As many of you may know (or maybe not, if you’re not a fan), there is another Star Wars movie coming out next week. Ok, now since in NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM DOES THIN WITHIN ENDORSE STAR WARS, then…. what in the galaxy, far, far away does this have to do with eating 0-5?
Well, a while back, my pastor did a sermon series about putting on the full armor of God. He entitled it “Spirit Wars”.
My pastor is a huge Star Wars fan and so with this movie coming out, he used the analogy of Star Wars to how we are in a spiritual battle. This led us thru putting on the whole armor of God.
I had heard many sermons and read a lot of blogs, book and articles about this subject. However, I had NEVER heard it quite this way before!
Being a Star Wars fan myself, I was intrigued.
So, in case you are not familiar with it, here is the passage from Ephesians 6 that we are referring to here:
14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One.17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.
Here’s the armor in (Star Wars) summary:
(ok…so yes, I added the shield. And…ok, these guys were bad guys if you know anything about the Star Wars movies….but work with me here. We’ll pretend that this one is a strong believer in Christ!)
Now, I could write on and on about this whole armor but we don’t want me to write several blog posts here in one! So, I want to focus on my favorite sermon from my pastor’s sermon series and that is the Sword of the Spirit.
Of all the pieces of the armor, did you notice that the Sword was the only thing that is an offensive weapon?
Take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
Ephesians 6:17
When my pastor preached the sermon about this aspect of Ephesians 6, he asked some of the children to dress up to illustrate how the characters used the light-saber to battle one another.
If you know anything about Star Wars, you know that the main weapon of choice is the light-saber.
The “bad guys” have red light-sabers
and the “good guys” have white. This illustrates how evil is always ready to battle us with weapons of deceit and lies.
If the good guys just stand there and never take out their light-sabers, they will surely be cut down by the bad guys!
In the picture you see the good guys don’t have their light-sabers in hand, but what you don’t see is they have them on a table right beside them. When our pastor said the word, the good guys grabbed their sabers and began to fight (and of course the good guys won!)
We have the Sword of the Spirit (our white light-sabers) available to use at any time.
Our “Sword” could be reading God’s word each morning, quoting memorized scripture or using “Truth Cards” (which are index cards or a note card app on your phone with scriptures written on them for quick reference).
So, what are we battling?
What are the “bad guys” or the “Dark Side”? It is the evil of this world. The evil within…. those lies… of defeat, dieting, poor body image, feeling like a failure.
Yes, this is the “Dark Side”! We are pulled by its deceptiveness and what we think might be power or beauty or strength or _______________(insert your temptation here).
12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12
So, let’s think about this.
If I am feeling defeated or ugly or unworthy, I am listening to the lies of the “Dark Side” and not drawing on the power of God’s truth. I am not drawing on the strength that His Word can give. I am not using my sword! I am just like a good guy who is standing there allowing the bad guy to cut me down.
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!God has given me HIS strength and power. He has given me His word to use.
So, let’s use this mighty weapon God has given us!
Meditate on the word. Use your scripture truth cards. Pray the word and speak the word. WIELD THE SWORD! Use your light-saber!
What about you? Have You picked up Your light-saber? Your Sword? What do you need to change to be in the Word more often?
Use your weapon! Cut down the enemy with the TRUTH.
I am the Music and Movement teacher for my church’s preschool and I love it! Believe it or not, these little children teach ME lessons almost every day! I learn the art of forgiving quickly, finding wonder and excitement in little things, seeing beauty in the simplest of things and so much more. But, I also learn things that I don’t want to do. I learn lessons about myself. I learn lessons about God.
One of the most recent lessons that God showed me through my preschoolers is one of boundaries. I am currently taking the Holiday Victory class that meets just during the month of December. We are learning about keeping our boundaries of 0-5 as a way of living for the rest of our lives. BUT these boundaries are good and pleasant.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:6
God gives me boundaries and rules in my life to keep me and others safe as well as to keep our lives running more smoothly.
Boundaries are everywhere! We have rules and guidelines in life, at work, on the ball field, at home, and in the classroom, just to name a few.
As a Music Teacher, I have rules in my classes too. They are not difficult rules, I mean we are talking preschool here.
Despite how young my students are, they learn that they are responsible for their own behavior while in my class. Basically, it’s your choice if you want to play or not. (as in…..play an instrument, play our music game, dance etc.) If you follow the rules, you get to play and have a great time. If you don’t, then you have to sit out and be bored. It all boils down to this: IF YOU DON’T OBEY, YOU DON’T GET TO PLAY. That’s it. Easy.
Now, let’s think about this. Isn’t that the way it is with us and God?
If I follow God’s boundaries for me, then I get to “play and have fun”. I get to eat anything I desire as long as it’s in the parameters of hunger and satisfaction. I don’t have to diet. I don’t have to obsess about my weight or my size. Yet, sometimes I feel like my preschoolers! When I see one of my kids throw a fit because she just plain ol’ doesn’t want to follow the rules, God reminds me that I do the same thing! (ouch! Really?)
I have even had children throw a fit because I won’t let them play with the fire extinguisher! (true story!) They don’t understand that my rules are there to keep them safe. (Hmmmm…..does that sound a little bit like why God has boundaries for us?)
Recently, I had a child who got angry simply because she just wasn’t getting her own way. We were getting ready to play bells with the song “Jingle Bells”. This is a favorite thing for all of my classes every year. Well, I had a child that just did NOT want to play bells. No problem, I don’t force a child to play an instrument if they don’t want to. It’s all good, right? Well, not today for my little friend Lillian (name changed). She got angry because she wanted to play something else. So she sat and missed out while all the other children had a wonderful time! They were dancing, singing, laughing and playing their bells! Poor Lillian didn’t even realize that she was missing out on all the fun! She was too caught up in the fact that she was not getting her own way.
Oh, is this just like me!!! How many times have I wanted to do things my own way? How many times have I not wanted to eat within my boundaries and either I did what I want anyway or sulked because I couldn’t have my own way? And so there I would be “sitting by the wall, sulking” when God has so much more for me to experience!
Thankfully, Lillian decided on her own that she indeed did want a bell (I had placed one by her side in case she changed her mind) and so joined in on the fun!
And God whispers to my heart….
Oh Dear One! How it is with you. I have so many wonderful things planned for you. So much more than this life can ever offer but you have to follow me to experience it. You cannot see nor understand what I have planned, but if you simply trust Me, I will take you there!
You see, just like I have rules and boundaries in my class to keep my kids safe, God has boundaries for us for our benefit. I am learning that these boundaries for us, this 0-5 eating are for our GOOD. It is for us to be at peace with our bodies. It is for freedom!
I am faced with a choice. Do I want to follow God’s boundaries and enjoy this beautiful life He has given me, or do I want to sit and sulk by the wall? Do I REALLY want to miss out on all the fun?? My answer is NO WAY!!! I want to be like little Lillian with her bells, jumping, laughing and dancing away to the music. I want to be FULLY ALIVE in Jesus and all that He has for me!Abundant Life….in Him and in the safe protection of His wonderful boundaries!
What about you? Do you think the boundaries of 0-5 are for your good? Do you have trouble staying in your boundaries? Do you find yourself “sulking by the wall”?
Let’s all follow God’s boundaries so we can “play and have fun” this Christmas without any guilt!
When I calm down and take time to pray, I am reminded that it’s ok. God is ok with me throwing my tantrum because I am coming to Him. I am expressing my emotions and not stuffing them. I am not turning to food for comfort. I am talking to Him, even if it might be yelling at times.
It is then, in the quietness of my soul, the Lord gently reminds me that HE came to give me more. He came to give me life. He came as a baby in a dirty cow stall to give me peace. And hope. And joy. And completion in Him.
I am reminded how God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary when she was just a teenager to tell her that she was going to have a baby.
Not just any baby, mind you, but the SON OF GOD! Yes….not only that but she had not even been with a man. Oh and more….she was engaged to a man who could accuse her of having an adulterous affair. A stonable offence in that time.
I’m sure she thought that it was an impossible situation. She could have given a lot of excuses when Gabriel came to her why she wasn’t worthy. I’m sure she may have thought of some reasons why she was unable to have this baby. I’m sure she thought it was going to be hard. I’m sure she was scared.
In Luke’s gospel it states that she was “confused and disturbed” (Luke 1:29 NLT) or she was “thoroughly shaken” (MSG) when Gabriel came to her. What was the angel’s response to her? Did he say “you should not be disturbed”? or “Woe to you for being confused”?
No. Read his response:
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!”
Luke 1:30
And God reminds me in a whisper to my heart. “Don’t be afraid as you follow my boundaries for you through this difficult time of year, for you have found favor with God, my daughter!”
Just as the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary and told her how God would transform her life by bringing Jesus through her, God whispers to us that He will transform our lives as we also follow Him.
Mary was willing to step out in faith and follow God through what must have been one of the most difficult times in her life. She faced ridicule, shame and possible stoning. Yet she said to Gabriel
“I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said”
Luke 1:38
Mary was facing an impossible situation. Although it may seem like eating 0-5 is trivial compared to what Mary went through, our heart’s response is just as critical as hers. Our situation is just as important to the Lord as Mary’s was back then. And our impossible situations are POSSIBLE through HIM.
“Nothing is impossible with God.”(Luke 1:37) This is what the angel told Mary.
So it is with us. Whatever challenges you might be facing this Christmas, remember that God is right there with You to give you the strength and guidance you need.
That little baby born long ago came so we can be FREE today! He came so we can have life abundant in Him.
Jesus calls us forth to follow Him in everything we do. Let’s GO!
“Let us run our race marked out for us as we keep our eyes on Jesus”
Hebrews 12:1-2
How about you? Are you ready to follow Jesus with your eating? Are you willing to trust that God is with you and will help you in this?
rules in my classes too. They are not difficult rules, I mean we are talking preschool here.
Not just any baby, mind you, but the SON OF GOD! Yes….not only that but she had not even been with a man. Oh and more….she was engaged to a man who could accuse her of having an adulterous affair. A stonable offence in that time.
