Ephesians 6:13-17 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
2 Thessalonians 3:5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
God is patient and kind. He is long suffering wanting no one to perish but all to come to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. This is the gift of God that He so loved the world that He offered us the gift of redemption, through faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The strength of Holy Spirit is given to us to guide us into life everlasting. He guides us in handling the trials that we will go through in our life to the glory of God. We are never left without Him and His power to take the very things that were meant to destroy us and turn them for our good in the Body of Christ. The sword of Holy Spirit is the Word of God which is the very power of God made flesh. Carla
With the prayer may the Lord direct your hearts, Paul was indicating that the heart, the seat of a person’s will, is the place where spiritual renewal begins. There God plants His love and patience, traits that will produce a harvest of good works. Paul uses the word direct to indicate that God will clear away the obstacles that may stand in the way of their progress toward love and patience. Paul prays that the Thessalonians, when faced with persecution, will be able to show the same type of patience Jesus expressed when people rejected Him. The NKJV Study Bible
Direct your hearts is an expression from the Old Testament (Proverbs 23:19; 2 Chronicles 20:33). Paul asks God to guide the hearts of the Thessalonians—the center of desire and purpose. God displayed his love through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ. The patient endurance was displayed by Christ in His own suffering. His example helps believers endure persecution. Faithlife Study Bible
1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.
1 Chronicles 29:18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You.
Romans 15:5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
Revelation 13:10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints
Let’s begin here: when we are not grounded (when we are depleted, or feel at the mercy of, or we lose our way) we need replenishment. We need re-grounding.
The gardener in me gets this. It’s the dirt that really matters.
When we focus only on the “flowers”—(what will people say or think?)—what really matters (the dirt they grow in, or “what my life depends on”) gets lost, hidden, unseen. In other words, we don’t draw on it.
This I know: Soul nourishment and replenishment grows from the soil (the “dirt”) of grace... and affirmation and compassion. Yes, self-care. And to nourish and replenish my soul begins here: peace and gentleness to oneself. Care of every kind begins with self-care.
From that place, I can help “my listeners figure out those same things for themselves.” And in that connection, we gratefully honor that hope, renewal, rebuilding, kindness, forgiveness, reconciliation and human dignity still exist.
Peace comes so slow. I want to believe
there is in all of us a place
where hate won’t grow.
I want to feed that place in myself.
I want to listen to that place in you.
I want us to live into another possible world,
discover what else our lives can do.
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
(There’s a place in my brain where hate won’t grow.” Naomi Shihab Nye, ‘Jerusalem’) “SabbathMoments”
The Spirit of God moves within us to lead us. He does so with two tools: the verse and the voice. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 NIV).
The primary communication tool of the Holy Spirit is the Bible. He speaks to us through Scripture. His will is found in his Word. Scripture has an answer for any issue you face. The Bible is not only inspirational but also extremely practical. Go first to the verse.
Go next to the voice. The voice might be your inner sense, the “knowing” that results from Scripture interacting with the Spirit. The voice might be wise counsel, a dream, or a vision. The Spirit still speaks. Ask him to guide you. Seek his will. And then listen. Wait for a response. Max Lucado
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