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Monthly Archives: June 2023

Righteousness as a Breastplate

30 Jun
Righteousness as a Breastplate

As we continue in the book of Ephesians, I’m going through the Armor of God in detail. We’ve already seen how the Belt of Truth protects your store of spiritual seed. Today we’ll move on to the breastplate.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
Ephesians 6:14

The first thing we need to recognize is the placement of this piece of armor. It should be obvious that this breastplate protects your heart. That’s an important point.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Scripture tells us that the most important thing to guard is your heart. It’s where your life springs from. Why is that? And…if life flows from the heart, where does that life come from?

If we read the few verses preceding this one, we’ll get the answer.

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
Proverbs 4:20-22

It’s clear that everything I need for life and godliness springs from my heart. That even includes healing for my body. But that’s all based upon the assumption that I’m placing God’s Word in my heart.

We need to get the seeds from the storehouse (our mind) and plant them into our hearts. Jesus taught the same thing to His disciples. We find it in the parable of the sower.

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Luke 8:15

Without question, your heart is the good soil of your life. Whatever you plant in it will grow and bear fruit. The real question is; are you planting wheat or milkweed?

When we come to Christ, our life is a mess. The Lord comes in and the Holy Spirit begins the process of cleaning us up.

The good soil of my heart is cleared of weeds. Through repentance, I turn the soil over regularly. Soon I have a heart of rich, nutrient-filled ground. It’s ready for planting.

The problem is that you can only plant what’s readily available. That’s why in my last post I talked about the importance of filtering what we place in our minds. Too often we allow the enemy to plant his seeds in our soil.

Then we get into the cycle of planting, letting the weeds grow, pulling them up, and then starting again. Instead, we should be getting God’s Word planted in our hearts.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 37:4

Most people don’t understand what this verse is really saying. It’s NOT saying that if you delight in the Lord, He’ll give you whatever you want. It DOES say that if you delight in Him, He’ll put His desires into your heart.

As we place God’s Word in our hearts, His desires spring up. Then, we’ll bear the fruit of that Word.

That’s why we need to protect our good ground. This is where the Breastplate of righteousness comes in. In my next post, I’ll talk about how to use the breastplate to protect your ground.

Question: What have you planted in your heart that you desire to see bear fruit?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2023 in Revival, Spiritual Walk, Spiritual Warfare, Word of God

 

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Applying the Belt of Truth

28 Jun
Applying the Belt of Truth

In my last post, I wrote about the Belt of Truth, found in Ephesians, chapter 6. We’re in the section where Paul talks about the Armor of God. Today, I want to deal with the application of this truth.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

In my last post, I showed that the Belt of Truth was the piece of armor that protects the seed of God’s Word in our minds. When we memorize Scripture, that seed is stored in our mind. We want it protected so that it can be planted to produce a good crop for the Lord.

How do I use this piece of armor? Paul talked about our spiritual weaponry in his second letter to the Corinthian church.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

In this battle to protect the seed, I need to make my thoughts obedient to Christ. That’s the goal. I don’t want weeds affecting my harvest.

Jesus warned His disciples about the same things.

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:6

We need to watch what we let into our minds – the things that we dwell on and rehearse. We can’t just swallow everything. There’s a lot of religious talk out there that sounds good. The real question is; does it line up with God’s Word?

The fact is, the more of God’s Word that we desire, the more the enemy will try to water it down. Guarding this is the most important thing you can do if you want a fruitful life.

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.
1 Timothy 6:20-21

Paul warned his spiritual son, Timothy, that he needed to guard the Word that had been deposited in him. Paul literally tells him to avoid those who have crossed the line with their empty words and conflicting theories of how they think God should do things.

The Greek people had a word that they used for this kind of person. It meant someone who just babbled on and on. The idiom they used literally translates as a seed-picker.

Are you letting the “seed-pickers” into your life? You need to be buckling the Belt of Truth around the loins of your mind. Let God’s Word be a filter to stop the wrong things from getting in.

When we hear something that could affect how we serve God; it should cause a question to rise up. Is this truth, or is it someone’s opinion? I don’t want to be found trying to please God based on an opinion.

Please understand that I’m not talking about stray thoughts. We all have them and there’s not much we can do about them. But those are thoughts that are not stored yet. I’m talking about the ones that we continue to dwell on. They need to be passed through the filter of the Word.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32

I’ve heard people quote this verse many times…usually out of context. Jesus was speaking to believers here. He explains to them that if they dwell, live in, His Word, they are truly His disciples.

As Christ’s followers, it’s only as we remain in His Word that we will know the truth. And it’s that truth that will set us free.

The more we immerse ourselves in God’s Word, the more freedom we can walk in. We will also have a great supply of spiritual seed to plant for the increase of God’s kingdom.

Question: How do you guard what’s stored in your mind?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 28, 2023 in Revival, Spiritual Warfare, Word of God

 

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Truth – Protecting Your Seed

26 Jun
Truth – Protecting Your Seed

We’re continuing our walk through the book of Ephesians. We’re currently in the section we refer to as the Armor of God.

Now that I’ve talked about the spiritual battle that we face, we need to know how to prepare. To do this, the Lord has given us access to His personal set of armor. It will take me a number of posts to cover them in detail.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

The first piece of armor that we’re given is the Belt of Truth. We’re told that it needs to be buckled around our waist. Literally, the belt is buckled around our loins.

In Scripture, our loins speak about our seed. Not to be too graphic, but that’s where our reproductive organs reside. Our seed needs to be protected.

We’re told throughout the Bible that we need to be bearing fruit. That’s not going to happen without a good supply of seed.

First, I want to deal with some misconceptions concerning our seed. Some think that a few bad seeds mixed in don’t matter. That’s not true. Weeds grow and spread without any help at all.

Another wrong thought is that anything that we plant will grow. That’s not true either. Galatians 6:7-9 explains that you reap what you sow IF you don’t give up. It also matters where you sow your seed. They need to be planted in good soil.

With that understanding, we can talk about the seed that we want to see grow in our lives. How do we protect our precious, spiritual seed?

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:13

Peter understood this concept. In this verse, the phrase, prepare your minds for action literally reads, gird the loins of your mind. Spiritually speaking, your loins, the storehouse of your seed, is your mind.

The reason for this is because your mind should be where you’re placing the truth. Every time you memorize Scripture, you’re placing good seeds in your storehouse.

The real question then becomes; how well do you protect your seed? It’s really easy to complain when nothing seems to be growing. We need to keep our seed from being nullified.

Jesus communicated this in His prayer to the Father. He wanted the disciples, and us, to bear much fruit.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17

We’re talking about the truth of God’s Word, not man’s word. The only way to protect your seed is to walk in the truth of God.

When we walk in doubt, fear, presumption, hearsay, or our own habits, we nullify God’s Word in us. We need to operate in the truth – “Thus sayeth the Lord.” Our goal should be, “I’m doing this because God said…”

We get into trouble because many times we plant a lot of unprotected seed. We need to learn the lesson from airport security. “Has your suitcase been away from your control?”

Please understand that this is not just a prayer you make in the morning. You can’t just confess the Belt of Truth when you get up, and then feed the spiritual pigeons the rest of the day.

We have to protect our seed if we want to see it grow. That means allowing the truth of God’s Word to saturate all that we do.

In my next post, I’ll talk about how to actually use the Belt of Truth in our daily lives.

Question: How much of God’s Word have you stored in your mind?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 26, 2023 in Revival, Spiritual Warfare, Word of God

 

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Stand Your Ground

23 Jun
Stand Your Ground

As we go through the letter to the Ephesian church, I’m continuing to post about the spiritual battle that we’re in. The Apostle Paul had a lot of insight in this area. Of course not everything he wrote sounds good to me.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13

This is one of those scriptures that I have to take note of whether I like it or not. I’m told under the authority of the Holy Spirit to always be prepared to stand my ground.

This is a great lesson that the church needs to hear. So many people give up when things get hard. Some of us are under the impression that working for God should be all hearts and flowers.

Why then does Paul use the analogy of a warrior, fully armed, and dressed for battle? The fact is that there are spiritual forces that don’t want us to succeed in our service to the Lord. The victory comes from knowing that it’s the Holy Spirit giving you strength, and not giving up.

We need to learn how to stand in the center of opposition. The ancient Romans knew how to do this. It was the secret to the success of their army. Each of the Roman soldiers was taught how to defend a 3-foot square of ground from an invading army. When they stood, together, there was no way to break through their lines.

We need to get it into our heads that the only way to victory is to move forward in the Lord. Backing up WILL NOT get you out of the battle. It will only make you have to fight to regain that ground later.

Most of all, the thing about this verse that gives me the most trouble, is when Paul says when the day of evil comes. Not “if”, not “there might come a time when problems arise”. He tells us in a straight forward way that this day is coming whether you’re ready or not. So the best thing to do is prepare now.

The word that Paul uses for stand literally means to stand in opposition to. This word is used elsewhere in the Bible.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

The word resist in this verse is the same word as stand that Paul used. We need to stand our ground and resist the devil. We’re told that if we do this, in submission to the Lord, the enemy will flee. It’s the time frame between the resisting and the fleeing that gives us the most problem.

Why would the devil ever flee from us? After all, we’re not that strong compared to him. The answer is back in the verse from Ephesians.

The phrase after you have done everything actually translates after you have fully accomplished your work. When you have done everything you were assigned to do by the Lord, then it’s time for the Holy Spirit to take over. One thing I’m certain about. The enemy is no match for the God I serve!

So, being forewarned with the knowledge that the day of evil is coming, we need to be ready. We must be fully armed and prepared to stand our ground in Christ. Then we will see the victory of God manifest in our situation.

Question: What are you going through right now that will require you to stand your ground?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 23, 2023 in Ministry, Power of God, Revival, Spiritual Warfare

 

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The Unseen Battle

21 Jun
The Unseen Battle

I’m continuing my posts through the book of Ephesians. Paul is writing about the spiritual battle we’re in. I think that the church gets in trouble when it loses sight of this. If we don’t understand the battle, then we’ll never walk in victory.

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.
Ephesians 6:12

The Scripture is clear. The battle takes place in the unseen world. My fight isn’t against people or even the issues that I can see with my eyes.

It would be so much easier if I could see my enemy. The fact is that there’s no group that you can point to and say, “They’re the enemy.” People and organizations are not the enemy.

We want to blame someone. “It’s their fault.” That’s not the attitude we should have. It’s clear from Scripture that the enemy is unseen. There is a whole spiritual world that’s just out of reach to our five senses. It cannot be felt or touched, yet it’s just as real.

The people around me are the casualties – prisoners of war held captive in unseen detention centers. Sometimes they don’t even want to be set free because the deception feels so good at the moment. My job is not to try and convince them to join with me.

The role of the church is to fight the unseen enemy. Tear down the invisible walls. Then turn the light on in the prison cells so that the captives can see the truth of their situation. Only then will they run to Christ the Savior.

But this seems to be the hardest thing to get believers to understand. Our struggle is not in the physical world, but the spiritual. It’s not us vs. the world. I’m not trying to get them to change sides. That will never bring about the desired results.

I want the same mindset that Jesus had when He walked the earth.

…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
1 John 3:8b

We need to know that there’s a spiritual world, and that’s where our battle is being fought right now. But how many of us really understand what that means? While many believers can quote 2 Corinthians 2:4 – the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world – we don’t get the whole picture.

We don’t use physical weapons, but does that mean that the war itself is any different than a natural war? The enemy’s kingdom is very organized. The verse I started with talks about many levels of authority in their ranks. It’s time that the church gets organized for battle as well.

We also need to realize that this unseen world is organized. Actually, it’s more organized than the church. The enemy knows that the battle for souls goes on 24/7. We like to take breaks and holidays from the struggle. We think that because we did something special for God today, we can take the next few days off – “let our hair down” for a while. I believe that’s why the church in America seems to be so ineffective for the most part.

Do you realize that Satan has never personally attacked you? He has probably never even planned anything to come against you. We only face the lower levels of the dark forces; the rulers and authorities.

That’s why when you step up in ministry there’s a shift to a more intense battle. You find yourself moving up the ranks and facing tougher opponents in the spirit.

It’s time for God’s people to take this unseen battle seriously. We need to begin living our faith the way God intended us to. We need to lift up the Word of God as an offensive weapon against the darkness of this age. It’s time for the light of Christ to shine through us to set the captives free.

Be a part of God’s victorious church. Arm yourself for the unseen battle through prayer and the Word. It’s time to strike fear into the heart of the true enemy – the unseen kingdom of darkness.

We need a revival.

Question: What needs to take place for the church as a whole to wake up?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2023 in Ministry, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit, Revival, Spiritual Warfare

 

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The Full Armor of God

19 Jun
The Full Armor of God

In my last post, I started talking about the spiritual battle that we’re involved in. The problems we face and the people who annoy us are not the issue. The real fight is with the unseen world around us.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:11

We’re told to put on the armor. I’ve heard many believers talk about it, but do we understand what this means? Do we even know what the armor really is?

First and foremost we need to realize that this is the armor of God. It’s not my armor; it belongs to God. Actually, it’s God’s personal suit of armor. It was talked about back in the Old Testament.

At one point Isaiah got a prophetic picture of God getting himself ready for battle.

He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
Isaiah 59:17

Because of the Lord’s outer garments, Isaiah could only see the helmet and breastplate. But that’s enough to know who the armor belongs to. The point is this – it’s not made to fit us, but God. That’s why being in Christ is so important.

The fact is that we’re told to put on the full armor of God. If I have to put it on, then I’m not automatically fully clothed. Putting on the armor is something I need to do.

I also believe that “confessing the armor on” or “praying it on” is not enough. While I do believe in confessing and praying the Word of God, there’s more involved here.

For instance, if you’re not walking in faith, you haven’t picked up your shield no matter how many times you confess that you’re holding it. The same with truth. If you’re not walking in the truth of the Word of God, then no amount of praying will put the belt on you.

In order to be protected, we need to be using the armor daily. We need to be walking in truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. Only through practice can a warrior get good at using his armor and weaponry.

There are no overnight successes. We either use it or there’s no victory for us. The devil is playing for keeps. He’s not going to back down simply because we claim to have armor.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8-9

The enemy’s looking for an easy victim. Not one that’s fully armed. This verse literally says that he’s looking for someone he can gulp down in one bite.

Given the choice, do you think he’d rather take on a naked believer thinking that they’re armed or a spiritual warrior fully clothed and trained for battle? The answer is clear. Don’t be a meal for the enemy’s kingdom.

My prayer is that the church of Jesus Christ once again rises up in the Lord’s strength. Not just a few little groups here and there, but a majority of God’s people. That’s why this blog exists.

Don’t be the enemy’s next victim. Take your stand in the full armor of God.

Question: What’s the greatest challenge that you’re facing right now?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2023 in Power of God, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Warfare

 

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Strong in the Lord

16 Jun
Strong in the Lord

As we continue through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we now come to the section known as the Armor of God. It’s all about the spiritual battles that we face. I feel that this is one of the most important teachings of Scripture, so I’ll probably spend a lot of time in this section.

It’s unfortunate that many Christians wait until they’re in the middle of a spiritual firefight to learn how to be victorious. I might be dating myself, but one of my favorite Sy-Fy movies is The Matrix. It had an interesting concept.

Because they lived in a virtual world, if they needed to know Karate, they could just download it into their brain. If they needed to fly a helicopter, they could download that knowledge. We need to realize that our spiritual struggle doesn’t work like that.

How do we prepare for the challenges ahead? The same way a soldier does. Boot camp consists of two aspects – knowledge and work.

For us, it’s knowledge of the Scripture and God’s voice. Then we have to work at implementing what we know to do.

You may be thinking, “That’s not an easy thing to do.” You’re right. In most cases it turns out to be beyond our ability. But that’s why understanding the spiritual battle is so important.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ephesians 6:10

I’m glad that we’re not told to psych ourselves up and power our way through the challenges. I don’t want to have to rely on my willpower. I’ve got an advantage that the world doesn’t have.

I’m told to be strong in the Lord. Sometimes this goes against our nature. We want the ability to brag about our accomplishments. We want to say that our intelligence or strength was what it took to overcome the obstacles before us.

Many Christians would rather bury their heads in the sand than face the truth. We’re in a battle. We’re fighting for the souls of the men and women around us. Most of them are not even aware of what’s really going on in the spirit.

That’s why so often we make our plans then ask God to bless them. Wouldn’t we be much better off if we asked the Lord for His plan right at the start?

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11

The fact is that it’s not about my glory, but His. If I were able to lay hold of my own destiny, why would I need Christ? The work before me is too much for me by myself.

If you’re not facing any challenges, then you’re not living up to your full potential in Christ. That statement is true, whether we want to hear it or not. As much as we’d like a nice easy road, that’s not what the Lord promised us.

When we finally learn to admit this truth, life gets so much more enjoyable. Not that I can sit back and let God do all the work, but I know He’s there to cover my weaknesses. I don’t have to worry about whether I can handle the problem or not.

If I’ll draw on His strength and listen to the Holy Spirit, then there’s nothing that can stop me. We need to rest in God’s ability and not our own.

Question: What are you going through right now that’s too big for you to handle?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2023 in Power of God, Revival, Spiritual Warfare

 

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Mutual Submission Part Two

14 Jun
Mutual Submission Part Two

In my last post, we began looking at the section of Ephesians that talks about submission. To review, here’s the verse Paul started with.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 NIV

I talked about husbands and wives. Now we’ll go on to other relationships.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV

Now we get into the parent and child relationships. The home is the first place we learn to be obedient. Unfortunately, we live in a society where disobedience is held in high regard.

But, it doesn’t end with childhood. Once you grow up, there’s still an obligation. That’s to honor our parents. Especially for believers, this needs to be a part of our adult life.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4 NIV

Then, there’s the role of the father. Too often, it’s ignored in our modern society. We somehow feel that raising children is the mother’s area. Scripture takes a different view.

That word, exasperate, literally means to anger alongside. I believe that’s talking about a father who only shows up to tell a child that they’re wrong. Or that they’re disappointed with them. That’s a very frustrating childhood.

Instead, our role should be that of a trainer. Our goal as a father should be the emotional and spiritual strength of our children.

This verse tells us that we need to give them instruction in the Lord. This means that we call attention to the ways of the Lord. We do that by allowing our children to see us praying and reading the Scripture. Spiritual manhood is something that can’t be overemphasized.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

Ephesians 6:5-8 NIV

No, the Bible does not support slavery, but just the opposite. The book of Philemon is testimony to that. However, it does talk about things that were common practices in society, slavery being one of them.

This can be applied to the employee, employer relationship. Wherever we find ourselves in that corporate chain of command, we need to realize that Christ is our ultimate manager. We must work as we would work for Christ Himself.

That includes when they’re not watching us. We need to be a witness to the goodness of God, no matter what we’re doing. That also includes the times when we’re the ones in charge.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Ephesians 6:9 NIV

Business owners need to act as Jesus would. Treat those under you with love and respect. This is how we show forth the glory of God. We desire to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ attractive to as many people as possible.

Question: How well do you portray Christ in you work relationships?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 14, 2023 in Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Walk

 

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Mutual Submission Part One

12 Jun
Mutual Submission Part One

We’re continuing through the book of Ephesians. We’re coming to the part where many use it to force others to do their will. That’s not the intent. Listen carefully to how the apostle begins this section.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 NIV

This verse literally says to place yourselves under one another in the fear of God. That’s where it starts. God is the one in charge. I’m submitting myself to His authority.

Then, no matter where He places me, I’m under His care. The Lord is still on the throne. I don’t have to worry or get upset about what others are doing. I have to make sure my attitude is right.

Paul then talks about different areas of submission.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:22-24 NIV

I know that there are many husbands who use this to demand absolute obedience in their homes. Is that really what this is saying?

The key question is, how does the church submit to Christ? How do you submit to Christ? The fact is that Jesus doesn’t show up at your door demanding you to do something. Then, if you don’t follow through, does He scold you for your disobedience?

That’s not how our Lord operates. He lets us know what His desire is for us. But then, it’s up to us whether we pursue it or not.

Of course, many times husbands will ignore the next part. I think it’s the most difficult to accomplish.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV

This is a hard road to follow. As a husband, I need to see the example of Christ and the church. Then, I must live it out the way Christ does.

What does this mean? Think about it. How is the Lord perfecting His church? Does He use yelling and tantrums when He doesn’t get His way? Absolutely not.

Right now, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His church. He is speaking the Word of God over us. This is the path that a good husband must take.

How much time do you spend in prayer for your family? That’s what it comes down to – time spent in prayer. That’s where we have to lay down our lives.

There are so many other things we want to do. Playing sports or video games can take up a lot of our time. How important is our family to us?

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church – for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:28-33 NIV

This section says it all. If I’m not giving up something, then I’m not following through with this. A great husband and wife relationship requires a form of submission from both parties.

I can say that my wife and I have been married for over 40 years. This is what keeps us together and happy through whatever comes our way.

Question: How well do you submit to Christ?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 12, 2023 in Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Walk

 

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The High Ground of Thanks

09 Jun
The High Ground of Thanks

In my last post, I talked about Paul’s exhortation on singing in the church. It’s the way we keep our attitudes right before God and each other. He ends this verse with a call for a thankful attitude.

As believers, we need to live a life of thankfulness to God. What most people don’t realize is that walking in thankfulness actually places you in a position of spiritual power.

…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20 NIV

This is actually a poor translation of what the Apostle was saying. Paul literally said we should be always giving thanks…OVER everything. We need to understand that in the name of Christ we are over the situation.

This verse tells me that giving thanks raises me over any situation that I happen to be in right now. We see the problems and they look so big.

It’s just like the Israelites who spied out the Promised Land. Most of the spies only saw that there were giants living there. They announced to Israel, “We were grasshoppers in our eyes.”

But Joshua and Caleb, on the other hand, were looking through eyes of thankfulness. They were thanking God for giving them the land. Their attitude was, “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory.”

It doesn’t matter how big the mountain is. Thankfulness puts you over it. How does that work?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 NIV

You’re told not to worry about the situation you see before you. Listen to the response of God’s will. We are to go before God’s presence, then we bare our hearts before Him, and finally, we lay our needs at His feet.

Look at the outcome that’s promised to us.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7 NIV

When you offer up thanksgiving in a worrisome situation, then the peace of God will begin its work in you. This verse says that it transcends your understanding. Do you know what that means?

The actual Greek word is Huperecho. It literally means to hold oneself above. So, when you present these challenging situations to God, with thanksgiving, God’s peace will hold you above all your human understanding.

This same peace of God will also be a guard, like sentries, around you. We need to see that it’s the peace OF GOD that will hold you above the circumstance.

But it’s the giving of thanks which results in the peace of God. Then, that peace is activated to hold you above the circumstance.

Allow the peace of God to work in you. Yes, thank God for all that He’s done in your life. But don’t stop there. If there’s anything that you’re facing that’s challenging or causing you to worry, thank God for the victory over it.

In faith, take the high ground today, and every day.

Question: What future victories do you need to thank God for right now?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 9, 2023 in Power of God, Prayer, Spiritual Walk

 

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