Beyond Cliché Christianity: A Call to Deeper Faith

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Beyond Cliché Christianity: A Call to Deeper Faith

God’s desire is completely different. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, God is making us whole in Him. Where the enemy destroys, God restores. Where the enemy divides, God unites. Where the enemy condemns, God redeems. Where the enemy hates, God loves. His love was strong enough to defeat death when Jesus was raised to life again, and His love is still at work today defeating the enemy of our souls who is constantly trying to deceive, destroy, and defeat you and me.

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Armored Up. Battle Ready. When Our Head's in the Game, It Changes Everything.

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Armored Up. Battle Ready. When Our Head's in the Game, It Changes Everything.

I met with a dear friend yesterday and she challenged me in such a God ordained way. We quite literally had a conversation that covered the history of humanity, the tenets of Christianity, and why the world we live in daily tests our sanity.

And while evil is running rampant, God is still running the show. He is sovereign over all. He will have the final say. He has made a way, and He will continue to show us the way as we stay in His Word. There, he has laid it all out, from cover to cover. He tells us how to live, how to love, and how to treat one another.

As Rachel and I were journeying from Genesis to Revelation by way of conversation, we discussed hermeneutics, history, and theology. Cover to cover, we see God continually cover His people with His protection and His provision.

God’s expectations of His people, both in Bible times and for those who have been grafted into the vine, have not changed, and are in place to keep us safe.

Speaking of safety, the one thing my friend said to me that I had never really thought about (but now I can’t stop thinking about) is the way we view the Armor of God.

We’re taught that we must put it on everyday, much like a uniform at game time — suit up before we hit the field, or in this case, armor up before we hit the battlefield.

But the words Rachel spoke to me yesterday, made me view God’s safety and protection in a different way. When she hears Christians say “We have to put on the Armor of God every day,” her response is “Why do we ever take it off?”

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Sound the Alarm. Remove from Harm. Equip and Arm.

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Sound the Alarm. Remove from Harm. Equip and Arm.

Three things God dropped in my heart this morning as I spent time in His Word. As stern as they seem, they’re three things I believe every Christian must learn to do and teach others to do, too. They encouraged and challenged me. If you are a Christ follower, I pray they do the same for you...

  1. Sound the alarm. Don’t grow weary or be silent. Stay alert and on guard.

  2. Remove from harm. We are not saviors, but we can be harbingers.

  3. Equip and arm. (Ephesians 6:10-20) God equips us with His whole armor. Each piece plays an important role in the battle plan. It is not enough to just know about it. We cannot live without it. Armor up, and teach others to do the same.

As I was reading in James 4 this morning, I was reminded that as believers, we cannot be “friends” with the world. To be a friend with the world is to be an enemy of God. It’s adultery. I’m not being hyperbolic. That’s what the Word says. (James 4:4) We can love our neighbors (Mark 12:31) and even love our enemies (Matt 5:44) without getting into bed with them. As Christians, we are to be set apart. To be set apart is to be different from the world. The ways of the world and the ways of the Word are not the same. We must live by God’s standard, lest we be enamored by the world’s glamor. We cannot be Christians in name only. We must bear fruit (Matt 6:17).

We are either following God and living by His Word (walking with Him) or we are chasing things of this world (turning our back on Him). We cannot do both.

As I read the Word this morning (James 4 and Ephesians 6 specifically), I couldn’t help but think of a time years ago when God illustrated these truths for me through a real life experience. When our oldest son was young, maybe 2 or 3, we had just returned home from somewhere that he had gotten a balloon. If you’re a mom, I’m sure you remember those days well, or maybe you’re living them now. We had on street parking at our house in town, so we were teaching him to get out of the car on the side of the sidewalk and house as opposed to getting out on the side of the street. We had gotten him out of the car and he was standing on the sidewalk with his ballon, when suddenly, he let go of this prized possession. Instead of taking off into the air, the balloon hovered low to the ground and danced down the sidewalk and out into the street. Like most toddlers would, Joshua naturally just chased after the balloon. And this is where the split second scary situation transitions to the slo-mo “Chariots of Fire” pace as my husband raced to the rescue shouting, “Stop!” He saw a car coming down the street straight toward this oblivious little boy enamored by his runaway balloon, and this father did everything in his power to...

Sound the alarm. (Shout.) Remove from harm. (Pick him up and carry him to safety.) And equip and arm. (Talk to him about future dangerous situations.)

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His Ever Present Light is Greater Than This Present Darkness

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His Ever Present Light is Greater Than This Present Darkness

This. Present. Darkness.

I heard these three words strung together as Chelsey, the host of the Living with Less Podcast quoted verse 12 of Ephesians 6 in the English Standard Version. This verse is found in the passage of scripture that explains what the armor of God is and why we, as Christians, should take up this armor every single day.

When I heard Chelsey say these words, and read them again in God’s Word, it reminded me of a book I read years ago when I first started walking with the Lord. The book, This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti, is a fictional allegory that sheds light on a spiritual reality. There’s a reason God gives us His armor. We are at war with the forces of evil. Light vs Dark. Good vs Evil. God vs Satan.

The sole purpose of the armor of God is to battle THIS PRESENT DARKNESS.

THIS. As in “This” right here, not “that” over there. It is right in front of us. It is creeping up behind us, and it is all around us seeking to devour us. It is THIS present darkness. This one here, up close and personal. Not “that” one, way over there, far away, staying at bay.

PRESENT. As in present, not absent. It is here and accounted for. It is not missing in action, on leave, or excused. It is PRESENT. It is also PRESENT. As in present tense, not past or future tense (although it was present then and will be until the end). It is PRESENT. Right here and right now.

DARKNESS. As in pure evil. Vile. I think there’s a reason evil and vile are made up of the same letters. It doesn’t matter how you try to change it, rearrange it, or explain it, evil is evil, vile is vile, and both are wicked and sick and lead to destruction and death.

I’ve been thinking about this present darkness quite a bit lately. I know that probably seems pretty morbid, but I think my mind goes there because this darkness is so evidently here. THIS DARKNESS is PRESENTLY PRESENT. Here and now. Not a thing of the past or a future threat. And it is trying to not only dim the Light, but to diminish it altogether.

Yes, the presence of darkness is all around us, and this present darkness is trying to confound us.

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