Thursday, September 25, 2014

Not Again!

I have been reading through the story of Joshua and can't help but wonder if Israel's "fearless" leader ever thought to himself, "Not again..."

Time to go to battle.
Time to destroy a city.
Time to fight against NUMEROUS kings who have joined together in hopes of having a better chance of protecting their lands.


I can't imagine getting up every morning and having to lead the troops to war, again.  Just thinking about being in charge of that many people and making sure they are obeying your orders and following God's laws and such tires me out.

Heck, I AM worn out every day after taking care of MY troops - 3 precious, adorable, CUTE girls who are lovely and wonderful, but honestly take every ounce of energy I have!


Thankfully, we don't have to go to march to battle every single day.

Oh, but wait.  WE DO.

As believers, we ARE at war.  With an unseen, but very real, enemy.  One who wants nothing more than to DESTROY us.  His goal every single day is to tear us down, injure us, sideline us, distract us, wear us out, and ultimately KILL us.  He doesn't want us to know that though.  He does everything he can to keep us from remembering we are at war, to realize the seriousness of our situation, to understand the urgency of fighting with every fiber of our being at ALL times.

I think one of his most effective tactics is keeping us BUSY.
I know I fall prey to this far too often.
Granted, I am busy doing good things, but still...

And so this morning, I soaked up the peace and quiet as I rocked my baby girl.  She laid on my chest - very unusual for my wiggle worm - and we simply SAT there doing "nothing" but enjoying each other.  I was so thankful I didn't have to rush off to work or have any place to go or anything I really, truly needed to do right at that moment.

Normally, I like to get out of the house and fill our days with fun activities - the park, the library, the zoo, the nature center, or whatever.  BUT today, we are going to stay home and RELAX.  I am going to tackle the dreaded task of switching out our summer clothes to the fall wardrobe.  This means I have to sort through all the clothes in the closets and drawers and get them back in their proper tubs, which you would think would be easy.  Just put the baby clothes back into the 3-6 month tub, BUT we still have 0-3 stuff and it's mixed in with the 3-6 month stuff and some 6-9 month stuff and so on...  Same with our sizes 2-5 for the older girls!!!  I COULD complain about the job, but instead I am going to CHOOSE to be grateful.  You see, we didn't pay for any of the clothes in the closets or drawers or tubs.  We are BEYOND BLESSED as grandparents, friends, neighbors, and people from church have graciously given us bags and bags and bags of clothes and shoes over the years.  We get as much use out of every single piece of clothing or every pair of shoes (or boots) given to us, as Kyiah is on round 3 of everything :)

We will probably take a few breaks from sorting and organizing and folding and hanging clothes to read books, do a craft project, and play princess or whatever make-believe game my girls have in their wild, imaginative minds today.

And as I cherish these precious moments with my darling daughters, I will be PRAYING for them, for our family.  In so doing, I will be wielding my sword and holding up my shield as the enemy does his best to attack me today.

Rather than me being the one sighing, "Not again..." as Satan plots against me, HE is going to be the one growling in frustration as he realizes I am ready ONCE AGAIN for him and not falling for his busy ploy today...

Won't you join me in STANDING FIRM?
Let's help each other get our armor on.
Let's lock arms and fight TOGETHER!!!!

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 
11 Put on all of God’s armor 
so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 
12 For we[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, 
but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, 
against mighty powers in this dark world, 
and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor 
so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. 
Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 
14 Stand your ground, 
putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News 
so that you will be fully prepared.[e] 
16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith 
to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[f]
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, 
and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. 
Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

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