Stand Firm

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say

Sidewalk Prophets- These are the Words I Would Say


"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."


 
Ephesians 6:10-11


 
So many times the blows of life can beat and wear you down to where you feel defeated to the point of just giving up. Always in those moments, God reminds me of very specific things. This morning it was Ephesians 6: 10- 18


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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 all 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 saints.

 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.


Life can bring us down but when we are grounded in Christ, we are able to get back up again. I have amazing kids. All of them. They can drive me crazy at times but then those moments come when God uses them to remind me of truth. You see, in recent days, someone that was once very close to me has decided and has chosen to tell people that I am an unfit mother and mentally unstable. As a mom, you cannot hit any lower below the belt than with that statement. Since I was a child, all I ever wanted to be was a mom. God saw fit that this was in fact my calling and blessed me with five precious kids that are my life. I received an email from a friend not too long ago and her words said this; "those kids are who they are because of you. You have been a stay at mom since the first was born and you have sacrificed your wants and desires to be there for them. Your kids are amazing and display such a confidence that can only come from having a mom that loves them and has taught them truth." Satan would want me to doubt who I am in Christ. There is no greater way to attack me than to attack what God created me to be and so God gives me those moments through my children to serve as a reminder.


I have spent the past week dwelling on that truth and I was having a really hard day last week, feeling quite defeated when my sweet 10 year old came into my room and pulled up a song on YouTube for me. 
It was Matthew West More.
 
I sat and listened to the words and was reminded all over again, that God is in control. People are people and Satan will use people and their words to try to destroy, but God is ultimately in control and He will take care of not only me but also my kids. They are safe in His hands and nothing that happens, whether good or bad, happens without passing through His hands first. God loves me more than I could ever imagine. My kids know God and know the truth of God because I have spent years teaching it to them and in that, God uses my kids to remind me of that fact.


What a sweet reminder. There is no need to fear the unknown and there is peace through the storm because HE loves ME and He is in control.