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    • The Thick of the Fight

      Posted at 7:55 am by sneuhofer, on July 19, 2018

      Ephesians 6:10 – 18 (MSG) And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

      We commit to living our lives for Christ; to take off the old self and put on the new (2 Corinthians 5:17), to do things that please and bring honor and glory to Him. So why do we feel so beat up and deflated sometimes?  Why are we living in all this chaos and heartache? Why does it seem like things… life changing, tough things… keep getting piled on top of us?

      One reason… Satan and his minions have to work over-time to distract us from our lives in Christ. He is so angry that the more we know and grow in Christ, the closer we get to Him. When we take a step closer and say “Yes!” to Christ, Satan’s blood boils! He hates us even more. In Christ, we are a force with which to be reckoned… and Satan knows it.

      We have been given the weapons to defeat Satan, our adversary.  But how well do we use them? I know for me sometimes, it’s so easy to take my eyes off of Christ and not use the weapons I’ve been given as a child of God when chaos begins to brew. Instead of focusing on Christ and relying on the armor of God, I tend to focus on the unpleasantness of the situation… anyone with me?

      Last night I was given a good visual reminder of using the armor of God during the thick of the fight. It involved the shield of faith. When I think about a shield, I think about the Roman soldiers and the shield they carried into battle. This shield covered most of the front of their body. When the soldiers would come under direct attack, they would lock their shields together for even greater protection. There was safety behind the line of connected shields.

      This concept is just as true for us today. Going back to last night, a friend of mine had to have a very hard discussion with someone. She was going to have to take a HUGE step of faith and leave everything she knew to be comfortable and step out into the unknown. She was so afraid. She sent a quick group text and asked us all to pray. I thought back to the soldiers with their locked shields and saw an image of each person in that group chat standing strong and praying for our sister in need.

      It’s so important for us to be in community with a group of like-minded people. We do not have to walk through these battles alone. With Christ as our leader and the Holy Spirit as our guide, we too can band together as brothers and sisters in Christ with our shields of faith locked together and protect ourselves from Satan’s fiery arrows.

      Do you have Godly friends that will stand with you in the thick of the fight? If not, I encourage you to find a group of people who will love and encourage you, pray with you, and hold you accountable. You don’t have to fight the battles of life alone.

      Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV) By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

      Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

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      Posted in Christian community, Godly friends, Godly relationships, shield of faith, the armor of God | 0 Comments
    • Are you “sharpening” your friends?

      Posted at 8:00 am by sneuhofer, on June 7, 2018

      Proverbs 27:17 (NCV) As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other.

      This verse in Proverbs 27 reminds me of how thankful I am for the genuine friendships I’ve found along my journey as a Christ follower. Before I started really walking with Christ, my friendships were based on things my friends and I had in common. That makes sense right? Well, sadly some of those things were not necessarily good for me. I’m not saying that my Christians friends and I don’t have things in common…we do but there is a difference between those who are living by the guidelines Jesus set forth in his word. When I was “walking in the ways of this world,” and asked worldly friends for advice…they gave worldly advice that didn’t necessarily align with the truth of God’s word. Sadly, some of those “friends” I no longer have contact with because of the “advice” I was given.

      One thing I’ve realized is that it is so easy to take on the characteristics of the company you keep. Looking back at my life before Christ, I am amazed at how far I allowed myself to be taken away from the person I actually was by listening to the advice of so called friends. These “friends” really didn’t care about me at all. They thought like the world and gave advice based on the things of this world.

      When I started attending the church I go to now, I was blown away by the genuineness of the friends I have found there. Since giving my life to Christ, I have found friends that actually care about the direction of my feet. They challenge me to look at the path I am on and where it will lead. Believe me, we have had several heated discussions, some that would have most people throwing their hands up and saying “I don’t need this!” But these are the discussions that have grown and shaped me the most. My friends in Christ have challenged me to grow in my relationship with Christ and have held me accountable.

      I am so thankful that God has placed these people in my life. I am truly a better person today because of them.

      Related reading: Proverbs 27:6; Ecclesiastes 4:12; 1 Thes. 5:11

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      Posted in Christian community | 0 Comments
    • The Love of Jesus Shines Through His People

      Posted at 9:15 am by sneuhofer, on May 23, 2018

      Romans 13:8-10 (NCV) Do not owe people anything, except always owe love to each other, because the person who loves others has obeyed all the law. The law says, “You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not want to take your neighbor’s things.” All these commands and all others are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Love never hurts a neighbor, so loving is obeying all the law.

      When I read over Romans 13:8 this morning, my mind went back to the very first Sunday I walked through the doors at the church I currently attend. That morning, I was just trying to hide the fact that I had seen the bottom of the Jack Daniels bottle the night before but the people in the lobby of the church didn’t see that at all. They saw someone who was hurting and desperately in need of finding hope and healing. As my Dad introduced me to people he knew, they welcomed me like I was one of their own. Instead of a judging glance, they were full of warm smiles and hugs. I could feel the love just oozing out of them…and I must say it felt different. Never had I been to a church where I felt as loved as I did that morning and I couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that these people didn’t even know me.

      So why would a group of people open their arms in such a manner to a stranger?

      What is “love” anyway? A feeling?

      No, it’s an action. It is something that we must do. We must love because God first loved us.

      John wrote in 1 John (9-12 – MSG) that we are to love because God first loved us. He (God) showed us the measure of His love by sending his one and only son to die for our sin so that we might live through him.

      Jesus also commands us to love one another. John 13:34 says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

      The men and women in the lobby that morning were so full of love for Jesus that it not only came out in the words they said, it poured out of them through their actions and in truth (1 John 3:18 MSG). I was blown away and I knew right then I wanted to get to that same place in my own life. I wanted a life of love instead of the guilt and shame that buried me in the pit I had been hiding in for years.

      This changed didn’t happen over night for me…but it did happen! It all started with that morning with people who loved Jesus and were willing to share that love with anyone who walked through the doors.

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      Posted in Christian community, God's love | 1 Comment
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