Faith.

Please add “a lot of prayer from friends and family” to that because God listens to every one. He hears your every heart beat and He hears your every word. Trust in Him and His plan for your life. We know that God is already working your suffering for good, maybe tomorrow or maybe way into the future. We must trust Him, even when the healing doesn’t come in this life.

A friend of mine, Martha F. from Texas, has experienced God’s grace within her own family. We are all sinners in the eyes of God. Here’s a verse to illustrate that from the book of Romans:

Romans 3:23 —

* ²³All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

All is Not Lost However

Taken by itself, one might think that all is lost, that there’s no way we can measure up. But all is not lost. Jesus provided a way for us to spend our lives eternally in His presence and where there will be nothing but joy.

Martha adds:

This verse sums up the human race to me and the grace that is available to all who receive Jesus as their Savior. It is a reminder to me that no one, no not one, of us are pure and blameless, but we have hope in Jesus as He took the punishment for our sins. Everyone has sinned, but everyone also has the opportunity to receive Christ. Because we all are sinners, Jesus died for all, not just an elect few. We all have the opportunity, as we are all sinners, to receive eternal salvation.

Nothing Compares To God’s Grace

We will have an eternal future with Him that will be better than anything we have ever experienced – that means all the beautiful sunsets, fun times spent with our loved ones, personal experiences with grace, exciting vacations, alone time spent with God – when it’s our time to leave this world, we will spend our time with Him in His holy presence and nothing can even compare with that.

His grace will always be enough. Here’s a song I love by Sara Groves. I hope you enjoy. God bless you all this week.

Our Exceptional God

Favorite Bible Verse

September 15, 2015 Gracie

Do You Have a Favorite Bible Verse?

Everything in the Bible is important, but sometimes there’s a verse or two that you keep referring back to. I know that’s the way it is for me.

favorite Bible verse It may be a verse that gives you strength or comfort during a difficult time in your life. Or, it may be a verse that reflects your gratitude towards God for His many blessings.

If you’ve read my blog before, then you know I’ve posted some of the favorite Bible verses from friends of mine from all over the country. It has been my joy to be able to share these verses with you because they come straight from the heart of fellow Christians.

In this deeply dark world we’re living in now, we can use all the encouragement we can get, right?

I was reading a new book I bought yesterday and came across a Bible verse in it that has become a new source of encouragement for me.

Invisible War by Chip Ingram First, the book. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend Pastor Chip Ingram’s, “The Invisible War.” It’s a book about the spiritual attacks we face as Christians and it helps guide us how to put on the armor of God. We know we’re supposed to wear the armor, but do we really know how to use it?

I’ve personally had several spiritual attacks lately. They’ve been distressing, but we know that in life, satan hates all of us. His intent is to discourage and destroy all that is of God. He will use whatever he can to distract Christians from bringing glory to God. It could come from a low blow from a friend, a public put-down at work, or even nasty comments from someone you love. These spiritual attacks seemingly pop up, almost out of nowhere. This excellent book is a great resource for when those attacks come.

The verse that really stood out for me was from 2 Kings. It’s a loving reminder that we are not alone in the battle. God does not allow us to go into a spiritual battle unarmed.

The verse is:

2 Kings 6:15-17 —

*¹⁵Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Briefly, the prophet Elisha and his servant were facing a seemingly impossible situation. They were surrounded by the marauding army of King Aram. Their situation seemed dire, but Elisha did not lose faith. He assured his frightened servant that there was nothing to be afraid of.

The Lord heard Elisha’s prayers and the servant was at once able to see, really see, the invisible army of angels who were there by their side the whole time.

I love this! “…those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Boom, there it is!

I don’t know about you, but those verses really comfort me. We face a lot of tough times in our lives. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming, that we forget that God allows trials in our lives to perfect our faith.

The Invisible War

There is most definitely an invisible war going on right now between Heaven and satan. Our assurance? We have an army of God’s angels fighting on our behalf.

Ultimately, the victory is ours. We know who wins! We have that encouraging and blessed assurance through Jesus Christ.

The God who created this beautiful creation, also created you and me…to be victors through our steadfast belief in Him.

beautiful creation Heavenly Father, we rejoice in the knowledge that you’ve shared your Word with us in Scripture and that we have the ultimate victory through You. We continue to pray for your protection over us and for strength and courage in the challenging times ahead. Thank you for being You and for loving us so completely.

In Jesus name, amen.

Dear child of God, try not to be discouraged. You have millions of brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe who are fighting alongside you. Delight in God. He loves you so much!

Real Life Stories of Faith

Remembering September 11th

September 11, 2015 Gracie

Remembering September 11th

Remembering September 11 I remember waking up that September 11th morning in 2001. I turned on the news like I always did while getting ready for work. The news anchors were talking about a “small” plane that had crashed into the World Trade Center, but details were very, very sketchy.

I had an ominous feeling about the whole thing, but headed off to work as usual. Fortunately, I had a job at the time where I could work while the TV was on in the background. My boss was away on a trip so I had the whole office to myself.

I turned on the TV and I could tell from the news reports that the alleged small plane “accident” at the WTC was much, much more. I stopped what I was doing and spent the next hour glued to the TV.

It gets me emotional just thinking about it. My boss called me a short while later to ask if I’d heard about the attacks and that I could go home. I called my husband and his whole office was talking about it too.

I begged him to come home and he said the office would probably let them go soon.

The dread and reality of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil finally sunk in and made me sick to my stomach. I drove back home in shock, probably like everyone else in the world, and turned the TV back on.

Feeling Helpless

I was thankful I had our dogs with me until my husband got home. I just felt helpless. There was nothing to do except to watch and pray.

This can’t happen in America. Any belief I had of feeling safe in the greatest country in the world was shattered that dark day.

The images of people jumping off the towers were horrific and unforgettable. For those people to have to make that awful choice – I can’t even go there in my mind.

Dear God, what is happening? Please let this be a nightmare.

My husband got home and I remember we didn’t say much. There was just a numb feeling, a deep sadness, like at a funeral of someone you hold dear. Later that evening, we took a walk around our neighborhood like we always did when the sun was setting.

But that evening was different.

We lived about 15 minutes from the airport and there were no planes in the sky.

I cried that day, and for days afterwards.

I will never, ever forget.

thank you first responders

A Big Thank You

On this day of remembrance, I want to thank all of the first responders who risked their own lives to save others and continue to do so.

A thank you also to the loyal and brave service dogs and their trainers who were instrumental in all of the recovery efforts.

I pray this will never happen again, but I believe we’ve been betrayed but those in high office who promised to protect us and our freedoms. Ultimately, this is a spiritual battle and we need to pray for our country.

I pray that God will heal our land. One look at the news every night and it doesn’t look good. Satan is prowling around and the influence of the evil one is everywhere…in high political offices, in public school curriculum, in some churches, the list goes on.

We are at a crucial time in our nation’s history. God has allowed some major wake-up calls and there will be more. Biblical prophecies always come true.

Are You Prepared?

I know I’ve said this before, but I believe some people still think that none of these world events going on will affect them.

It will. Pay close attention to some of the national meetings taking place later this month.

America is in deep, deep trouble.

I encourage you to read the Book of Revelation with a good commentary. Pastors John MacArthur and Dr. Robert Jeffress have excellent teachings on the events to come. You can find their teachings in video and written form simply by doing an online search.

Our only hope is in God and salvation through Jesus Christ. If your faith is lukewarm or nonexistent, please don’t put off THE most important decision in your life.

Nothing and I mean nothing is more important than making sure yours and your family’s faith is in Jesus Christ.

Stay strong and faithful and God bless you all!

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Our Exceptional God

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