How Different Our Weapons: Miscellany

     No, miscellany isn't a spiritual weapon, but I needed to take a few minutes to throw a few miscellaneous thoughts out today, so here goes.

     First, since I do recognize that much of what I am writing about weapons for warfare are different and not at all complete, I want to recommend a wonderful and more typical treatment of the subject of spiritual warfare by my friend, Susan Gaddis. See her discussion of weapons in a separate window by clicking here. 

     Second, in my opinion, no one should ever engage in any kind of "spiritual warfare" without reading John Paul Jackson's wisdom-filled book on the subject, Needless Casualties of War. In a nutshell, John Paul lays out a strong case for Christians not ever conducting war in the "second heaven" directly against the dark spiritual rulers who rule there (see Ephesians 6:12). He cites many instances where people have been harmed by doing otherwise and also makes a strong biblical case for keeping our direct warfare on the "terrestrial" level. Since I too am aware of needless casualties related to this, I highly recommend John Paul's book.

     Third, I am fairly sure that you who read this blog have noticed that the "weapons" I am writing about are not by any means a complete treatment of how we resist our adversary. What I have tried to do instead is help folks not take up the spirit and character of our enemy but rather live out the character of God in the process of "doing battle." Thus when our adversary tries to bait us into a battle and tempt us to use "force against force," we defeat him through kindness, peace, generosity, etc. Notice that these are all traits that show up in our relationships with other people. This is, of course, in line with what Paul tells us about where our real battle lies (Ephesians 6:12 again) and with what Jesus said more than once (bless your enemy). Obviously, we are not talking here about being kind to demons or to the devil, but to their sometimes unwitting human pawns. 

     Having said the above, I plan to write only one more blog on this topic after today's brief look at the armor we wear when we go into battle, and that will be a discussion on the most fearsome weapon in our arsenal: love. And again, I highly recommend Susan's blog for a more extensive treatment of weapons such as prayer, praise, etc. But now, take a brief look with me at our armor.

     Since so much has been written about spiritual armor (based on Ephesians 6:10-18), I will take a little different tack with my discussion of this topic (as usual). That means that I will look first and mostly at the other New Testament passage about spiritual armor, 1 Thessalonians 5:8: "But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."

     This shorter version of spiritual armor from the Apostle Paul was written in a much earlier letter, but it has the same kind of power as Paul's later and more extensive list of armor in Ephesians. There are several things that make this list distinct from the Ephesians list, but I will mention here only its use of the Christian triad of faith, hope and love as the components of the armor (the "shield of faith" in Ephesians 6:16 is almost certainly "faithfulness," not "faith," and I wrote about that in an early blog entry which you can read by clicking here.)

     In this list Paul tells us that faith and love can be used as a breastplate to protect our heart and other spiritual vital organs. Since faith is growing confidence in Father's love for us and in His good character, it's easy to see how this works. Our inner self is shielded as we experience, embrace and give away Father's love and rest and trust our way into the place of peace that enables us to sleep through and/or rebuke the storms of life.

     Paul also tells us that it is "the hope of salvation" that is our helmet, protecting our mind from damaging defeat. I don't know about you, but the importance of this one just keeps growing on me. First, because Christian hope is a certainty, not just a wish about the future, this helmet is always available. Second, since this hope is for "salvation," which includes healing and deliverance it means that no matter what we are facing as an adversary, we can stand firm knowing that wholeness and rescue are in our future, guaranteed by the faithfulness of God Himself. "But wait," you say, "I have known cases where that didn't turn out to be the case." Do you really? I have known (too personally for my comfort) cases where that seemed to be the case, but I cannot see things from God's perspective nor from the all-seeing perch that eternity will afford us. And it's that eternal hope, unshakeable and basically barely understood by us in the present moment, plus the increasing unfolding of God's kindness to us in innumerable ways in the present age that enable us to ward off the vicious blows to our minds that the enemy directs our way.

     I hope this makes sense. I close with these reminders. First, before Paul writes about this armor he reminds his readers that they are "children of the day," an amazing description of us that I can't take time now to unfold but which will unfold itself to you as you do. Second, Paul describes the putting on this armor as an exercise of a sober, self-controlled will--that is, a choice that grows out of clear-minded thinking and settled conviction. Think about that (pun intended). Finally, none of this armor thingy can be done alone. It is our life in community with others that enables us to keep faith, hope and love alive and our armor firmly in place. 

Suiting up...

Tom, one of Papa's children

How Different Our Weapons: Patient Endurance

     I was going to write this week about love as one of our truly unique weapons, but in the context of researching love, I had a small but important epiphany about how I have been rather skewed in my understanding of God's love, and this epiphany led to today's topic.

     As I read the remarkable passage in Romans 8:31-39, particularly vv. 35-39, I realized that the common American Christian assumption about God's love needs some adjustment. In verses 35-37 Paul speaks of the permanence and unshakeable nature of God's love for in Christ against a background of "tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword." It occurred to me that I for one, tend to assume that when tribulation comes it's an indication that God doesn't love me. This is clearly not the case, as we all realize once we get past our assumption that the American Dream (freedom from pain, pursuit of happiness, etc.) is not God's idea of Kingdom life! Paul was writing to people who, like 40-50% of today's believers, were facing these very things. And since Paul clearly states that God's love is what enables folks facing these things to be more than conquerors, it's obvious that these things aren't indicators of God's love or lack thereof. Rather God's love supersedes, overwhelms, overshadows everything in all of Creation, no matter what circumstances it has to go through to reach us.

     And this brings me to the weapon of endurance. If indeed we will have tribulation in this life as Jesus promised His followers in John 16:33, then we will have need of "patient endurance" (a term from the book of Revelation). And as we consider this weapon, we see how truly powerful it is. Nothing defeats the enemy's attempts to wear down the saints like the saints refusal to be worn down!

     Even in the natural world we see the fruit and reward of endurance (I write these words against the abundant illustrations of this seen in the 30th Olympics!). But in the Kingdom of God, patient endurance is taken to superhuman levels and frequently strikes a death blow to our adversary's plans. 

     But how does one endure? This is a huge topic, far too large and broad to do anything here but give the lightest of treatments. There are so many passages in the Bible that relate to this, one could easily write several books on "How to Endure through Christ." So I offer only the barest of first thoughts. But consider the following simple thoughts.

     Person not principle. Although it's wonderful to sing about "Standing on the Promises," the real secret of patient endurance is to realize and remember WHO is standing with us. "Long-suffering" and "faithfulness" (both related to endurance) are part of the fruit of a Spirit-infused, Spirit-led life. We endure because God is with us, for us and in us and because His love cannot be stopped by anything. At least that's what my Bible says. So when I start to waver, I run to Papa rather than just try to stand on a promise. Yes, I do remember the promises, I do quote Scripture, but I do so not to "make me stand" but to remember that God is standing inside of and with me. 

     Perspective. We endure better when we remember to take the longer view. This longer view has two parts to it. One is the longer view of things in this life. God is working all things, even in this life, for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We know that, of course, but it's easy to forget or not even believe in the heat of battle (I know that one from experience). But God's grace enables us to hold onto this perspective. It helps me at times to see how God's timing works in all of this, too. I am quite sure that Joseph called out to God many, many times for deliverance from slavery and then from the prison, but God knew that Joseph would achieve his destiny only at the time Pharaoh had the dream. An earlier deliverance would have messed up the plan! And then there's that mysterious eternal perspective whereby we know that in some way beyond our understanding God will redeem everything, make all things new, etc. 2 Corinthians 4:17 comes to mind along with many other verses. But I don't think we really get this one very well. Even though our life on earth is but a pinpoint in God's eternal destiny for us, we tend to think that now is forever, eh? But the longer view, enabled by God, is essential to exercising the weapon of endurance. Try it, you will like it!

     Perseverance. Sometimes we just have to hold on to the One who is holding onto us and stand firm in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10-20). And God doesn't leave us in a vacuum as we do this. Joseph wasn't alone in Potiphar's house nor in the prison. "The LORD was with Joseph" is a resounding theme throughout Joseph's story, and I now know it means that Joseph knew by experience that God was with him. That same experience is even more true for us in whom God dwells! Most of you will know that I write this from personal experience. During the painful journey in 2009-2010 there was never one time that I didn't know, usually but not always by experience, that Father was holding onto me with His strong right hand. And whenever I would quiet myself, turn away from the loud voices of fear and anxiety, I could hear Him. And when those voices were too loud for me to handle, Papa would send a friend. But yes, there were times (and still are) when I stand in the dark, knowing by something deeper than experience, that He is here. I know He will do that for all of us, dear ones. And O how I wish I could write more about this, but I must stop for now.

     This is but the barest of scratches on the surface, I think, but I hope you can see that our trusting response to God as we are embraced in His love and infused with His power enable us to remember to lean upon Him, rest in His perspective, stand when only His power enables us to do so. And when we do, we leave our adversary confused and defeated. One of his favorites strategies goes down in flames (pun intended) when God's people patiently endure.

Standing because He stands in me,

Tom, one of Abba's little children

New Covenant Lenses

     I am leaving the weapons series today but will return to it next week).

     There's a scene in the Visual Bible Matthew video that often captivates people the first time they see it. The scene is set in the Upper Room (Matthew 26:17-25) when Jesus (played by Bruce Marchiano) predicts Judas' betrayal, telling Judas, "Yes, it is you." Bruce chose to show Jesus saying this with tears in His eyes, with an obviously broken heart, with love for Judas clearly His primary emotion. The first time I saw this depiction of this event in the Visual Bible, my heart leapt with joy. I realized that this is indeed how Jesus would have responded, not in the almost angry, accusatory fashion that most people think of when they read about Judas' betrayal. Jesus didn't love Judas any less than any of the other disciples and was surely heartbroken at what He knew to be Judas' path to destruction.

     This story gives me the subject for today's musings. I want to write for a moment about how important it is to read the Bible (all of it) through New Testament lenses, the lenses of love, rather than the lenses of religion, our own brokenness and/or the Old Covenant. 

     What am I talking about? I am talking about "assuming" love and kindness and integrity as motivations when we read about events and read letters in the Bible. Perhaps a few examples will help with this. 

     First, let's look at Philemon (verses 8-9 and 19 in particular). Years ago when I taught this book to college students I noticed that they inevitably interpreted these verses as attempts to manipulate Philemon into doing what Paul wanted (welcome Onesimus back as a brother in the Lord, etc.). There are many reasons why this is a wrong thought, and I won't list them all, but here's a few thoughts. First, Paul knew that you can't manipulate or coerce people into reconciliation. To suggest that he would "pressure" Philemon is to make Paul profoundly ignorant of this basic truth about relationships. Second, in verses 8-9 Paul mentions that he could order Philemon to welcome Onesimus not to give a hidden threat to Philemon but instead to deliberately choose not to coerce Philemon. If you got a letter from an apostle asking you to do something, wouldn't you be inclined to obey regardless? So Paul had to mention his authority to Philemon in order to lay it aside. And as for verse 19 ("not to mention that you owe me your very self") Paul is talking in the context of his willingness to pay Philemon back for any damages his formerly runaway slave may have cost him, not trying to subtly force Philemon to do something against his will. I trust that helps clarify this little letter, but the real problem my students had was that they were reading this passage through the lenses of our American culture--where people manipulate people all the time. Furthermore, unfortunately even in the church few people understand the level of integrity in which Paul and the other apostles lived, so we tend to think they resorted to this kind of dishonest communication. Sigh...

     Another example of reading through the wrong lenses happens when some folks read the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. For years I assumed that Peter was filled with anger and righteous indignation when he confronted Ananias, but I realize now that it's far more likely that Peter was tender and trying to appeal to both of these people. He knew the danger in which they were walking better than anyone else and was surely filled with grief as he exposed the truth to Ananias and gave Sapphira an opportunity to choose a different path (he asked her about the sale of the property not to entrap her but to give her opportunity to choose rightly, but most of us can't see that, at least not at first).

    Another example, again corrected by the Visual Bible, is in Matthew 23 where Jesus pronounces "woes" to the Pharisees. Most people picture Him saying these words in anger, but knowing His heart of love, isn't it far more likely that He spokes these words with sadness, rather than anger (as when He wept over Jerusalem)? Reading this passage (and many others) through a New Covenant Lens of Love changes how we see it, doesn't it?   

     One more example. I frequently hear people describe someone who is black and white (and usually somewhat judgmental) as "prophetic," especially if the person does indeed move in some of the revelatory gifts. But a person who is "prophetic" in the sense of a New Testament prophet would instead be known as one who was particularly good at comforting, encouraging and building up (see 1 Corinthians 14:3). A "prophetic" person who is judgmental and/or otherwise unkind is simply immature, not prophetic! But the reason some tend to use that designation is due to a misreading of the OT prophets, seeing their strong words of correction only as expressions of anger rather than appeals to turn back to God. And OT and NT prophets are very different for many reasons of course, but I will save that for another time (one big hint: Old Covenant prophets sought to enforce a covenant while prophesying to people with hardened hearts who couldn't hear God for themselves, whereas New Covenant prophets illuminate a covenant while prophesying to people with new hearts who can hear God themselves.) 

     What's the point of all this? Why does it matter what lens we use in reading Scripture. I trust that the answer to that is obvious, but just in case, consider this: How we view the things we read in Scripture affects how we view God and that affects how we view our relationship with Him and that affects how we treat ourselves and others. For that reason and many others, I highly recommend that you acquire and use New Covenant Lenses!

Learning to see through lenses of love,

Tom, one of Abba's little children

How Different Our Weapons: Surrender???

     It may sound rather odd to speak of surrender as a weapon, but surrender properly understood and practiced is a very formidable weapon against anything 

our adversary would want to bring against us. And like peace, surrender is not a passive, defensive weapon but one of the most potent offensive weapons in a believer's arsenal. Consider the following thoughts.

     We are obviously not talking about surrendering to the enemy, but rather to God. Jesus modeled this for us by living the perfectly surrendered life: "the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees his Father doing," and "I can do nothing on my own...I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me."  (John 5:19, 30 NRSV). We see from these words and other descriptions of Jesus' life that He lived a life of "absolute surrender" (Andrew Murray's term) to His Father which meant surrender to His Father's will. And no one did more destruction to the enemy than Jesus (see Acts 10:38 and John 3:8, for example), so we can see that surrender is for sure a very powerful offensive weapon against the devil. But how does it work?

     First, please note that we are talking about surrender to a Person, not to principles, a way of life, circumstances, etc. We are not talking here about begrudging resignation to "what is" nor capitulation to circumstances. Nor are we talking about servile submission to an uncaring Master. We are talking about trusting surrender and dependence-drenched collapse into arms of the One who knows everything and loves completely. I think the picture of my son Jon up in the air might be a good picture of this, or perhaps the trusting surrender of a wife to her gentle and caring husband as they enter into physical intimacy. 

     Second, the nature of this surrender is not quiet, forced submission to someone who has more power and needs to control things. No, the surrender we see Jesus model was bathed in communication, with both Father and Son listening to one another. Nowhere do we see this stated more clearly that in John 11:42 where Jesus says to His Father, "I knew that you always hear (listen to) me." What a remarkable glimpse this gives us of the mutual surrender that love and trust bring to a relationship! The Father "surrenders" to the Son's request, the Son surrenders to His Father's direction and depends totally upon His Father's power and authority! I think you can see how this fits for us as well. 

     Third, surrender is made in the context of the experienced love of God. In John 5:20, right after saying He can do nothing on His own, Jesus says, "Because (for) the Father loves the Son..." Wow! Jesus knew Father's love so well, and experienced His Father's love so completely and continuously that surrender was His automatic response. Think about this one and how it can unfold in your life, and you will be blown away by the implications, I think!

     Fourth, surrender results in the exchange of our weakness and ignorance for the limitless power and knowledge of God. Through surrender we relinquish our feeble understanding and strength in the context of a loving, listening relationship, and this results in the flow of limitless power through our surrendered wills. This is, I think, why surrender is such a powerful weapon. Not only do we take refuge within God's embrace (castling within the Father's heart), we also exchange powerless weapons for those of limitless power. 

     Finally (for now), like peace, surrender is both a weapon and a means to the use of other weapons in our arsenal. It is only the surrendered heart that can remain at peace in the storm, the surrendered will that will burst forth with kindness, gratitude and generosity, etc. I could write more, but I think you get the picture.

     I know I could write more about this. Indeed, Andrew Murray wrote an entire book about surrender, so I have for sure barely scratched the surface here. But my hope is that as you try this weapon out you will experience what millions of believers have experienced down through the ages: the love and power of God released through your increasingly trusting and surrendered life. Try it, you'll like it, and so will those around you.

Resting my way into surrender,

Tom, one of Abba's little children

How Different Our Weapons: Gratitude

     In light of the recent tragic shooting in Aurora, CO and in light of my constant running across people who have been so badly hurt by life (victims of physical and sexual abuse, victims of neglect and poverty, and on and on), I thought about writing some thoughts about God's sovereignty. God doesn't cause evil by "allowing" evil to happen, yet many Christians seem confused by how to reconcile a good, loving and sovereign God with the presence of terrible evil in our current existence. But then I remembered that I did write something about this not too long after my own brush with evil. Yes, I have a few more thoughts to add to what I wrote then, but I will wait until later for that. For now, I just edited the previous article and offer you this link if you want to see what I wrote back then.  
     So for today, I choose to write about one of my favorite (and sometimes forgotten!) weapons: gratitude.
     But before I write about this remarkably simple and effective weapon, please consider the following. It has occurred to me more than once that my writing about these (truly different) weapons might cause some folks to start "working on their weapons." That would be a travesty and would lead them completely away from how these weapons are formed and work. You can't "do" the weapon of peace or "use" the weapon of simplicity or generosity. Rather the whole point of my highlighting how different our weapons are is to to make it clear that intimacy with God is the source of our "weaponry," and anything that moves us towards self-focus or self-effort--trying harder--is missing the point entirely. Some of you, I am sure, have noticed by now that many of the weapons sound remarkably similar to the fruit of the Spirit :-) That is intentional, of course, because the unique power of these weapons rests in their being "divine" and rooted in the character of God. So none of these weapons are effective if wielded by human effort. Trying to make yourself peaceful, force yourself to be generous, make yourself embrace simplicity, etc., will not release God's peace or love into a situation! I will write more about how these weapons are formed, but for now I suggest that you consider what I wrote in the first article in this series: these weapons are formed and sharpened as we learn to live loved, listening, saturated and surrendered in community with other believers.
      But now, consider with me the very streamlined and powerful weapon of gratitude (thankfulness). This has to be one of the simplest weapons in our arsenal. It's relatively easy to activate, too, consisting basically of a Holy Spirit-empowered decision to shift one's focus ever so slightly :-) from whining to giving thanks. This weapon popped up for me personally this past week as God quite literally interrupted my whining about all the change in my life to suggest that I would do better to start listing all the good things that have come because of it. I cannot tell you how different the world looked after a few minutes of doing so!
     I should note here, I think, that giving thanks, having an "attitude of gratitude," doesn't mean discounting our pain or short-circuiting necessary grieving over loss. Rather it is more like choosing to superimpose a larger and greater reality over the pain. This reality has two parts, at least, I think: 1) the immediate fact that even in the darkness some light is present (counting blessings in the midst of the storm or seeing the small flower blooming in the prison yard, etc.), and 2) the eternal perspective in which God redeems everything (it occurred to me this week that the vast majority of our lives will be lived in eternity, not in this present existence--Big thought!). Timing has something to do with this, too. It's truly unkind to tell someone who has just suffered great loss to "give thanks" and just "praise God"! The human soul needs time to heal, and "choosing to give thanks" at a time when Papa is trying to heal a broken heart, simply holding His child while s/he cries, is counterproductive. But when He begins to whisper the invitation to give thanks, the earlier we choose to respond, the better!
     There are many scriptures about this, of course. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 particularly comes to mind. I commend to you a study of the words thanks and thanksgiving in your electronic Bible :-) But for now, see if Papa doesn't say something to you as He did to me this week, about picking up the weapon of gratitude.


Learning again to give thanks,


Tom, one of Abba's little children
   

How Different Our Weapons: Simplicity

     There is, I think, a certain irony in my not being able to find my old copy of Richard Foster's Freedom of Simplicity because of the complicated clutter of books I have! I am still going to write about simplicity as a weapon, however, in the hope that I will be challenged to further simplification by what I am about to write.

     Simplicity as a weapon? Yes, and an important one, too! I continue for the foreseeable future to write this series on our weapons, and although I am hardly an expert on simplicity, I was nudged to include it here because it, like peace, is so key in the exercise of other weapons like kindness, generosity, prayer, joy, etc. How so? Because complexity equals distraction, and distraction always weakens us in battle and is therefore one of our adversary's favorite weapons. (Think about it). He has other ways to distract us, of course, but simplicity of life offers protection against those as well. So take a look with me at a few thoughts about simplifying our lives.

     First, much of what I write here has its roots in my recent re-reading of "The Simplification of Life" by Thomas Kelly in A Testament of Devotion. You will do well to read this essay if Papa nudges you to respond to this blog in some way. Also, the core of living a simplified life is found in living a life focused on the "One Thing," and I have written considerably about the One Thing life all along, of course. I have even written two blogs entitled "One Thing" that you may find helpful. You can read them in a separate window by clicking here and here. 

     Second, simplicity is not found by adjusting the external but the internal part of our lives. I love what Thomas Kelly says about this: "Let me first suggest that we are giving a false explanation of the complexity of our lives. We blame it upon a complex environment." But, he says, "Complexity of program cannot be blamed upon the complexity of our environment." Rather, he says, "the true explanation of our program is an inner one, not an outer one. The outer distractions of our interests reflect an inner lack of integration of our own lives." 

     But how do we counteract this lack of inner integration? How do we go from the distraction of many voices to following only One voice? Well, of course, I give a hint as to how I wrote that last sentence. We reach simplicity of life by living not a prioritized life (God first, others second, etc.), but a "centered life" with the One who loves us most at the center of everything else. As we live increasingly attentive to and yielded to Him (the One Thing life), simplicity grows accordingly. This isn't rocket science, of course. If we indeed are attentive to One voice instead of many, if we surrender willingly to His leading, it follows that complexity simply melts away in the light of His clear and single-minded purpose. Writing about the well known Quaker, John Woolman, Kelly says, "He simplified life on the basis of its relation to the divine Center." And "Nothing else really counted so much as attentiveness to that Root of all living which he found within himself." (Wow!). In short, John Woolman (and many others throughout church history and in this present day) discovered that focus on God brings about a wonderful simplicity of life. The more we surrender, listen, obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, the more we live loved, listening, surrendered and saturated (to use my terms), the more simple life becomes. We find ourselves more and more able to say no to the urgent and yes to the important (another great book that relates to all this is Freedom from Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles Hummel). We find ourselves more able to hear the quiet voice in the storm, more able to surrender our anxieties more quickly to the One who can calm them, etc.

     At this point I need to say two things: First, "No, I don't live this way all the time! Yes, I live there more than I used to. Yes, I lived it out to some extent even in the face of terrible testing,  but no, I don't live this way all the time, and I still struggle with distraction at times." But I am a very different fellow from the one who first entered the Secret Place over 8 years ago, and I trust my life will give hope to others who read my story either here or face to face with me! Second, you don't strive or strategize your way into this simplified life, you love your way into it, you surrender and yield your way into it. Thomas Kelly causes our hearts to burn as he writes of "joyful, enthusiastic delight in Him" and "deep, deep-drawing love directed toward Him at every hour of the day and night." And "There is a way of life so hid with Christ in God that in the midst of the day's business one is inwardly lifting brief prayers, short expressions of praise, subdued whispers of adoration..." well, you get the picture, I think. The point is, we love our way into simplicity by experiencing His love for us and responding with a love for Him which moves Him more and more into the center, the true and absolute center, of our lives.

     Will you consider simplifying your life? I highly recommend it! I close with Thomas Kelly again, his words revealing why simplicity is indeed a powerful weapon: "Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is radiant. It is triumphant. It takes no time but occupies all of our time. And it makes our life programs new and overcoming. We need not get frantic. He is at the helm. And when our little day is done we lie down quietly in peace, for all is well."

Learning to live more simply, 

Tom, one of Abba's children

How Different Our Weapons: Generosity

     Today, I continue the series on how different our weapons as believers are. This looks like it will be a long series! So far, I am thinking that I will need to write about Generosity, Simplicity, Joy, Gratitude, Weakness, Kindness, Gentleness and several more. 

     I think one thing that is important to notice with all of these weapons, the reason they work so well against the enemy of our souls is that they are the opposite of the kingdom of darkness and very much in line with the nature and character of God. For example, there is nothing but fear in the kingdom of darkness, so when we come against the enemy with peace (especially when fear would be the expected response), it not only confused our adversary, it disempowers him by not feeding the things that give him power over us and others. I trust that makes sense--it's a very important factor is discerning what works against our foe and in evaluating what weapon to use (we operate in the opposite spirit). So today, I want to explore briefly the weapon of generosity.

     But before I do that, I have a few more thoughts about how important the weapon of peace is for us, especially during the current season of heated politics. The following thoughts came to me during my Papa time.

     I was thinking this morning about how fear never makes a good motivator for the things we really want to accomplish. Yes, fear can motivate--no doubt about that. And yes, sometimes fear is good in that it keeps us from harm. But most of the time, I doubt that it's the right choice, especially in bringing out the purposes of God. 

     For example, "Christians" in America are known more for what they are against rather than what they are for. We are often perceived as being against people and for causes. I wonder if that heart-breaking assessment comes from how often we are motivated by fear rather than faith and love. To illustrate this, ask yourself whether you believe that Christians are opposed to the radical homosexual agenda because of love for those caught in the deception of this broken lifestyle. Much of what I have seen and heard seems to me to be motivated more by fear than by concern for these confused souls. I wonder, too, if we don't often stir folks up to vote, to boycott, write their congressional rep or senator, etc. more by fear than by a loving and trusting response to a God who works out all things according to His purpose. Just wondering...

     Personally, I cannot see how either fear or the anger that flows from it ever really accomplish much. I can, however, see how fear and anger hurt us and others. I am quite convinced that peace is a better approach than fear! And then there's 1 Corinthians 13: “If I vote my conscience, if call my senator, if I advocate for justice for the poor, if I ____ but have not love, it profits me nothing.”  And James 1:19-20 “Be slow to anger because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness (justice) of God.” Just thinking….

     But now a few words about the remarkably powerful weapon of Generosity. What a remarkable weapon it is, and again so opposite to the kingdom of darkness--there is never a selfless act of giving in that kingdom. Everything, everything is done from self interest! (Thinks about that one for a while!). On the other hand, in God's Kingdom, everything He truly inspires flows from grace-filled generosity! 

     But how is Generosity a weapon? First, let me say that we are talking here about more than giving in the material realm. Generosity is an attitude, a sphere of operation, and it's Generosity of spirit that we are talking about here, and it affects every area of our lives, not just the material.

     Having established that, how does this amazing weapon work? Some of the ways it works are obvious, of course. When generosity is released against poverty and need, things obviously change. When time is generously given to another, that other's life is changed, etc. But there are ways it works as well. I cannot think of a better weapon against the covetousness of our American culture than Generosity! The more I consider that I am blessed in order to give (see 2 Corinthians 9:8-12), the less vulnerable I am to giving in to the urge to "shop until I drop" or "get that latest gadget" or whatever our covetousness-base culture is urging me to do. I cannot think of a better weapon to use against our culture's "me first" attitude. As I begin to allow God to reshape my thinking towards Generosity rather than gratification, I become a powerful force for His work in others and in the culture itself. Maybe you are catching my drift now, eh? In every area where the enemy has deceived, tempted or attacked, a Generous spirit giving birth to Generosity brings a powerful counterattack!

     So much more here, but I will stop now, believing that Holy Spirit can help you discover more implications, more uses for the weapon of Generosity.

Learning to live generously,

Tom, one of Abba's children