A shield is a thin, flat, hard, object that blocks intruders. A car’s windscreen is a shield that blocks the wind, rain, cold, and bugs, that fly at the car when travelling. A raincoat is a shield that blocks rain. Safety glasses shield the eyes from flying particles. In Proverbs 30:5, we read, “Every word […]
In the warm climates of North, Central, and South America lives a small animal called an Armadillo. Because the armadillo has only small teeth well back in its mouth, it cannot bite in self-defence. Thus, for its protection, God gave the Armadillo body armour. It is made up of many small plates of bony armour […]
Several times in our travels, we have stopped on the island of Guam. Houses on Guam are made of cement, rooves, and all. Many houses also have solid shutters for the windows. You see, Guam often endures powerful cyclones and they want their houses to be still standing after the storm passes. That is the […]
When I was in Bible College, I was on the wrestling team for several weeks until I got hurt. During that time, I learned that wrestling is not easy. It requires much strength, endurance, and skill. Ephesians 6:12 states that “we wrestle” with the forces of evil. In the context of putting on God’s armour, […]
Military boot camp is a basic training time for new recruits to the military. It is a time of strenuous exercise, discipline, and training in the ways of war. Such training is essential for those in the military. Every Christian needs to go through spiritual boot camp to get in shape and to learn how […]
Another place that it is difficult for Christians to submit is in the workplace. This was especially true for first century slaves. Yet if the Holy Spirit is in control of his life, a worker can submit and do his job as unto the Lord. Transition This evening we will note three ways in which […]
We learned in Ephesians 5:21 that submitting is an evidence that the Holy Spirit is in control of one’s life. In the last two weeks, we saw how this applies to wives and husbands. Now we are going to see how it applies to children. God knows that children struggle to submit in the area […]
In the previous section, Paul commanded Christians to allow themselves to be filled (or controlled) by the Spirit. He listed five evidences of that filling: verbal praise, vocal praise, internal praise, thankfulness, and a submissive spirit. Beginning with v.22, Paul tells us that Spirit-filled submission will be evidenced as wives complete their husbands, husbands love […]
A few years ago, when I was witnessing, a man asked me if I was filled with the Spirit. He caught me off guard and I was not sure what to say. I knew the Holy Spirit lived in me, but I was not positive that He was then filling me. Are you filled with […]
Each morning, after I have my time with the Lord, I take a walk with our dog. Several mornings lately, it has been raining and I have had to adjust my walk. Sometimes I have to change the time of the walk, or the length of the walk, or not even go for a walk […]