Tag Archives: fight

Remember What God Did For You

Posted in Healing, My thoughts, Nature by

The children of Israel saw God deliver them from the power of Pharoah who had made them his slaves. God sent Moses to Pharoah to ask him to let the Lord’s people go free to worship Him. Pharoah scorned Moses for asking that and made the people of Israel work even harder. Eventually after plagues even to the death of the eldest sons of Egypt Pharoah let them go.


The Dead Sea opened up for them to leave Egypt. God appeared to them in the desert in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. God was with them and set them free to worship Him. He set them apart as his own people. He gave them guidelines on how to live.


So the people who saw God’s wonders obeyed God and their leaders, Joshua snd Moses. But after they died the next generation did not continue to obey or worship God. They worshiped the gods of the people around them. God gave them over to their enemies who oppressed them. This new generation had to learn how to deal with their enemies.
Judges 3 v 2 says He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle.


We are God’s people who believe in Jesus. Are we often like the Israelites who forgot God? We know his mercy to deliver us out of bondage but we soon forget his goodness and go our own way serving other gods who take our time, money and energy.


Some of us have seen his miracles of healing and deliverance. But we soon forget. We don’t want to fight. But with God’s help we can defeat our enemies. So they come back to rob, steal and destroy us. There is no middle ground. As Bob Dylan said you got to serve somebody. It may be the devil, it may be the Lord but you got to serve somebody.


Jesus said in Luke 21 v 34. Watch out. Don’t let me catch you in careless ease and drunkenness. Keep a constant watch and pray. Jesus is returning soon. Don’t be like the five foolish virgins who weren’t ready when the bridegroom returned.


Read God’s Word and pray in the Holy Spirit often. You have to fight so you don’t loose the ground you have taken.

The Robin

Posted in Birds, Family Friday, Ireland, My thoughts, Nature, Prayer by

 

In Ireland the humble bird the Robin is celebrated on our Christmas cards. Images of the bright eyed bird with healthy feathers, red on his breast and brown on his body and wings are displayed on many a mantle piece.

One forgets that this bird has had to survive a busy schedule in spring and summer building nests, hatching eggs, and foraging for food to keep himself and young alive. Brendan leaves out seeds and leftover bread on the fence for the birds. One bird waits expectantly every morning. It has come into our kitchen when we leave the door open.

If I am away for a few days the Robin welcomes us back by hopping in circles around me from shrub to hedge to get my attention. I haven’t been looking out for my friend for a while. But this morning I was up early. The bird must have seen me move about the kitchen. He was looking for food.

I fetched the seed box and laid out some seeds. The Robin came along. Sadly he looked a bit disheveled. His head was bereft of healthy feathers. He had few red feathers. He must have been in a few difficult situations; fights, hungry or thirsty.

Perhaps the hungry mouths he was helping feed this summer pulled at his feathers when he was sharing his morsels. Is it time to moult his feathers? Or was he in some territorial fights? I discovered from a bird blog that robins defend their territory fiercely.

He has some nice territory to defend. He has two gardens in which to forage and get plenty of food for his offspring. He has a home owner who leaves out treats for him every morning. He isn’t going to give up easily.

Can I learn from this little bird. Jesus said look at the birds. I see this Robin as a real warrior fighting for his home and his land where he gets provision for his young. I read in Nehemiah 4 v 4 that the men prayed for their families and their homes. They built with one hand and defended their property with a sword in their hands. Like the Robin I often get a few ruffled feathers as I defend my home and children. It is my space and I want to keep it a safe place free from evil.

Jesus likens a man to a house.
““When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. “”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:43-45‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can learn from this scripture Jesus warning to continue to keep our house free from evil spirits. They will always want to come back in. They will never give up. So one needs to be on guard to prevent evil coming back into ones life once we have been set free.

How does one do that. By believing in Jesus, by prayer, by reading the Word of God and by obeying what God has asked one to do.