Every day, every moment in a Christian’s life is soaked in spiritual warfare. Whether we’re aware of it or not. I know I struggle with stuff all the time with the attitude that it’s just sort of generic “struggling”; often, I don’t consider the spiritual fight-what’s really taking place. These battles are usually launched by yet another encounter with my sin nature, and they typically begin with a self-demeaning thought.
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Luke 6:32 (NCV) If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them.

Love, ah… it’s easy for us to love each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s easy to love members of your family, of your church, and it’s easy to love friends. But how about the hard-to-love?

What about the person that has wronged you? The person who has talked bad about you, spread gossip, rumors? The person that did you wrong in a business deal, at school or at a social function? How about that person you truly despise? We all have them, don’t we? Or am I the only one? ; ) Read the rest of this entry

When someone does something wrong, my reaction to their actions is tempered by the way they either admit or deny the deed. When they will not admit what they have done wrong, I am angrier than when they own up to it.

Psalm 86:5 (LB) O Lord, you are so good and kind, so ready to forgive, so full of mercy for all who ask your aid.

Numbers 14:20 (NRSV) Then the Lord said, “I do forgive, just as you have asked.”

Once when I was a child we were without electricity for five days due to severe thunderstorms in our area. Fortunately we had a gas-powered generator. Of course the cable was out, but we had a set of rabbit ears. My friend from down the street and myself had been playing with this antenna, in spite of my dad’s insistence that we leave it in the closet. Sure enough, with the power and cable out, he needed that antenna to get the local news and weather reports. Guess what? When he went to find it, it was nowhere to be found. Read the rest of this entry