Chats with Jesus

I saw many on their journeys. Some with Jesus and some without. 

I saw angels and demons fighting and some demons lurking about. 

I wondered why some had swarms of demons trying to get them and others only a few. 

Jesus grinned and said, “Those swarms of demons are terrified of what that person can do.”

I noticed that only the people with Jesus had swarms flying around. 

A few others without Jesus, just held a demon’s hand and it was sound. 

I realized that the hand that you choose to hold, will dictate a lot. 

I would rather hold Jesus’s hand and have swarms of demons, than not. 

What if the weight of our decisions are less about the potential impact of the decision...and more about the enemy creating weight? What if the armor of God is designed to lighten our load and to be able to see God's plans for us more clearly?

Worrying about money is not uncommon in the world we live in. Contrary to what our minds tell us... it actually doesn't matter what the balance is in your bank account, you can still find yourself worrying about money. Unless... we take the time to use the Armor of God. See, financial worry isn't actually about the money... it's about something deeper... it may actually be more of a spiritual battle than a money battle.

It's really not that surprising to believe that many of us are at war with our bodies... but what if the battle isn't with our body? What if the battle is actually part of the spiritual war? What if the Armor of God, applied well, is exactly what we need to come out on the other side?

The Sword is a powerful weapon to be used defensively... turns out, it is also equally as powerful offensively. The Sword is complex... but not confusing. The Sword is heavy in the weight of it's power...but light when carried and used. Maybe we just need to get better acquainted with the Sword and Word to truly understand it and use it.

Our mind can be a battlefield... not just in the sense of us fighting out thoughts...but also in the context of the spiritual war that we are all in. So much of the enemy's lies and tactics are directly designed to penetrate our minds so that we hold and act on the thoughts. Sound less than ideal? Agree. Good thing that we have access to a spiritual helmet!

If we were walking down the street and saw flaming arrows coming at us... you better bet that we would be taking cover. But how often do we slow down to acknowledge the flaming arrows that actually are coming at us in the spiritual war that we are walking through? How well do we know how to use the Shield of Faith? If the answers to those questions are "not often" and "not well"... then now would be a good time to do both.

Are you ready? That can be a loaded question. Are you ready in the context of a spiritual war? Well now that is a loaded and heavy question. Luckily for us, readiness and peace are partnered together in the Armor of God.... and boy, do we need them both!

Being right with God isn't just a concept...it is actually a piece of armor. Armor that is highly needed in the spiritual war. In fact, it is one of the primary armors protecting the heart. We would do well to know it and we would do better to use it.

What if some of our "true thoughts" are not "The Truth?" What if Satan is using "true thoughts" to distract us from The Truth. Jesus tells us, "I the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) If Jesus is the actual definition of "truth" then maybe we need to redefine how we see our true thoughts. The "Belt of Truth" is only safely applicable if we are applying it accurately...which can only be done if Jesus is at the center of it all.