Define Conflict Every person who has been in ministry for any length of time has experienced conflict. A church or ministry is as susceptible to conflict as any other group. No matter how much you and others in your ministry want to serve God and advance his kingdom, you’re still affected by the fall, which
Read MoreExcerpted from Reconcilable Differences, a free eBook. Click the link to download it today. Conflict is inevitable anywhere there are people—with family, friends, at church, in the community, and in business. It can either devastate or strengthen relationships. Proven biblical principles guide churches, ministries and individuals to transform conflict into strong, God-honoring relationships. While conflict
Read MoreConflict is normal in life and ministry, with people you work with as well as within the family and other personal relationships. Look at some statistics. These were done specifically about pastors, however they are very similar for missionaries and anyone in ministry. (We believe all believers are in ministry of some kind, whether with
Read MoreWe’ve been looking at putting on our spiritual armor every day. I want to encourage you to continue to put each piece on each day to protect you from the evil one. Read Psalm 18:2, below. It has several names of God that can help you in the battle. Psalm 18:2—The LORD is my rock,
Read MoreEphesians 6:18—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. Prayer is a weapon, although the Apostle Paul didn’t give it a picture. How do you picture it? What do you think it
Read MoreEphesians 6:17—Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Notice it says to take the sword. It doesn’t say to fight with it. We need to know the Word of God, so we can be ready to use it against the enemy at any time. To know it, we must be
Read MoreEphesians 6:17—Take the helmet of salvation. Here are some questions to think about: What kind of helmet are you wearing? Is it a wimpy little thing that barely protects your head or does it surround your whole head? How could salvation protect your head? What is it about what Jesus did that would protect your
Read MoreEphesians 6:16—In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Every day I use my arms to physically show myself holding my shield of faith. I also ask God to increase my faith every day. I want to really believe
Read MoreEphesians 6:14-55—Stand firm then…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Let’s look at the parts of this verse: Our feet need to be fitted. We need to have shoes that fit our feet perfectly. It’s hard to walk or run when your shoes don’t fit right—either being too
Read MoreEphesians 6:14—Stand firm then…with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Here are a few things to think about this verse: A breastplate protects our hearts. How can righteousness protect your heart? We are righteous because of what Jesus did for us, but we still have to choose to walk in righteousness every day. As I
Read MoreEphesians 6:14—Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. I don’t see a belt as all that important in what I’m wearing, unless of course, I’m wearing pants that are way too big and will fall off without the belt. However, a Roman soldier’s belt was a crucial part of his
Read MoreEphesians 6:13-14—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… This passage doesn’t tell us to fight, but rather to stand firm. Four times in these verses (including verse 11)
Read MoreIn war, you’d better know who your enemy is. It’s easy to see people or situations as our enemy. There are many people who are seen as enemies these days: whites, blacks, Jews, Arabs, Americans, your ex-spouse… you get the idea. Look what Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
Read MoreEphesians 6:11—Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. What are we told to do? Why? What kind of schemes does the devil use? What schemes has he used against you? I’ve made it a habit to put on my armor every day. I know
Read MoreDo you feel strong and powerful? In myself I don’t. I’m not that strong of a person myself. However, look at what Ephesians 6:10 says. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” In the last blog, we looked at rejoicing in the Lord. Today we are told to be strong in the
Read MoreEarlier this week we looked at Philippians 4:4—Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say rejoice. Today let’s look at Philippians 3:1—Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Paul is reminding them
Read MorePhilippians 4:4—Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say rejoice. In chapter 3, verse 1, Paul had told them to rejoice in the Lord. He told them the same thing three times! Why do you think Paul repeated himself? How often does this verse say we are to rejoice? Do you know what
Read MoreEphesians 2:6—God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Think about God sitting in heaven, on His throne. He is the King of Kings. He has ultimate authority and power. Now, think about the fact that you are seated with Him. Notice that is past
Read MoreLast week we looked at God’s love, mercy and grace toward us and what Jesus did for us on the cross. Today, let’s look at Ephesians 2:6—And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:20-21 says that God raised Jesus from the dead
Read MoreMany times we live as if Satan is in charge, as if he has more power than we do. We focus on his power and fail to see that in Christ, we have already won the victory. Jesus did it once and for all on the cross. He won! He already won! Do you believe
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