Do you ever wonder why some days, everything seems to go wrong.  Flat tire, leaky fawcet, late for school or work,  forgot your purse or phone, mean comment by a coworker or boss.   These challenges may be coincidence, but Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

These bad experiences may be caused by forces that are not obvious, and that are trying to break your spirit and separate you from God.

How do we overcome these forces.  Paul continues in Ephesians 6:14 with the description of the armor of God.  “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.”

When the bad days come, remember to defend yourself with the shield of Faith in Jesus our Saviour and protector, and fight back with the wisdom and knowledge of the Bible, the “sword of the Spirit” which is the word of God.

Dear Lord help us remember that you have power over all things, and that your power is there for us, to protect us from the evil that tries to separate us from Your love and Salvation.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Romans 8:39 Paul says “nothing can separate us from the love of God which is Jesus Christ”. NIV

We do not give those we love everything they want, because we know some things would not be good for them, and sometimes we make them do things that are difficult and frustrating because ultimately those things are good for them. In the same way, God lets us struggle, and doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it, but we can know as Paul said, God is doing these things for our good.

You may be tempted to think, God doesn’t know that I am sitting in traffic, late for an important event, or that I got a flat tire, bombed a math test, argued with my spouse, etc, but you would be wrong to think that. Matthew 10:29-30 says that not a sparrow falls to the ground that is not Gods will, and he knows the number of hairs on your head. So remember even when things are not going well, God knows and He is not neglecting you.

Dear Lord, help us to be strong in the knowledge that with Your unlimited power you love us and are looking out for us. In Jesus name. Amen.

I order to purify gold; to take it from ore found in the ground to high enough quality to use for jewelry, electronics, and other things, it is heated to melting.  When this is done, the impurities and other metals separate from the pure gold and can be removed.

Have you ever noticed that with the right tool every project seems to go smoother and get better results.  Rotating your tires if you have a couple floor jacks and an air wrench makes the project take less than half the time.   Having two ovens when cooking for a big party at home.  A hand truck (dolly) when moving appliances around. The right paintbrush for those tough to paint moldings.  For those of us in the north, a snowblower!  Sometimes a task is impossible without the right tool.

In John 15 Jesus talks about being the vine and we being the branches. He expects us to bear fruit, to go and do his work, spread the gospel, make disciples.  In verses 7-8 Jesus says “ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is honored by this, that you bear much Continue reading All the Tools We Need →