Tag: resolve

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Resolve to Stand Against the Enemy

The Kedge Anchor
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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10 (NIV). That’s Satan’s job, that’s what he does. It’s our job to stand against him. Some days that can feel like a losing battle, but it doesn’t have to be. We can stand strong against the enemy but putting on the full armor of God. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)

Don’t know about you, but for me that is easier said than done some days. Some days I let my guard down, I get busy and forget to put on the armor of God. What exactly does that look like?

Ephesians 6:13 -17 13″Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

There’s another part of this I believe to be key in putting on this armor. It’s resolve. During this time of year many Christians are setting aside time for lent. Some Christians give up sweets or maybe a bad habit. Some Christians decide to do the Daniel Diet. I guess that’s kinda giving up something. The book of Daniel is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Not just because of all the prophesy but because Daniel does something I believe to be key in the Christian walk and that is resolve. He and his friends resolved not to eat the rich fatty foods from the king’s table. They instead ate fruits, vegetables and drank water. And after ten days they were in better shape and looked better than the young men who ate from the king’s table.

What if we applied to resolving to our everyday walk with God? What if we resolved to put on the full armor of God daily in order to stand against our enemy? When we resolve to read God’s word daily we are reading truth and it’s with truth we are able to shut Satan down with lies he shoots our way. By reading God’s word and gaining truth we can wear the breastplate of righteousness to guard our hearts from deceit. These are tactics, schemes Satan will use against us. I won’t go into all the armor here but if you want to know more you can read about it here.

The point is to resolve. If you know you are facing a difficult situation at work with a difficult co-worker, resolve before you go to work that day how you will treat that co-worker. Maybe it’s family gathering and you know that there will be family members who will test your faith, resolve how you will stand strong. Maybe Satan likes to get you to spend money you don’t have to spend when you are feeling down and stressed, telling you it will make you feel better. Whatever the situation and however you plan to resolve it requires being intentional. Be intentional. Be intentional to resolve and stand up to Satan’s schemes and slick tactics. Be alert to signals your body gives you when someone pushes an emotional button and you want to lash out. This all takes practice and we have a big learning curve called grace. Resolve to be in God’s word daily and put on the whole armor.

For prayer requests, you can leave a message in the comment section or email at thekedgeanchor@gmail.com. And if you liked this post, please like and share, and until next week, anchor in Hope.

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Homeostasis

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Homeostasis hō″mē-ō-stā′sĭs

n. A state of equilibrium, as in an organism or cell, maintained by self-regulating processes.

n.The ability and tendency of certain systems to maintain a relatively constant internal state in spite of changes in external conditions; this ability is achieved by the presence of feedback mechanisms which can adjust the state of the system to compensate for changes in the state caused by the external environment. It is exemplified in homeothermal biological systems, such as animals which maintain relatively constant blood temperature and composition in spite of variations in external temperature or the composition of the food ingested.

n.The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a stable equilibrium; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a constant temperature.

-American Heritage Dictionary

Back in 2020 our world changed. Our daily lives practically came to a halt, routines changed, nothing was normal. Everything from terminology, commutes, conversations, travel, work, statuses, relationships, everything that we once new as normal changed, disrupting our lives.

Homeostasis is what our physical bodies do when it encounters change in its environment. When it’s cold outside, our bodies form goose bumps raising the hairs on our skin to form a layer of air between the skin and the hair to keep warm. Our bodies are always trying to stay in a constant state of balance, equilibrium.

Why don’t our minds have a homeostasis or do they? When our environment changes in any way, we can perceive it as a threat. Back to it being cold outside, we can be outside enjoying a warm day and then a cold wind can sweep in a cold front and suddenly we are cold and we get goose bumps. But what about our minds? How can we keep our minds stable? Like when our environment effects our minds our spiritual walk can be affected as well. What about spiritual homeostasis?

When the pandemic hit and all these changes happened, how did it affect you spiritually? How easy was it for your mind to feel lost, go in a million directions, forget your routine especially when it came to your time with God? Don’t know about you, but for me it seems like that is the one of the first things to take a hit. Why is it so hard to stay consistent? Daniel in the Bible was abruptly taken from his home, his family and friends. He was taken away from all that he ever knew and thrown into an environment that went completely against what he believed. Babylon was beautiful. Imagine the most beautiful community, manicured lawns, adorned passage ways and buildings with every possible convenience right outside your door. Now there’s nothing wrong with those things but those things have their place (another post for another time).

Daniel was consistent with his walk with God. He remained faithful in praying three times a day to God (Daniel 6:10-17) and remained faithful to his Hebrew culture by continuing to eat healthy and refusing the choice foods from the kings table (Daniel 1:8-16). He resolved to continue to live as he had before he was kidnapped. He was anchored in God’s Word and it was because of his obedience God allowed him to be favored by the king (Daniel chapter 1). For myself, I find comfort in routine. Kinda like in RainMan where Dustin Hoffman playing the part of Raymond Babbit, an older brother with autism. No matter where he was he had to watch Judge Wapner. His younger brother Charlie Babbit played by Tom Cruise, somehow made it happen. He went to the great lengths of knocking on doors of strangers asking if they would let him and his brother in to watch TV. When Charlie recreated the routine or the environment for Raymond, things were good, otherwise Raymond couldn’t cope.

Think about it. How often do you find yourself out of your routine and your time with God gets derailed or pushed aside. Some days it can’t be helped but then one day turns into a week and then two weeks then you can’t remember the last time you spent with God reading His Word. How do we keep a spiritual homeostasis when our routine changes? I find it hard to cope without spending time with God each day. Some days it may happen later in the day, some days it may happen before the sun comes up, depending on what’s on the agenda for the day. But it has to happen so that when the environment changes, I can be consistent with at least one thing and remain faithful to God.

What are some things you do to keep that spiritual homeostasis? What helps you keep an equilibrium when your routine and environment change? Share your thoughts and comments and please like and share.