Wartime

We are at battle in the world.  We are called to war.  Now I'm not sure if you feel like you are battling most days but I do.  I feel like I'm battle flesh and blood (the battles that make me tired) and battling spiritually along with God in which He gives me strength for the battles and sometimes battling my own evil desires or willingness to give into temptations.  What weapons do we battle within our fights.
When I battle against flesh and blood; my biggest battle is anger.  Anger from feeling alone, abandoned, insecurity and lack of appreciation.  All of these are based on lies, pride or fear of man.  I can repent, be forgiven and God can take them away or strengthen me to overcome them but often I try to battle them on my own.  I think I can will try not to yell at my children, I can try to not feel abandon when my husband is busy, I can try to feed my need for connection with social media or texting, I can tell myself how good I am at something or ask if something I did was appreciated or done well but none of these things ever satisfy.  I need to dig deep and figure the root of these things so they can be uprooted and destroyed so the good roots have the soil, water and nourishment they need to bear good fruit.
I'm tired of battling against flesh and blood and the lies and temptation of Satan.  We need to rest in Christ and let him battle for us.  He just asks us to trust, and sometimes sing to confuse the enemy and win the battle.  So today I'm going to choose the battle with the Word of God and have a song in my heart and on my lips.  I'm choosing to stay out of war zones, even if I'm just on the line of battle and let the enemies fight among themselves... I'm going rest, maybe cry too but rest in the saving grace of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 31 Woman & The Beatitudes

I'm not sure how to begin but know I want this all to point to God.  God has been revealing so much to me lately and I know that it takes me a while to listen.  I know that it begins with a garden... It truly began in a garden.  We are created in the image of God and from the rib of man and as a help mate.  We are to be to be being filled by the Holy Spirit and conformed to the image of Christ.

Choice:  God chose to create...We need to choose.  We need to choose first to listen, repent, restore and seek for righteousness with a pure heart.

God does choose us then we need to choose to follow.  He has this calling on our lives that are to be fulfilled in the way He plans and in the way He guides and strengthens us.

Proverbs 31:16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.  

A woman sees good land.  Fertile ground.  I open my eyes and I see my past; all of my family and friends.  They are people that formed and influenced me.  They are pillars in my life; good and bad but part of my foundation for sure.  There is so much of this in my life lately.  I have been a part of birthdays, school year beginnings and endings, change of seasons, weddings, anniversaries, pregnancies, sicknesses, death and life in this past year.  We may be part of all of these things every year but do we really see and participate and cultivate truth and beauty into all these moments?  Do we plant vineyards in these places?

I see this both literally and figuratively.  I want to plant seeds of truth, beauty and goodness (C.S. Lewis)  

I attend many events in the church that I considered home as a child this year that made me see all these people in my life as ground or a garden that needs tending, loving, fertilizing, pruning, cultivating, watering, clipping, arranging and sometimes simply looked at, heard and appreciated for their beauty.

I want to expand on all of the above but in reference to the beatitudes...

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth...

Salt can add favor but it can also fertilize.  All living things need salt and we are called to be the salt of the Earth.  Am I bring out the good flavor in others?  Am I fertilizing the beauty and growth that God has created other people for?  

Lets start on our journey that God has created us for...