Several years ago, the Lord started dealing with me on how women, specifically me, had allowed satan to have an influence on my family and home life. I'm talking about everything from listening to unrighteous music, watching some TV shows that I really didn't think were appropriate, maybe getting away with some back talk, all because of my lack of desire to "go there". You know what I mean, when it sometimes feels as if the argument just isn't worth it; you think "what good will it do anyway?"
So here I was whining to God about "stuff" when He had the nerve to ask me "so what are YOU going to do about it?" Obviously when God asks a question it's NOT because HE doesn't know the answer, it's because he wants YOU to know the answer. So my first thought was "well crap" because now it was up to me to do something. That's never good.
So off I go, in search of what it is that He is trying to show me exactly-there is always an exactly. After several weeks of praying about, thinking about, searching scriptures, etc… this is what I came up with.
(This was a series of articles that I wrote for a newsletter, so some of you may have heard parts of this before)
"A Woman's Call to Arms"
Webster's defines "Call" -'to awaken as if from slumber' and "Arms" -'weapons that you carry with you'
For far too long we have sat on our accomplishments, thinking with pride that we had done a pretty good job, raising the kids, keeping the house, being a good wife, etc…all the while letting satan steal from us. It started small enough at first, our joy, our peace and then our hope; hope in the promises that had been given to us by a God who is incapable of lying.
When did we become so complacent as a gender? At what point as a woman did we decide it was easier to "have eyes that see not, and ears that hear not?" Choosing to ignore the distressful cries of our children and spouses, and to look the other way, or claim ignorance at the battles they face on a daily basis. To actually utter the phrase "there are things I just rather not know" when it comes to conflicts in the spiritual and natural realms that our families suffer through.
When did we calmly surrender our rights and weapons to the enemy, forfeiting our freedoms that we and our families are entitled to through the blood of Jesus? Freedoms like happy marriages, healthy children, financially stability, blessings and not curses, life and not death spoken over us.
As much as we would like to play the blame game, it wasn't the 60's free love era, or even women's lib that has caused decay in the family unit; it was us, Christian women, wives and mothers, who sat idly by, forgetting who we are in Christ and what we are armed with that allowed this to happen. As Godly women we have not only the ability to shape the world around us but the RESPONSIBILTY to shape it!
In his famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech, Patrick Henry said "This is no time to stand on ceremony. I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery. Should I keep my opinions to myself at such a time? If so, then I consider that a disservice against the Majesty of Heaven. Shall we gather strength by doing nothing? We are not weak if we make use of those means by which God has placed in our power. They war has begun, why stand we here idle?"
That's the question I pose today- "Why stand we here idle" when satan is running rampant in this world, in our little part of the world. We have every weapon in heaven at our disposal; aren't we to protect our treasures and take back what is ours? If so, then lets do it; beginning with praying over our family, anointing our homes and speaking life and favor over our loved ones. Let's seek out scriptures to pray over specific situations, even Jesus quoted the scriptures to the devil when being harassed by him. Let's refuse to allow rebellious attitudes to take root by encouraging our families to walk in the joy of the Lord, and praying for the relationships within our units. Most of all let your family members hear you pray for them and see you live out your faith.
I challenge you to "awaken from your slumber' and reclaim your heavenly weapons of warfare and march into the battle knowing that thee is a loving Savior who is waiting for us on the front line.
Until I post my next blog in this series, I encourage you to read Joshua 10. Notice how many times the chapter references the Israelites going on the OFFENSIVE and chasing down their enemies instead of waiting for the enemy to attack them. Til then…
I'm gone
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