Feet Fitted with the READINESS of the Gospel of PEACE
Oh where do I even start. As the days have gone by my need to write has grow and grow. I wrote three different post this week....none of which God will let me share. It was a good week back at work but a heavy week in my world of prayer. Some request that needed extra attention and a sometimes heavy heart that need to just write my thoughts out for God only.
I have received several emails lately that brought up questions about the early days of my growing....REALLY GROWING....in the Word of God. I spent Friday night reading years worth of prayer journals to remind myself of those early days that I knew it was time for a "Woman's Faith" and no longer a girls. I realized that I had never really shared what those early days were like and so I do hope that God will allow me to share some of my prayers with you in a post. It made me cry and laugh all at the same time. Oh how I have grown and oh how my prayers have changed. Some were so desperate because I was praying my way out of sin and at times it was hard to read the words I wrote. I cried because I know longer know that person. I cried because day after day I messed up but did not give up and Father changed everything about me. And I cried because time and time again I had gone back and dated the "VICTORIES IN JESUS" as He began to answer my prayers. I am so thankful that He does not desire for us to stay just as we are.
Anyway, I pray that I can tell my story soon. The first part anyway...because the story is still ongoing. All up to Father at this point.....
So today I write about what tomorrow is......FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. I thought my pic above was so appropriate because at times, while teaching High School, it can feel like a battle field. Teenagers come in after spending weeks doing what they want with parents working their butts off to support everyone....and all of the sudden they are sitting in a classroom with rules and restrictions that are not enforced at home.
And it's hard. Hard for teachers, hard for administrators, hard for parents and hard for students.
PRAY FOR YOUR TEACHERS!
PRAY FOR YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM!
PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S CLASSMATES
PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN!
Satan, every year, gets a whole heck of a lot of joy out of making a lot of heartache from bulling, heartache to kids that do not feel important or smart, and all the CHAOS that starts to steal the peace within the halls of our schools.
Going back every year is hard for me. At some point, during our work days, I can feel my heart race and I say "LORD I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN! I CAN'T DISCIPLINE THESE TEENAGERS, I CAN'T FIGHT THESE PARENTS ON THE SCHOOL RULES....BEING STRICT ALL THE TIME IS NOT WHO I AM." ...........and then He calms me and reminds me that HE HAS CALLED ME TO TEACH FOR THIS SEASON and He has fitted me with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace.
Then I relax because I trust Him. I know that when chaos happens, when fights break out, when evil lingers, and when satan is dying to steal my joy......I will remember that I have the FULL ARMOR OF GOD on ME and know that "For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, and HE WILL GIVE YOU VICTORY!" Deut 20.4 Amen Amen Amen!
It is a battle field. So I ask that you lift up our nation, our students, our teachers, our staff, our administrators and ask that God grants us FAVOR this year as we strive to make your children grow in knowledge and in spirit!
I leave you with this blessing that I have read the last 3 years as school begins......the blanks are so that you put your name in or I have written "Friend" so know that I am talking about you reading! This is not just for teachers but for Believers! It was written and intended for all so I say READ IT OUT LOUD AND MEAN IT.....
Blessing your Spirit by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk...
Destroying the Authority that Establishes Chaos-
"___FRIEND__, listen with your spirit to the Word of God for you. "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of he evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the SPIRIT ON ALL OCCASIONS with ALL KINDS OF PRAYERS and requests. With this in mind, BE ALERT and always keep on praying for all the saints' Eph 6.14-18.
This well-known portion of Scripture on spiritual warfare describes the armor of the believer. Look at the feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. PEACE DESTROYS THE AUTHORITY THAT ESTABLISHES CHAOS! The enemy creates chaos through division and alienation. He fractures relationships, subtly or overtly, between man and God, between people in every facet of society, even in man's relationship with nature. We must war against the enemy who creates chaos, we must live a lifestyle of being peacemakers, of knowing how to bring the peace of God to bear on the fragmentation's of our culture. Jesus modeled this. At times He forgave the most overt sinner, and at times He confronted the seemingly "righteous" religious structure. Jesus used different tools to destroy the authority structures that bring chaos.
I bless you ,___Friend___, with being a student of the peacemaking skills of Jesus Christ. I bless you with having ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to your spirit, and I bless you with improving your skill of hearing your Father's voice. I bless you with being led by your Father in situations where there is chaos, division, and alienation, so that you have opportunity often to practice the art of being a peacemaker. I bless you with well-fitted shoes on your feet that are ready to bring the gospel of peace in all of its different colors and forms upon a multitude of situations around you. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" Matt 5.9. I bless you to aspire to that title, that you would be called a son of God because you have mastered the art of being a peacemaker. I bless you to destroy the spiritual structure that authorizes chaos in every situation where people do not want peace, where people are turning against you and the things of God. God will bring you into a multitude of situations like that, for this world is full of chaos, brokenness, and alienation. The structures of the enemy are everywhere. I bless you with endurance in peace-making, because being a peacemaker is a difficult thing.
___Friend___, I bless you with honoring your peacemaking skills as He takes you through one apprenticeship after another, grooming you to wear the title of peacemaker, as a son of God. I bless you with being a peacemaker who has the spiritual authority to demolish the strongholds which bring chaos into your family or your community. I bless you with setting your face like flint toward the goal of being a peacemaker and being sought out because you have high authority over the spiritual structures that bring chaos. I bless you with having your feet shod with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. I bless you with being one of the sons of God in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, who was your prototype".
Oh Father I just sometimes live this life minute by minute in You because the overwhelming view of an hour is too much. You guide me and you protect me. I give you all my minutes tomorrow. May you grant every student, that walks through my door, peace. May you shut down all evil plots or disruptions in Jesus Name. May you grant me great favor over each face I see to
the Glory of your Name.
I can't do this but YOU CAN.
So I give you all my fear and only hang on to your
love because perfect love cast out ALL FEAR...make
us believers great lights to those that only see darkness!
I love you and I thank you for blessing our souls when we so need it!