Tag:

strength

Mothers in God Arise: Part 8 My Prayer

by Esther Griggs July 5, 2019

written by Esther Griggs

As the apostle, Paul did in Ephesians 3,” I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

I pray along with Paul as he prays that God ” would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man.”

That Christ may dwell in your heart through faith;

That you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width, and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;

That you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Therein lies our strength, our power, our peace, joy, hope, faith, and courage.

“Now to him who is able to exceedingly abundantly, above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

July 5, 2019 0 comments

Be Prepared

by Esther Griggs May 31, 2019

written by Esther Griggs

As a boy scout, my husband learned this little phrase of great importance. “Be prepared!”

Coming away for the weekend with my husband so I could write was a good idea. As I sit to do my blog on my series on women, I come to realize I am not prepared. I left my notes at home. It is, however, a great lead-in on how as Christians we need daily to be prepared. We never know what God has in store for those he loves. The apostle Paul tells us how to be prepared in Ephesians 6: 10-19.

He tells us to BE STRONG. We don’t pull it out of a hat somewhere. Our strength is in the Lord and his mighty power. He has given us armor to fight our adversary the devil. Most of us think our enemies are people we are in conflict with, but here we are told that our enemies are much more than flesh and blood. Our true enemies are unseen. They are part of an unseen world, this dark world, and evil spirits in heavenly places. For that reason, we need special equipment!

We can resist! We will be able to STAND in the battle and when it is over, be still standing!! That is IF we are wearing God’s armor.

GIRD YOUR WAIST WITH TRUTH. How many times do we get an idea and let our mind run with it and then find ourselves wrapped up in fear or some other negative emotion? Or, hear a story, shape our life around it, and then find out it was false. Gird your waist with truth. Study the Bible, know His truth. It is the only one there is.

Cover your body with THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; live a clean life by God’s spirit rather than following your own wants and desires. Your own desires can get you into trouble with health, finances or relationships.

For shoes, be ready with THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE. Isaiah 52:7 says

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”

Then take up your shield. It is a SHIELD OF FAITH. You will be able to fight ALL the fiery arrows of the devil. When he sends an arrow full of hate, and accusation, you are surrounded by the love of God by faith.

You need the HELMET OF SALVATION. That is our covering as children of God. Our salvation was bought with the price of our crucified Lord. It makes us his.

The SWORD OF THE SPIRIT is our only weapon. That sword is God’s very own word. It is the weapon Jesus himself used when facing the devil. For example, If the enemy says you are going to die, tell him

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord”

Then PRAY; pray always, pray about everything, pray in the Spirit, persevere in prayer, be watchful in prayer, and pray for all the saints, and for church leaders that they will be bold, and able to speak out the mystery of the gospel as they ought to speak. Keep your spiritual wifi on.

I may have forgotten my notes, but I dare not approach my day that way.

I must be prepared! I pray that we all are!

May 31, 2019 0 comments

Bible reflection

Who are you?

by Esther Griggs May 3, 2019

written by Esther Griggs

John lived in the time when Tiberius Caesar was King. He was strange to the world around him. His clothes were strange. Who dresses in camel hair wrapped with a leather belt? His diet was strange. Who eats locust and honey? Where he lived and what he was doing was strange. Who lives out in the wilderness telling people to repent?

In spite of or perhaps because of this strangeness, the people of Jerusalem, Judea, and the whole surrounding region came out to see him. Who knows what they were expecting? His message was hard and still, they came.

Some came to find out who he was and badgered him about it. Others heard his message, and found their way back to God, symbolizing it by having John baptize them with water. In fact, Jesus of Nazareth, himself, came to see John and in so doing, was revealed as the Son of God.

Yes, John was strange to the world around him. He, however, had a strong identity. He knew who he was not. The Jews of his day were looking for a Saviour. “Who are you?” they asked. “I am not the Christ,” he told them. They kept up with the questions and finally asked: “Who are you?”

“Are you Elijah, are you the prophet?” they continued. He knew who he was. ” I am”, he said, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord”, “as the Prophet Isaiah said.”

He also knew his purpose. He knew what he was doing and he also knew why. “I baptize with water,” he told them. “that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” His purpose was to reveal Jesus, as God’s Son, to Israel.

Yes, John was a strange man but strong. His strength in part came from a strong identity. He knew who he was not, who he was and why he was. As we begin to know God in Christ Jesus, we learn who we are not, who we are and why we exist. In that knowledge, we gain an enormous amount of inner strength that enables us to live in freedom: freedom from how we are perceived, what we should be doing, and how we should be doing it.

Grace and peace to you.

May 3, 2019 0 comments

Bible reflection Inspirations

Enough: More than Enough

by Esther Griggs April 17, 2019

written by Esther Griggs

Our human heart in its brokenness cries out: “I am enough.”, “I can do this.”, “I can handle whatever comes at me.”. It is an attempt to call in strength, to flex our muscles, and to gain confidence. “God won’t give me more than I can handle.” How else can we face our lives full of fear, despair, or inadequacy?

One of the author’s of the Psalms; the great Jewish king David, came up against his humanity time and time again. He knew great truths about God, things not yet played out on earth’s timeline. He also knew about the enemies of his soul and how to fight those enemies. His imperfections, his failures, his inadequacies always brought him back to God who fought for him.

Like the apostle Paul in the New Testament, we need a thorn in our flesh, a weakness, something to remind us of our humanity and our need for God; not just God our father, but Jesus our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit our teacher and Comforter.

I know my weak spots, I have a father who created me with empty spots that need his strength. I have a Saviour whose death on the cross covers my willfulness against God, the part of me that says I can do this on my own, I don’t need him. I have the precious Holy Spirit who moment by moment brings the truths of God’s Word to my heart, showing me my inadequacy apart from him, my strength in him, and my value to him.

Easter is the proclamation of God’s truth. It is a love surpassing all human understanding. It is a joy that endures the cross, despising the shame. It is the defeat of death, the promise of eternal life; an abundant life here and hereafter.

Therefore, like Paul, may we be able to say:

“I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Grace and peace to you in Jesus’ name.

April 17, 2019 0 comments