The Whispers of God

A strange thing has happened since the poison oak incident described in the first post of this series—“Poison Oak Oil.” I don’t develop as bad a rash as I did before that severe exposure. It appears I’ve built up immunities. However, I’m not so foolish I’d walk through a patch of poison oak bushes!

It’s the same with sin. As we practice doing right, we learn to recognize good from evil, and by using God’s defense plans we become strong in the areas that formerly drew us to sin. In this newfound strength, we need to be careful not to cause others to stumble—this reminds me of my friend Sharon . . .

Stumbling Blocks

Sharon was just a little girl when her family went on an outing where poison oak grew in abundance. Being mischevious, she decided to rub poison oak leaves all over her body in hope she’d break out in a rash and get to skip school. I can just picture her sitting next to her sister on the way home with a smug look on her face, thinking she was so clever.

Sharon got a big disappointment. She not only failed to produce a singe rash, but also watched helplessly while her sister swelled so badly she was taken to the hospital. My heart went out to my mischievous girlfriend because she felt so badly for causing her sister so much pain and, to make matters worse, she had to go to school anyway!

We need to be sensitive, in our newfound strength against sin, to others around us—not causing them to stumble—“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” (Rom. 14:13, NIV).We don’t want to cause anyone to trip and fall into sin.

Last Entry of “Poison Oak Oil” Series

Excerpt from “Learning to Hear the Whispes of God”

Part 10 continued from “Sword of the Spirit—The Word of God”

The warrior rarely communicated with those above him, because the lowly foot soldier was expected to keep silent and obey orders. Communication with his king couldn’t offer personal protection for a warrior because, although the battle was being waged between armies, each warrior fought one on one. If he won or lost his battle it was by his own strength. No form of communication with the king could offer assistance in the heat of battle. So, though the warrior considered messages from the commander important, he didn’t consider it part of his protective armor.

Our line of communication is so vastly powerful that it’s a main piece of our armor—prayer—not to a commanding officer, but to the King Himself. Our Lord not only directs us in battle, but also actually fights by our side, providing protection. When we fight against sin or wage a spiritual battle, we don’t win by our might, but by our King’s.

Jesus is not like the kings of this world, uninterested in the lowly foot soldier, expecting silent obedience. How often does Jesus want us to pray—“pray without ceasing.” To pray without ceasing does not mean we need to send up a constant babble to God. It means, rather, that we maintain a habit of including God in every area of our lives. Communication comes naturally when we realize we belong to a loving King who is by our side. Keep the seventh piece of armor—prayer without ceasing, in place and in motion.

Please see: “Building Immunities” —end of this series to be posted on 5/16/09

Excerpt from chapter 10 of “Learning to Hear the Whispers of God”

Part 10 continued from “Helmet of Salvation”

The warrior used his sword as a weapon to fight the enemy for himself and for the people he loved. Without his sword, the warrior would never enter a battle, since no other part of his armor could defeat an enemy as quickly and powerfully as his sword.

We use the Word much the same way as the warrior used his sword. With the Word we can quickly and powerfully destroy the works of Satan, protecting ourselves and others whom God calls us to defend. Without the Word—the sword of the Spirit—we would be just as fearful of battle as the worldly warrior without his sword. The Lord taught me more about spiritual battles through a snake lying in the road . . .

The Snake That Wouldn’t Die

Driving the station wagon out the driveway of our country road I spotted a rattlesnake in the middle of the lane. Although I dislike snakes, I don’t go out of my way trying to destroy them because I realize there is a purpose for them—to reduce the number of rodents in the world. However, this particular poisonous snake was too close to the area where my children like to play, so this mom determined to destroy it.

Moving forward slightly, one of my tires rolled directly over the snake’s belly. I immediately pictured a dead snake that could never poison my children. But when I backed up to survey the damages I watched a very angry snake shake his rattler fiercely as he slithered across the road, then he coiled himself up, ready to strike.

Determined to destroy my enemy, I drove toward the snake in an attempt to position the right tire squarely on top of the coil. This maneuver took several tries before I hit the target, then stopped the heavy car. Scooting over to the passenger’s seat, I saw the tire parked right on it! Then I slipped back into driving position, gripped the steering wheel, and rocked the tires back and forth untill certain of my enemy’s fate. (I know—Eww!] Backing up again, I watched in disbelief as the snake, still shaking his rattle fiercely, slithered down the hill.

I sat dumbfounded for a few seconds before speaking out in frustration, “There’s no way that snake could have lived through that!” And then I sensed the whispers of God teaching about “spiritual snakes.”

Just as I never intentionally go on snake hunts, believers don’t go on demon hunts either—thinking we could easily destroy all demons. But when we do face a demon, God has given us His power and authority to run them off, remove them from a territory,and destroy their potentially destructive works.

Just as snakes have a purpose, demons have purposes know by God and will not be destroyed until the appointed time. We don’t let them bother us, though. We can take up our powerful “swords of the Spirit” to destroy the work of demons and remove them from our territory. God, Himself, will destroy them at the appointed time. Take with you and use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b, NKJV)

Please see: “Prayer—Communication with the King” to be posted on 5/15/09

Excerpt from chapter 10 of “Learning to Hear the Whispers of God”