Taking Captivity Captive

" " 'As for you my son Solomon know the God of your father and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him , He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.'
I Chron. 28:9

As I sat there this morning my thoughts wandered. Thinking on the intent of my thoughts..as Your word put it. And so, I am reminded of how many times I set my marriage up for failure before my husband and I split up. I remember thinking how could this have happened?? I thought I was so close to the Lord. I was going to church, waking up early reading the bible, praying, trying to stay in my marriage. How could I have let the enemy come creeping in? How could I go from Jesus freak one day to the backsliden adulterer the next? How was it possible?

Then I remembered..(as You would obviously have me do) my thoughts. I remember how I would think things like..."If Brent and I were not together, would I be with someone else? If so, who? Would it be one of my old friends? Or someone new? Maybe it would be someone in the church! " or I would think things like "I know I could find someone to treat me better than this! Why are you staying here? Leave!! You never stayed with any other drama like this, why stay now?"

And now after recovering from the err of my ways and by the grace of God being reunited with my husband( who loves me so much only God knows how :)...I see where I set myself up for failure time and time again.

By even entertaining such thoughts I was first of all sinning allowing the enemy to have a foothold in my life (his playground is after all the mind) and second of all not taking the authority that Jesus Christ gave me. After all we are supposed to ..'cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.' -II Cor. 10:5-

So, casting down arguments and every high thing--so things(hateful thoughts, prideful thoughts, self righteousness etc.) that exalt themselves against what Your words say. (i.e., love others as yourself, do not strike out in anger, pray for your enemies, don't point at the speck in someone else's eye when you have a plank in yours etc.etc.)
Don't just think those thoughts speak the truth against them...taking them captive, holding power and authority over them by Christ's words....my thoughts have to obey Christ-if I demand it of them.

And we are able to do this because, 'the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds.' -II Cor. 10:4-


Strongholds: place or means of protection or refuge. satan's power.


So, our weapons are mighty in God for pulling down any means of protection for the enemy, or any place of refuge for the enemy. He has no place to hide and no place to take refuge when we use the weapons of warfare.
Which are...found in Eph. 6. But basically it can all be summed up in You...following You and Your words. What do they say about my life? Those are the things I need to proclaim over my life and my thoughts. And if my thoughts don't align with Your words, then they have no place in my head and I have the right, and authority to say so.

Thank You Lord, for Your constant direction, and protection and sweet, sweet revelation!

And

Meditate on these...or at least I will

Consciously refuse each day to rush into activity. Instead, devote quality time to expressing your dependence on God and deepening your intimacy with Him.
(c.j. mahaney)

When we fail to wait prayerfully for God's guidance and strength, we are saying, with our actions if not our lips, that we do not need Him. (Charles Hummel)

Oh how we want You to come!!!!

Oh, how I want You to come!!! I am desperate for You tonight God!!

As the "breaking news" of Michael Jackson's death came over the air waves, I felt sick to my stomach. Why are they making this breaking news, this is ridiculous!! The man lead a very questionable life, and how is he so much more special than anyone else who dies? Honestly!!

But now as I have had a chance to sit at my computer, and look at a slideshow of him, my heart aches for the terror that was this man's life. It's weird how certain things hit me...something as simple as a boy crying in the doctor's office, or something so bizarre as this man's life set my heart in the state where it remembers how empty this place is, how dark, how hard it is here, and how I long for Your return!!

Everyday or at least most days we go on living, laughing, loving, and forget how serious this place is, how real a battle that must go on, how real the terrors of hell are, and how many people are in need of redemption.

So tonight, I remember how much I hate this world. How much I hate the enemy, how much I long, and yearn for Your return.

What pain must have been Michael Jackson's life, what turmoil, what must he have been batteling? What was it that made him so unhappy with how You created him that he had to go and twist and contort it until he couldn't find himself anymore.

God of all things, merciful, merciful Lord....we desperately await Your return. Even creation groans in pain awaiting Your arrival. Forgive us Lord, forgive me...for not caring enough, being so wrapped up in myself, and my "religion" that I don't see people for who they really are, or what they are really going through. ...Change me LORD..please, please, change me!!! Don't let me fail in the battle, don't let me be so full of selfishness that I am oblivious to the truth, and the reality that is broken hearts surrounding me. May Your kingdom come Lord!!! Bring heaven here....bring Your heaven here on this earth!!!!! Bring Your peace, bring Your love, Your grace, Your presence. I LONG FOR YOU LORD!!!! MY HEART BREAKS FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND ME...I AWAIT YOUR RETURN!!! COME LORD, COME!!!!!

No greater love...than to lay down on'es life for his friends.

So....I am in no way a distinguished writer. I have no college degrees, heck I don't even remember english class...... Is that what it was even called??

So, forgive me if this isn't quite right, or in order, or correct or if there are running on sentences, or if commas are in the wrong places, and so forth and so on and on and on.

I have been thinking about "blogging" for some time now, but have yet to actually do it. But tonight, as I walked away from a fire man in his fire truck, I knew it had to be done. If for nothing else then for my satisfaction.

Two years ago firefighters came to our rescue. And you know how you always hear people say I thought it would never happen to me? Well, I was never that way. I always expected the worst to happen, welcomed it, embraced it, and thought worthy of all the chaos that could come upon oneself. Or at least that's what I thought until smoke came bellowing out of the roof of our apartment and I had to call 911....and as I was crying on the sidewalk I thought "Wow! I really thought this would never happen to me."

Anyways, so there we were all piled on the sidewalk watching our homes burn, and there they were trying to do everything in their power to save our homes. And had any of us been trapped in there they would have tried all the more harder(<----??) to fight for our lives.

After what seemed like forever we were finally able to go into the court yard to find out that while fighting the fires they were also carrying out all of our valuables before soaking the place in water!! Our pictures, our clothes, our big screen t.v...u name it they saved it. Talk about above and beyond. I mean...really?? Did you know that they did that?? They didn't have to care about our stuff. We were just another fire for the day, another burning building to immerse in water.

Am I even making any sense?? Maybe I could have summed this all up in just a few words...

I HEART FIRE FIGHTERS!!!!

What an amazing job, what an amazing group of people....I always wanted to do something courageous when I was a little girl. I wanted to be a fighter pilot..or a fire fighter, or something...someone brave, and courageous...who wasn't afraid..or maybe who was, but laid it all down anyways.

And that's it...that's what they do...they lay their life down for you...for me..everyday walking into the flames of uncertainty. Has anyone else had those longings...those pulls in their heart to be something great..do something courageous?

I read a book a while ago by John Eldridge called Epic. And basically what it said was that everything echos what we were called and created for. The romance, the beauty, the danger, the victory. It is written in our hearts by our Creator. He is calling us to the danger zone, the point of no return....the place where we finally fall down on our knees crying Abba.. Father... Master..Savior and Friend...no looking back, I fight for You and Your kingdom now...in the battle that ends victoriously.

And that's it..that's what they ( fire fighters) make me think of...our true call. I believe we are all called to that mysterious place of peace, danger, beauty, agony, falling, getting back up, fighting, no looking back...laying it down at the Master's feet, and pressing on with His right hand upholding us.

Will you listen to the voice that is calling you, or have you like so many of us drowned it out too?

Lord, we come before You now....in Your presence...in Your victory. Lord, we ask that our sins be forgiven right now...that we be cleansed from all unrighteousness by Your cleansing flood that washes over us. And we thank You for the power of the cross and Your shed blood that our sins are no more before You, that You see us as we truly are. Fighters, Warriors, Victorious and Beautiful people. For that is who You created.

We pray that You would make those things true in our lives. That it would be real, we long to serve You and Your kingdom. Fighting the good fight with perseverance, and strength. May Your word truly be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. May Your words be like that which we cannot get enough of, that we would long for it, yearn for it, wake for it, eat for it, sleep for it, and be baptized in it. Your will Your ways, Your power, our lives. May it all be as You have said for all Your thoughts and plans toward us are holy. May we never ever look back, and may we cling to You...our Leader, Lover, Master, Savior and Friend. Holy are You. We lift You up and give You glory for You alone are worthy. In Jesus name... Amen.

Wow, kind of went off there. I do that sometimes, so bare with me. You never know. My writing could improve. :)

And to all you fire fighters, THANK YOU!!!! Thank You Jesus for their lives echoing what You designed and purposed in our hearts.

"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. " John 15:12-13