RISING Church

Believe it or not, this past Sunday we finished our KNOW series in Paul's letter to the Ephesians by rewinding to Ephesians 5:20 where Paul says, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." One of the key byproducts of understanding God's will for our lives and being filled with his Spirit is that we will become increasingly filled with gratitude. Our minds will be renewed and we will begin looking at our lives and our circumstances differently. We will come to understand that God doesn't owe us anything. We are not entitled to God's blessings. God's provision and protection are not inalienable rights that we are owed. This new perspective gives us the freedom to see every good and perfect gift as a blessing from our Father in heaven. The Pilgrims understood this reality, and so despite massive heartache and grief, were able to stop and give thanks to God for everything 398 years ago in the Fall of 1621 at the very first Thanksgiving. The question today is will we follow their example and recapture a heart of thanksgiving and appreciation for God's blessings? Will we choose to see things from a new "renewed" perspective? Will we foster gratitude? Will we express thanksgiving for the things and people God has blessed us with? This Thanksgiving, take some time to stop and consider everything you have to grateful for!

Are you dressed for battle? Are you prepared for the struggle which lies ahead? As Paul reaches the conclusion of his letter, he sums up his desires for us with 2 commands: "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power", and "Put on the full armor of God". Paul knows from first-hand experience what we are up against and knows that we need to be filled with God's power, God's might, and God's strength if we're going to overcome the Enemy. Paul knows we can't afford to go in to this battle unprepared, without our full armor on, or the Enemy will overcome us. Although we may not be aware of it, Paul has come to know that our struggle, literally our wrestling bout, is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual rulers, authorities, powers and forces of evil. This wrestling bout is personal. It's one on one. Our coaches, parents, team-mates and friends can cheer us on, support us, pray for us, encourage us, train us, but at the end of the day, its just us and the Enemy in the wrestling ring. And if we're going to overpower and thus overcome this Enemy who has battle-tested schemes, tactics, methods and strategies for defeating us, we're going to need God's power, God's might, God's strength at work within us! So what demons, literal or figurative, are you personally wrestling with? Where are you weak? Where are you vulnerable? You need God's power to overcome the Enemy! So "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power". "Put on the full armor of God!"

Because life can be "treacherous", we need to "pay attention" to how and where we walk! Because life is short, we need to be wise and make the most of every opportunity, redeeming each moment we have. Because God has a higher calling, a higher purpose, and a higher standard for our lives, we need to understand what God's will is for our lives. Do you know God's will for your life? While the specifics for you individually may not be clear, what is clear is God's general will for all believers. God's will for all of us is that we wouldn't be fools getting drunk on wine, but that we would instead be filled with his Spirit! God's desire is that we would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God! What are you filled with?