Posts tagged christianity

A Call To Rise

September 20, 2026 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am writing in the wee hours on a Sunday morning. Maybe you are in the middle of a sleepless night and have stumbled across this post of mine. It is no accident that you are here!

I am a writer and photographer, but not much of an artist. The other morning, I felt like I was supposed to draw a person getting up from their knees, with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. I will not be sharing my feeble attempt, but it will remain in my journal with my notes about it. The words “Rise up!” came to me first, then I put down my pen and journal and read my Bible readings for the day. In Isaiah 21:5, it says, “Arise, you princes, anoint the shield.”. The Jewish Study Bible says, “Get going, princes! Oil the shields!”.

In the armor of God, the shield is representative of faith. In the Biblical days, many shields were made of leather stretched over wooden frames. To anoint, or oil them, meant to care for them in a way that would keep them pliable and strong, able to repel the arrows of the enemy. The surrounding verses call for the “princes” to quit feasting and become watchmen, and to prepare for battle. Once a battle is upon you, there is no time to prepare your shield, it has to be done in advance. If it is dry and cracked, it is not of much value or protection in the battle. How do we “oil” our faith? The main way is by reading the Word of God, the Bible. Just as you wouldn’t successfully run a marathon or compete in a triathlon without training, you would not fare well in war without the properly prepared weapons. Since the enemy, according to the Bible, comes to kill and destroy us, wouldn’t we be wise to heed Isaiah’s words and leave our comfort zones, our feasting on worldly pleasures and indulgences, to instead be alert to the things the Bible warns us about and prepare our faith to withstand the enemy that is coming, indeed has always been here and is sneaking up on those who are not paying attention or spending time getting their weapons ready?

Our weapons are not just to protect ourselves, either. They are to help and protect the helpless, and our fellow soldiers as well. The watchmen on the city walls would sound the alarm and warn others of an impending attack. I am doing that for you right now. Having read this, you cannot say that you haven’t been warned.

Lord Jesus, help us all be prepared. Wake up those who are trapped in all that the world has to offer. Strengthen us for the battle ahead and build our faith through your Word. Don’t let us be deceived and useless in the battle which is raging, please. Help us protect the helpless and innocent by standing between them and the enemy by prayer and with the Sword, the Word of God. Amen.

Isaiah 21:5&6

They set the table, light the lamps, eat and drink – “Get going, princes! Oil the shields!” For this is what Adonai said to me:
“Go, post a watchman to report what he sees!”

Ephesians 6:10-17

The Full Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

John 10:10

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.

Leave a comment »

Caring for the Lost

October 24, 2025 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I recently started a new job, and it has been quite a challenge spiritually. My new coworkers swear often, and one blasphemes the Lord’s name many times a day. The two of them talk right behind my desk in graphic detail about horrific things; serial killers and the evil deeds they’ve done to others, including children. The other day, during a slow time, one played that kind of content loudly on her computer as well. Although it is beyond distasteful, unprofessional, and disturbing evil, God has given me peace, as if I have a God “bubble” around me. He protects my thoughts and my sleep as I stay in His Word daily and pray lots!

This morning, a couple of verses jumped out at me from II Timothy, Psalms, Philippians, and Romans.

II Timothy 2:24-26 NKJV And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,  and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

The verses comforted and encouraged me. I have a job to do at my workplace alright, but not what they think it is! Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation? You have the Lord on your side, be encouraged today!

Psalm 118:6 NKJV   The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?

Romans 8:31 NKJV What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 18:1&2 NKJV I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Leave a comment »

A Reason For Rescue

May 24, 2024 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy spring!

Springtime reminds me of something God/Holy Spirit told me years ago. I’ll start with a little background; one summer I was out for a walk in my neighborhood. Across the street was a double cul-de-sac which had not been developed yet, only the road and a bit of landscaping had been done thus far. To my dismay, as I rounded the corner, I saw that one of the two young trees in half of the figure eight created by the road had apparently been hit by a car and was laying on the ground. I love plants, so this was a very sad sight to me. The tree had reached about 20 feet tall at that point, but was still fairly slender, and I mistakenly thought that maybe I could lift it back up. I couldn’t even budge it at all! The root ball was completely out of the ground and I couldn’t move any part of the trunk even an inch. I was very sad, and in the next few days on my walks, I watched the leaves start to wither in the late summer heat as the tree lay there, parched and burning on the asphalt. More than once as I passed by it, I asked God to please pick the tree up.

To my astonishment and delight, after about two weeks, I rounded that corner only to find the tree upright again!!! There was no indication of human intervention, and the ground and gravel around its base was as undisturbed as if the accident had never happened. In my mind, I could vividly see God’s hand reaching down and gently lifting the tree and smoothing out the ground after placing the roots carefully back in place. As evidence of the accident, the leaves were still withered and one of the main branches was broken and dangling, held only by strips of bark and splinters of the heart of the branch. As a gardener, I knew there was no chance for that branch to make it, so I twisted and pulled on it to break it free from the main trunk and lay it on the ground next to the tree.

It soon turned to fall, then winter, and finally spring again, and I had forgotten all about what had happened until I was out for a walk again and came upon the tree. I remembered what had happened and was both surprised and thrilled to see the leaves unfolding from their buds. As I expressed my surprise to myself, the Holy Spirit/God said, “I don’t pick things up to let them die.”

That statement has stuck with me all these years, and every time I pass that tree on my walks, I am amazed by God. No one will ever convince me that it was anything less than the hand of God that lifted that tree and took such care to erase almost all traces of the accident. A large, sturdy branch grew in place of the broken off branch, but if you look closely, you can see the scar on the trunk where the first branch had once grown.

I feel such deep application of this truth to my own life, and maybe you will too. Many of us have deep scars and have fallen and felt like we were going to wither and die. When God sent Jesus to reach out and lift us up from our despair and apparent death, His intention when we believe in Him is that we flourish and grow. He even uses our scars to bring new life, and to be a testimony to others who feel like they are withering under the heat of life, or from the damage they have received in this fallen world. I believe that the Word of God, the Bible, supports the sentence He spoke to me back then:

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

II Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Romans 6:4

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

John 10:28

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 15:16

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Psalm 113:6-8

Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes, with the princes of His people.

Be encouraged by the Word; He has new life for you, and for those you share your journey with!

(The tree, spring 2024)

Leave a comment »