Are You a Spiritual Saver or Spender?

"And you also were included in Christ, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a DEPOSIT guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13-14

When reading this verse the other morning, the word DEPOSIT jumped off of the page at me. I began to meditate on the concept of the Holy Spirit being a deposit from God. When thinking in terms of monetary deposits, we know that when we put money into a bank account, it can increase, remain stagnant, or decrease. Our deposits can increase through saving and investing, which lead to an abundance. If we do nothing more to our deposit, we will see little growth in it. And if we spend all of our money, there will be nothing left.

The Word of God tells us that the Holy Spirit is a deposit from God. We receive this deposit through being justified through Jesus Christ. When we confess our sins and receive Jesus as our Savior, we are declared not guilty and are credited with Christ's righteousness. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus to all who believe. I am a sinner who continually falls short, but as a child, I was justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented His Son as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. (Romans 3:21-24) From the moment we are saved, we become a child of God and are adopted into His family. His word tells us that we received a spirit of sonship and the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:14-17). Through justification and adoption, the Lord blesses us with the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

THE OLD ME: SPENDER

Just like a monetary deposit can increase, remain stagnant, or decrease, so can this precious spiritual gift. I am a testimony to this because for years I was a spiritual spender. I remained stagnant in my walk with Christ. I didn't put Him first. Instead, I selfishly pursued my own desires. I didn't pursue sanctification, the process of growing in a love relationship with the Heavenly Father and learning to live more and more like Jesus. My priorities were all out of the Godly order that He desires. While I believed I was saved, I wasn’t allowing the power of God to work change in my heart. I wasn’t zealously pursuing a relationship with my Savior, my Redeemer.

While I still am not perfect (as none of us will ever be until that day of glorification), I will admit I was living in the flesh, not walking in the Spirit. I was grieving the Holy Spirit. I was a spender. There was a separation, a wedge putting distance between my Heavenly Father and myself. The Holy Spirit isn't comfortable dwelling in a flesh-controlled temple. Our bodies are His temple. Romans 13:13-14 tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. My lack of prayer and desire to be reading the Word of God, yielded a stagnant, spent relationship with the Holy Spirit. This is not what God desires for us. He wants more for us. He wants us to increase our deposit. He wants us to grow.

As you may have read in my very first Transformation to Adoration post, He used our infertility battle to bring me back to Him, to transform my heart, to grow my deposit. I slowly began to re-align my priorities and pursue sanctification. At first, I will admit, I had to pray for a hunger and thirst for the Word. I preferred to be watching one of my favorite shows than reading my Bible. Not that there is anything wrong with watching a show or having hobbies, but I wasn't seeking Him first. I was doing what I wanted with my time. Again, pursuing selfish desires. But I began to pray for God to align my desires with His and to change my heart and renew a right Spirit within me. And prayer is powerful. He began to transform me and now I cannot get enough of His Word!

THE NEW ME: DEPOSITOR

So how can we invest in our deposit and grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit? How can He become greater and we become less? For me, making God my top priority has enabled me to experience God more fully, more abundantly. Loving Him with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) and "seeking first the kingdom of God above all else, and living righteously" has lead to Him giving me everything I need (Matthew 6:33). He has grown my deposit in bounty and is continuing to do so! Being in the Word daily, praying continually, and worshiping with fellow believers every week have all helped me to flourish in my relationship with the Holy Spirit and fill me with unspeakable joy. The Word of God is alive, active, and has the power to transform hearts and minds. It trains us in righteousness and equips us for every good work. Soak it up daily, and watch it grow your deposit! 

Another spiritual investment that has helped nurture my relationship with the Holy Spirit is to humbly and consistently look at my own heart. I continually pray for God to search my heart and point out any way offensive in me. I love my pastor, Scott Luck's, wisdom from a recent sermon, "The Word of God acts as a light and shows me what is true about myself. God can't melt us if the Word doesn't crush us first. None of us are perfect, but we have an innate awareness that we should be. Why? Because he created us to perfectly glorify Him." That is my heart's desire. To glorify and honor Him in all I do and say, for Him to lead me on the path to everlasting life. 

RESULTS OF DEPOSITING

Just as consistently depositing money into a bank account yields bounty, investing in your relationship with the Lord leads to an abundant life. A dear friend shared this Joyce Meyer quote with me, "I'm not where I need to be, but I'm not where I was! I'm on my way." God wants to sanctify us. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-15)

Walking with and being led by the Holy Spirit, wisdom, revelation, discernment, and power are all results of a growing "deposit". "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 1:17-20). We have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the grave! Grow in the richness of His power through investing in your relationship with Him! 

Another by-product of a growing "deposit" is experiencing the fullness of God in our lives. Paul's prayer in Ephesians has become my own prayer for spiritual growth. "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19 The more you grow your "deposit" and experience the fullness of God, the more the fruits of the Spirit will be evident in your life, and they will overflow out of you. Cultivate these fruits through growing in your relationship with your Savior! 

Jesus didn't pay the ultimate sacrifice just so that we could be saved, our sins forgiven, and to reserve a place for us in our heavenly home. He was crucified for more than that. He wants us to experience a new life in Him so that we can celebrate His presence every day while we are here on earth. To have a relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. That love relationship brings glory and honor to His name. Praise Him, trust Him, thank Him, pursue Him, prioritize Him, surrender to Him, and watch your "deposit" grow. He came so that we could have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) Enjoy the abundant life God purposed for you! 

Embrace the Mess, Pursue Rest...

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28

It was no surprise to me that after I returned home from serving at a recent women's Lamplighter retreat, our van wouldn't start. I know that the enemy thrives on attacking us when we are devoting our time and energy to kingdom work. So, I prayed and completely trusted the Lord with the fate of our van. After Andrew replaced the dead battery, and the van still wouldn't start, I didn't worry. I knew that God was in control. Our neighbor came over and helped Andrew replace the starter. They were able to repair the van. I am thankful that we didn't have to tow the van or pay a mechanic. 

God is so good and faithful! He took care of us and provided. My trust and faith were not of me. My flesh responses would have been frustration, anger, worry, and annoyance at the inconvenience and expense of a broken down vehicle. And to be honest, this would have been my response had I not taken those thoughts captive and made them obedient to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. And to be even more honest, that is the way I would have responded a few years ago. But, I have been  praying for God to rid me of ungodly responses, and asking Him to fill me up with God-honoring reactions to inconveniences. More of Him and less of me. 

I wish I could say that my responses are always led by the Holy Spirit. The truth is, despite the fact that God is transforming my heart through sanctification, I still battle the flesh daily. After our van was fixed, I faced the rest of the week exhausted from little sleep and serving over the weekend. Coming home, I felt overwhelmed by everything on my plate and the need to get caught up. I felt the stress of my responsibilities as a wife and mother, and all that I longed to accomplish. As I've shared in a previous blog post, I am a task-oriented, people-pleasing, perfectionist. I didn't handle the exhaustion, anxiety, and stress from feeling overwhelmed as graciously as I reacted to the van situation. I found myself in a funk (as one of my dear friends calls it). I was grouchy, stressed and frustrated with all that I couldn't accomplish. This led to self-pity. I wallowed in all that went wrong and dwelled on the negative. Add in an unusually cranky toddler and it magnified my ungodly responses. The Holy Spirit worked on my heart and quickly led me to confess and seek repentance from the Lord and my children (whom seemed to be the receivers of my wrath). I am so thankful for the promise found in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I began to pray Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Then, on my way home from church on Sunday, I heard God speak to me in His still, small voice..."Embrace the mess and pursue rest." After hearing those words, I sat down and prayed and meditated on what that might mean. Here is what He put on my heart...

Embracing the Mess

"His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

He doesn't just want me to accept the mess, he wants me to embrace it. What does that mean? I actually loathe the mess...when things don't go as planned, my house isn't in order, laundry is piled up, when everything isn't done, when I'm overwhelmed and can't seem to do the millions of things on my to do list...I let the mess cause frustration, stress, anger, and self-pity. Why? Because I get so caught up in my own thoughts and ideas that I don't make room for Him. My natural instinct and response to the mess is to tend to rely on my own strength, which leads to feelings of frustration because I reach the end of my human abilities. He is the vine and we are the branches, apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:15). He is telling me to find joy in the mess and cling to His strength and power. Joy is quite the opposite of what I felt about the mess last week. Jesus is teaching me that in my weaknesses, His power is made perfect, and that I must rely on Him and stay plugged into the power source of prayer and faith. Prayer and faith keep our batteries charged and enable us to do more than ever possible in our human strength. Then, we will be able to find rest in His power! "May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do." (2 Thessalonians 1:11) Thank you Lord for the gift of your Holy Spirit who convicts my heart, reminds me of the path of life, and fills me with joy in the process so that I am able to embrace the messes. 

Pursue Rest

"Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

As I prayerfully contemplated His leading me to pursue rest, He revealed the need for me to rest from the striving to do it all, rest from trying to keep up, rest from busyness, and most importantly...REST IN HIM. How can I rest in Him? God spoke to me on rest over the past few days through my Bible readings and quiet time, a Heidi St. John podcast, and a group of dear praying heart sisters. He revealed the need to guard my calendar and commitments, stay plugged into the power source of prayer, protect my quiet time, and lighten up and just roll with the mess. He let me know I can lower the bar without feeling guilty and that it is okay if I have to take something off of my plate. I need to delight in Him and be joy-filled because that is where true strength lies! "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) "The joy of the Lord is my strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). 

Even though we battle the flesh daily, it is what we learn in the process that allows Him to use our messes for His glory. We can conquer the flesh and the schemes of the enemy because His Word tells us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). Fixing our minds on these truths will empower us to embrace the mess, pursue rest, and be filled with joy in the presence of our beautiful Savior. 

Lead Me Home

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He will help me. My heart leaps for joy and with my song I praise Him." Psalm 28:7

It was Saturday evening and I had just arrived home from Heidi St. John's amazing Fearless Retreat. I spent a few minutes loving on my kids and grabbing a bite to eat, and then headed off with my husband to serve at a Lamplighter Retreat that my brother-in-law was attending. It was a late evening, and I had agreed to take our babysitter home after we returned from Lamplighter. Our babysitter lived a good 40 minutes away and wasn't sure how to navigate me, so I depended on the gps on my phone. I remember thinking no wonder she couldn't direct me there... there were many turns and country roads from my house to hers. I dropped our babysitter off around midnight and proceeded home.

By this point I was exhausted from the little sleep I got the night before. (Because you know when girlfriends get together we like to talk!) Despite my exhaustion, I was filled with such joy from the blessings I received at Heidi's Fearless Retreat and from serving at Lamplighter's. All of a sudden, I look down at my phone and it was black. My phone was dead...no charger, no gps, no way to contact Andrew. There I was, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, with no way to protect myself and no gas station or public place in sight. In that moment, my joy turned into anxiety. Now for those of you that are gifted with navigating yourselves around, this might not have been a big deal. But for the directionally challenged like myself, this was a BIG deal! I'm not from this area and my family and close friends can tell you that driving is NOT my forte. Fear and anxiety washed over me. I felt my heart begin to race and pound. My body became tense and my breathing very hard. I never dreamed that the Lord would call me to exercise fearlessness so soon after the retreat. I'm so thankful that I was equipped with scriptures that tell me fear cannot control me. I recited 2 Timothy 1:7 over and over..."For the Lord doesn't give us a Spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of sound mind. All I could do was cry out to God and pray for him to strengthen and help me, to guide me by His hand. I totally believe my body was going through the symptoms of a panic attack, but my mind was fully controlled by the Holy Spirit. He helped me remain composed and of sound mind, when I felt like I would lose it. I kept saying, "I trust you. I know you. You are good. You go before me. And you will lead me home." I prayed that the enemy wouldn't steal my joy from the weekend so I kept reminding myself of Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." And I know that He gave me strength to endure the unknown.

During this scary experience, I witnessed God turn ashes into beauty through writing a story on my heart. As I was trying to find my way home, I recall saying, "Lord, I don't know what you are doing, but I don't like this. I don't know where I am, but please just lead me home." After saying this, I laughed at the parallel of this experience to traveling through life. At times, we don't know where we are or why, but as followers of Jesus Christ we can trust that He will lead us to our heavenly home. Jesus spoke to me as I was lost, in the middle of the night, and crying out to Him. He revealed the following precious truths to me...

1. The importance of having a full gas tank. Thankfully, my gas tank was full. If I would have been low on gas, I might not have made it home. This illustrates the importance of keeping our spiritual gas tanks full. We can do this by being in the Word of God each and every day.

2. Keeping our eyes fixed on Him. The entire journey, my eyes were looking up. I prayed and recited scripture. I believe that is what strengthened me and kept me on the course to get home. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19

3. Life is full of twists and turns and ups and downs. Throughout my search for home, I encountered many twists and turns. At times, I didn't know whether to turn left or right. One moment, I thought I knew where I was, leading me to feel secure, but then the next moment I found out I was wrong, and would feel anxious again. Doesn't this mirror the twists and turns and ups and downs of this life? We experience being on a mountaintop, and then we go through valleys. The important thing is that in both the ups and the downs, we rely fully on Him. When the path looks easy and straightforward, we may be tempted to become self-reliant, thinking we can do it all on our own. We must remember the glorious source of our strength. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit." Zechariah 4:6. When the path is difficult, and we find ourselves in the valleys of this life, we must remember to cling to the strength of our Savior. "So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10

4. God is faithful. I was lost in the darkness in the middle of the night. But Andrew and I were praying the entire time. He knew I was lost because he tried to call my phone when he noticed I was late in coming home. For a good 45 minutes, he knew I was lost. He didn't know how to find me. But he did know that prayer was the most powerful thing he could do for me. He couldn't leave our house due to our 3 young children sleeping upstairs. Even if he did get someone to come over, it would have been very difficult for him to locate me. So he prayed. When telling this story to a dear friend, and sharing the message the Lord impressed on my heart, she had her own revelation. She said that I was lost and Andrew was praying for me, and how this symbolizes us, as Christians, praying for lost loved ones. God hears our prayers for our lost loved ones. Keep on praying. He is faithful! Andrew prayed fervently for me and God was faithful to lead me home.

An hour into my search for home, I found a major highway that lead me to a CVS. I was able to go in and get directions from a sweet girl behind the counter. The emotions I felt as I neared my house can be described in Psalm 13:5-6, "But I trust your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing for the Lord for He has been good to me." His promise in Romans 8:28 to work all things for good for those who love Him proved true once again in my life. I am so thankful for His unfailing love and faithfulness. To God be the glory!

Prayer Plan for My Children

Saturday Prayer:

We pray that they will live for the approval of ONE. We pray that they will be surrounded by Godly friends and role models. We pray that they will keep themselves pure for future spouses, and for you to lead them to Godly mates.

• "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25
•  “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10
• “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23
•  “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
• “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20
•  “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.” Proverbs 27:17
• “We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.” 1 Corinthians 10:8
• “Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.” Hebrews 13:4
•   “Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Prayer Plan for My Children

Friday Prayer: 

We pray that they strive to live for the Lord in a world that wars against Him, that they will be strong and courageous, and able to speak the truth and flee temptation. 

• “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
• “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
• “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish or ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” 2 Timothy 2:22-26
• “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Prayer Plan for My Children

Thursday Prayer:

We pray that they will seek to be more like You, Jesus, and bear the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

• “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8: 5-10
• “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14
• “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16
• “And we know that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. “ Romans 8:28-29
•  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
•  “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever.” 1 Kings 9:4-5
• “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
•  “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

Prayer Plan for My Children

Wednesday Prayer:

We pray that they will hunger and thirst for wisdom and that the Lord will give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation so they will know Him better. And in gaining wisdom, that they will find God’s purpose for them, will use their talents/gifts to honor Him, and will reject the lies of Satan.

• “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42: 1-2
•  “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Ephesians 1:17-18
• “And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship.” Exodus 35:31
• “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Colossians 1:9
•  “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
•  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
• “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5
• “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Titus 2:11-12
• “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
• “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
•  “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 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. 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 this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the 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 Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:11-18
• “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
• “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32