Shield of Faith

Ephesians 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.

Good morning Zebras,

Today we are picking up our shield, a shield designed for battle.

In the Roman world that would have been a two foot by five foot shield covered with leather. For Christians it is our faith.

The Bible defines faith as having confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. It is believing in the power and promises of God even when every ounce of common sense tells you not to. It is what the ancients were commended for.

And it is absolutely necessary if you are going to withstand the attacks of the enemy.

Notice the verse says: with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. It doesn’t say IF the evil one decides to send some arrows your way this shield would be helpful, nor does it say there will be only one or two arrows. It is written to remind us that the evil one does send flaming arrows and he sends a lot.

I used to be rather embarrassed to talk about Satan. I thought it made me look stupid. Believing in God is one thing, but believing in Satan, well that’s quite a different matter.

But that was a mistake. Satan loves nothing better than for us to think he does not exist. Then he can go about his business of spreading lies, hate, depression and self-doubt without ever being recognized. We just think we are having a bad day or that we are “a mess.” We don’t put up our shield because we don’t realize we are under attack.

That’s why it is important to walk alongside other Christians and really be honest about what’s going on. They can help us recognize the arrows of the devil and encourage us to pick up that shield. They can help us to think truth and recognize lies.

The Romans used to lock their shields together and march against the enemy like a solid wall. Christians need to do the same. A lone Christian is easy prey.

Satan is a busy guy. You never know when he will shoot an arrow at you. That’s why we must always walk by faith using our shield. Because if we do not, by faith, quench Satan arrows they will light a fire within us, steal our joy and cause us to disobey God.

Love,
Jill

Gospel of Peace

Ephesians 6:15

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend. Last week I started a series on the armor of God and I have continued thinking about it ever since.

We started with the belt of truth, the first piece to be put on and the piece that holds everything else in place. Getting your thinking in line with the truth of Scripture is a task that is so worth the effort. Understanding that God is holy, sovereign, all-powerful, good, loving and on your side is a truth that will change your life.

Next we put on the breast plate of righteousness, which is the right standing and divine nature given to us by God through the cross. Living like we are children of God is necessary for our good mental health. No one is happy as an underachiever.

Today we get to the gospel of peace which Paul compares to shoes.

When I was young the most important thing about a shoe was its looks. I was willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion but walking nine miles a day as a letter carrier cured me of that. Having a shoe I could walk in all day was crucial to getting the job done. I gained a new appreciation for good shoes

Recently I have gained that same appreciation for the gospel. I used to think that the gospel was only for the “lost.” The fact that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again on the third day was great news but you really only needed to hear it once. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Getting up each morning and putting on the gospel is the best thing a girl can do for herself, because the gospel is the greatest demonstration of the love and power of God. Christ’s death and resurrection reconciled us to God and defeated the power of sin. It is the reason that we can walk through the difficulties of life with peace. And wearing it gets us ready for whatever lies ahead.

Maybe I am the only mother who almost always says to their children, “Are you ready to go, do you have your shoes on?” before leaving the house. But I don’t think so. We all know that it is important to have physical shoes on to go anywhere.

And it is important to wear the right shoes. We know we need to match our shoes to the task at hand. As Christians our task is to reach others for Christ and for that we need the “shoes of the gospel.” Fortunately they go with everything.

Love,
Jill

Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:14

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Good morning Zebras,

The Armor of God is a portion of Scripture I often return to. It seems so simple and yet so difficult at the same time. I know that these are things we are supposed to put on to protect us from Satan but I struggle with the exact meaning of each piece.

Yesterday’s z-mail on the belt of truth got me started thinking about it again.

The belt is the first piece we are commanded to put on and it is the first piece a Roman solider would put on as well. Unlike Americans who use belts for decorations the soldiers put the belt on first because it was the piece that held the rest of the armor in place. And according to my son it was the piece that hung down and protected the legs. (Funny until this morning I never noticed that there were no pants.)

The next piece is the breastplate of righteousness. This piece of armor was made of metal plates or chains and covered the soldier’s body from neck to waist both front and back. It symbolizes the believer’s righteousness in Christ, the righteousness that God has imparted to us because of our faith in Jesus.

But according to The Bible Exposition Commentary it also symbolizes the righteous life that we are supposed to be pursuing. And it is important that the two match up.

Satan is the accuser, but he cannot accuse the believer who is living a godly life in the power of the Spirit. The life we live either fortifies us against Satan’s attacks or makes it easier for him to defeat us.

As a teacher I can tell you some of the most miserable children in my class were often “gifted” children who were not “living up to their potential". Their parents were usually displeased with them and they were often displeased with themselves. The disparity between their abilities and their performances made them unhappy and left them open to attack. They were the only ones who could rectify the situation.

Spiritually, according to this commentary, the same is true of us.

Love,
Jill

Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6:11-12

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Good morning Zebras,

Every day I become more and more convinced of the truth of this statement.

Take yesterday for example, my kids had an event they needed to go to that was an hour away. Since I am recovering from surgery and can’t drive and their father was at work they needed to drive themselves if they wanted to go.

Katherine is a good driver, but she only drives around town and I was a little nervous about her driving somewhere she didn’t know in bad weather, but I prayed about it, gave it over to God and sent them off with instructions to call when they arrived.

But they forgot. And Satan had an opportunity to cause mischief.

“God is going to test you”, he whispered, “He is going to let your children die to see if you really believe what you say.”

But that is not the way God works. God does not need to kill my children to know my heart. He already knows my heart and He knows what I believe. And killing my children to prove a point is not consistent with the character of God.

So instead of worrying I prayed. And God prompted them to call.

Satan knows my weaknesses and he will say anything and do anything to get me to doubt God. He knows my past and he knows which buttons to push to make me crazy. And he knows yours too.

Satan is a liar; in fact he is the father of lies who is constantly prowling around looking for someone to destroy. That is why it is so important that we do not walk around unprotected. God gave us armor and we need to wear it, starting with the belt of truth which holds all the other pieces in place.

Love,
Jill

Building Foundations

Philippians 2:12-13

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Good afternoon Zebras,

A friend recently told me the medical community has come up with a new theory about broken hips. They used to think people fell and broke their hips, now they are thinking maybe the hip breaks causing people to fall.

That makes sense to me. I never could understand why some people could take horrible falls and break nothing and other people would break their hips just bending over to pick up their paper. But it makes sense if it is the hip that gives way first. If the foundation gives way a person is going to fall.

The same is true in the Christian walk.

Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be able to weather horrible trials, fixing their eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of their faith while others, in similar situations crumble?
I think it has to do with their foundation.


Jesus said in Luke 6:47-49
Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

No one else can build our foundation for us, nor can we stand upon someone else’s. We each must build our own, by accepting Jesus' finished work on the cross, studying God's Word, obeying what He reveals and spending time in His presence in prayer.

Love,
Jill

Know Truth

2Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Good morning Zebras,

Last night I watched a movie about William Tyndale, the man in the 1500’s who was led by God to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew to English. Prior to Tyndale’s work only the priest and the clergy had copies of the Scriptures and people were being put to death for learning it.

The thought was that the common man could never understand the complex thoughts that are contained in the Bible and it would only confuse them. Therefore the people needed church leaders who were better educated to explain it to them.

Unfortunately they didn’t always explain it accurately.

In the old days before there were fancy machines to do it for us, people were taught to recognize counterfeit money by studying real money. I guess if you look at real money long enough it is easy to spot a fake.

The same is true with the Scriptures. The best way to recognize false teachings is to have spent time looking at truth.

Yesterday on Facebook someone tried to comfort a friend who was suffering with “God never gives you more than you can handle.” But that is not true and it is not comforting. Of course God gives us more than we can handle, but He never gives us more than He can handle.
The verse that is being misquoted is 1 Corinthians 10:13 which deals with temptations not trials. God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Trials have a whole different purpose. According to James trials are given to test and grow our faith so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Biblically we should be rejoicing in our trials and fleeing from temptation. Not the other way around.

William Tyndale gave his life so that we could have a Bible of our own. But having one and never reading it is no different than not having one at all.

Love,
Jill

Working Together

1Corinthians 12: 12-14,18

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many…God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Good morning Zebras,

Lately I have been struck with the interdependence we have as believers. Just as sin entered the world through one man, havoc and discord can enter the body of believers the same way. One person, who does not watch their “life and doctrine” closely, including their tongue, can cause a lot of problems.

On the other hand salvation also came to the world through one man and one man or woman totally committed to God can bring a the presence of God into any situation

All of us understand the allegory of the body that all parts need to work for us to be healthy and happy. We can function without one eye or one hand or one foot, but we cannot function as well. And we cannot function at all if the heart decides not to work.

And we all have been in work situations where one person, or two or even three do not “pull their weight.” For whatever reason they just don’t do what they are supposed to do and everyone suffers.
So it is with the body of Christ.

If you do not make to time in your busy schedule to sit at the feet of Jesus everyone around you suffers.

Too often we think of the work we need to do for the body is the tasks we need to accomplish, the bulletins we have to fold or the classes we have to teach, but the real work begins before that. It begins with your relationship with Christ and with prayer.

I am a better person after I spend time with Jesus. And so are you. And we are both more in tune with what God is asking us to do.

Love,
Jill

You Have Worth

Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday I watched Chariots of Fire. It is a movie I have watched before and I thought it was about Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner who, in 1920, refused to run on Sunday. But after reading a book about him and then watching the movie again, I would say that it isn’t really about Eric at all. It is about why you run.

The movie has two main characters, Eric and Harold Abrahams. Eric is a missionary’s son from Scotland who knows God has made him fast and uses it for His glory. Harold is an insecure Jewish man who feels left out of the English power world and uses his running to “beat them one by one.”

Eric runs from strength, Harold runs from need.

In one scene Harold is sharing with a friend his fears about the upcoming Olympic race. He says he feels like he has 10 seconds to prove his life has worth. How sad!

Now I know this is Hollywood and that conversation probably never happened but the idea still makes me sad. In fact I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it.

We can never have worth outside of our relationship with God and our life will never have any meaning if He is not the center of it. It doesn’t matter how much you do or how hard you work, or what you accomplish, worth, like love cannot be earned.

God gave us worth when He created us. It is not something we have to strive for. It is something we have. But too many women don’t see that. They think they are worthless, or at least worth less than they are so they run and strive and wear themselves out proving that they have value.

Ladies you have value-God made you. But unless you slow down long enough for God to tell you that Himself you are never going to believe it.

Love,
Jill

You Are Loved

1John 4:19-20

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

Good morning Zebras,

I love you and God loves you, but not in that order.

I was praying about what to write this morning when I got a call from a precious Zebra sister. When I told her how much she meant to me she started to cry.

“Jill,” she said, “if you really knew me you wouldn’t think so highly of me.” And then she proceeded to share with me the reasons that she is not worthy of my admiration.

It broke my heart. But what made me even sadder is realizing that too many women feel this way.

Isn’t it funny that when someone we don’t know tells us they love us we think, “You can’t love me you don’t even know me.” Yet when someone we know tells us they love us we think “You wouldn’t love me if you really knew me”

Both are the wrong way to think about love.

As humans we think of love as something that can be gained and therefore lost, but that isn’t God’s view of love. God loves us because He IS love. It isn’t about us at all, it is all about Him.

I love this lady because she is my sister in Christ. A precious woman who loves the Lord and desires to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Not because of what she does. And that is why I can love Zebras I have never met. I do not love you because I know you; I love you because of God.

Have a wonderful weekend little Zebras, knowing you are loved far more than you realize not because you are a “good girl” but because you are “God’s girl.”

Love,
Jill

Goodness vs Grace

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Good morning Zebras,

This month our “herd” (what we call Zebras) is pondering on the grace of God. The herd meeting is Saturday, so yesterday Women’s Ministry sent out a reminder which included the following questions to help people focus on what God would have them share. How have you seen God's grace in your life? Where is God currently showing you His grace? How can you show God's grace to others?

I have to be honest when the e-mail came in I was in a BAD mood. I had been arguing with my husband and the last thing I was focused on was the grace of God.

But reading the e-mail changed all that. I started thinking about the grace God had shown me in the hospital. The surgery went well, I had a private room, my nurse was named “Joy” and the device they used to keep my leg immobilized felt like my dog was sleeping on my feet.

Laying there in the hospital I felt the loving hand of God and began to praise Him for being good but He stopped me.

“What have you learned?” He asked.

“That You are good not because of what You do but because of who You are. And even if everything had gone wrong You would still be good.”

“Right, so this is not proof of my goodness, but an example of my grace.”

Some people might say that I am splitting hairs that “goodness” and “grace” are the same thing, but they’re not. They are always listed as separate attributes.

I could explain to you the theological explanation but I think it would be WAY more fun if you figured it out for yourself.

Love,
Jill

God's Greatest Gift

Psalm 139:5-6

You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday morning I was reflecting upon my hospital stay and praying about what to write to you. When I called Janet to tell her that I was “back on the job”, I found out she had already posted a z-mail for the day. Since I was having trouble organizing my thoughts anyway, I took that as a sign from God and took one more day off.

This morning I got up and read what Janet had posted and I had to laugh, it was perfect.

Learning to “be still” is something that has changed my life.

Over the past year God has taught me that He is holy, sovereign and powerful, that He is far greater than I ever imagined Him to be and far more capable.

Not only is He worthy of my worship and admiration, He is also worthy of my obedience.

He has taught me that obedience is a privilege not a chore. He doesn’t need my feeble efforts on His behalf but He desires them and then uses them in ways far greater than I could ever imagine.

He has taught me that it is better to follow Him and seem stupid than follow the wisdom of the world and be stupid.

He has taught me that He is always with me-ALWAYS!

He has taught me that eternity is real and that this world is not my home.

And He has taught me that He loves me.

Knowing that God has “enclosed me behind and before” used to make me a little nervous. It did not offer me the comfort it did David. I did not want anyone, including God, telling me what to do. But that is because I didn’t know God.

My Bible lists the theme of Psalm 139 as: God is all-seeing, all-powerful, and everywhere present. God knows us, God is with us, and His greatest gift is to allow us to know Him.

And I couldn’t agree more.

Love,
Jill

Discouraged?

2 Corinthians 10:5b

…we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday morning I woke up discouraged. No BIG reason, just a lot of little things that needed to get done adding up to too much to do in one day. You know the feeling-done before you even get started.

When I sat down to do my quiet time my Bible opened to Matthew 28 and my eyes fell upon the heading Jesus Appears to the Women. Since I am a woman I was curious about what Jesus had said to them.

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

What struck me about this passage was Jesus’ attention to their feelings. The women were happy Jesus had risen but they were also afraid. So Jesus personally came to reassure them. That is so cool! And He does the same thing for us through His Word.

God knows we are emotional creatures. He made us this way. I was feeling discouraged and it felt wrong. But feelings aren’t sin they are just feelings that need to be dealt with. So I did a word search on “discouraged” to see what the Bible had to say.

What I found was very encouraging. God told His people numerous times in the Old Testament not to be afraid or discouraged because He knew they would be both.

All of us get discouraged; all of us want to throw in the towel. That’s why God gave us verses like these:

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

1 Chronicles 28:20
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

And even though I didn’t write to you yesterday, it wasn’t because I was discouraged, it was because I got distracted. But that is a whole other z-mail!

Love,
Jill

The Matrix

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil

Good morning Zebras,

Last week I watched The Matrix. It is not a Christian film and it’s rated “R” so I’m not recommending you watch it, but there was one scene I can’t get out of my mind.

The film depicts a future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality created by machines to pacify and subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source.

Obviously the entire movie is far-fetched. Human beings are not batteries for intelligent machines that have taken over the world. But what was interesting to me was how the machines kept the humans from seeing reality.

They kept the humans so focused on the false world that they were creating that they never noticed they were actually asleep in a pod being used as batteries.

I think Satan uses a similar trick with us. He keeps us so focused on the world and the things of the world that we forget what our main purpose is, which is to glorify God.

Nice cars, nice houses, good jobs and a good education are all great things but they are not why God saved us. God saved us for one reason, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.

But we keep getting distracted.

The scene that I keep thinking about happens right at the end of the movie. “Neo” the hero, finally “gets it”. He finally understands that the world he “is in” doesn’t really exist. It’s just a bunch of computer codes creating a reality simulation. And because of that he can live differently. The computer can no longer fool him because his eyes can see the truth.

It is difficult not to get caught up in the “things” of this world. Not just the worries and the problems, but the blessings as well. It’s where we live; it is what is all around us. But in a way it isn’t what is real. At least it is not what is eternal.

Love,
Jill