February 03, 2010
Date: February 3, 2010
Published by Practical Spiritual Warfare web site, a division of Mission Miami Valley, 718 Stratford Dr., Sidney, Ohio 45365 and authored by Dr. D. Vincent (Bud) Ford, president. This e-zine is dedicated to providing valuable, practical information for dealing with the chaotic and confusing times in which we live.
Practical Spiritual Warfare Web Site Dr. D. Vincent (Bud) Ford End Times Preparation Web Site
Contents
1. Strategic Advice for the Remnant –Strategies to Win Spiritual Battles - “Principals of Spiritual Warfare”
2. Tips for Kingdom Living – Compromise
3. Scripture Guidance & Inspiration
4. Thoughts to meditate on – God's Unique Plan
5. Articles Pointing to the End Times
6. Site Build It - Follow your passion! Check out the links below. http://buildit.sitesell.com/
7. Announcements -
1. Principles of Spiritual Warfare
There are some basic principles of this spiritual warfare in which we are all, like it or not, engaged. We need to grasp these four basic principles of warfare.
First, the battles of life, whether spiritual, emotional, mental, financial, or relational, are all manifestations of a direct or an indirect spiritual cause. Satan and his demons work diligently to keep us from knowing this and from even knowing that they actually exist. If we are ignorant of the demonic and their deeds, or don’t know they exist, we think we and/or other people are to blame for our problems. We are totally unaware of the spiritual battle raging around us.
Second, we are called to intelligent combat in this war. We must learn everything we can about spiritual warfare. We must keep an open mind about spiritual battles and not see demons around every corner, but know the demonic does exist and impact both directly and indirectly.
When it comes to indirect impact of demonic we must know that it is what is going in the spiritual warfare may have nothing directly to do with us, but it is the greater spiritual battles that we receive residue from. Seeing demons behind every bush is just as bad as not acknowledging the existents of the demonic. The evils in this world are caused in the spiritual realm; we have tried to correct it with education, legislation, law enforcement and just hard work, but it cannot be corrected by natural means.
Third, we must know there are only two sides, God’s side and Satan’s side. There IS NO NUTRAL SIDE! Not to choose a side IS TO CHOOSE Satan’s side. It is God’s Word that appeals to people to move from the evil kingdom of self and Satan to God’s kingdom.
A fourth principle involves the understanding of what it takes to be on God’s kingdom side. We must understand Repentance and confession of sin. We need to know that God justifies us and makes us right with Him, that He Sanctifies us and forgives us over and over and draws us to Him as He makes us more and more holy like He is holy. Knowing this keep the enemy from accusing us and trying to convince us we are unworthy of God and His kingdom.
2. Tips for Kingdom Living – Compromise
How do we live in today’s culture without compromising our convictions?
We must stand up for what is right and true, but in a respectful way. Sometimes we are respected for our beliefs and other times we are not, but stand we must. Daniel 1:8-16.
A little sin is just as bad as a lot of sin. Sin is sin, and sin is wrong. Ex. 34:12; 2 John 1: 9-11.
Are there relationships, partnerships, and/or alliances that can quickly lead us to compromise?
Partnership in business or in marriage is teaming up with another to act as one. God warns against a partnership in which one loves God and the other doesn’t, for how can two different belief systems act as one? 2 Cor. 6:14-15; 2 Chron. 18:1; Ezra 4:1-2; Rom. 12:2
2. Scripture Guidance & Inspiration
But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus- the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.
Acts 20:24
The Living Bible
______________________________
We picture death as coming to destroy; let us rather picture Christ as coming to save. We think of death as ending; let us rather think of life as beginning, and that more abundantly. We think of losing; let us think of gaining. We think of parting, let us think of meeting. We think of going away; let us think of arriving. And as the voice of death whispers "You must go from earth," let us hear the voice of Christ saying, "You are but coming to Me!"
Norman Macleod
_______________________________
D. Vincent (Bud) Ford
2. Thoughts for Meditation - GOD’S UNIQUE PLAN – Genesis 2:23-24 NIV
The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman,'
for she was taken out of man."
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Up until the sixth day of creatoin, God had spoken everything into existence. When He was ready to crown His creation, He took a hands-on approach. From the dust of the earth, he molded a man in His own image (Genesis 2:7), carefully and tenderly shaping the man, Adam, into the most beautiful of all His creation to that point. With all the vastness of His imagination and creative genius, God Almighty shaped a man, then breathed into him the breath of life - completing a process that He and only He can do. Rising up from the ground to stand on his perfectly formed legs, the man, Adam, was the perfect reflection of the character and personality of our Triune God. But Adam was alone. God brought each of the creatures to Adam, telling him to name them. And he did. But not one was a suitable companion for him. In that magnificent garden filled with animals and plants and birds, Adam was alone. He might not have been lonely, because he had never had a companion, so how would he know what loneliness was? In fact, it was God Himself who pointed out Adam’s aloneness…
God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18) Once again taking the caring, hands-on approach, God caused Adam to go to sleep, and He took one of his ribs and formed woman. But He took more than just a rib. He took all those qualities from Adam that make woman what she is… qualities that are a part of the perfect reflection of God's image… qualities that, when melded together with Adam's male qualities through marriage, caused the two of them, together to become, once again, a perfect reflection of the image – the character and the personality - of God.
We need to clarify a couple of things here, because this is where far too many people have gotten off track where their thinking about God is concerned. First, God is not a man. God is not a woman, either. And second, God does not have a body. God is Spirit. (John 4:24) But He has within His great being both the male and the female qualities - temperament, personality, character - that make up man and woman. It is these qualities that He put into man and woman to make them the most special part of His creation. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27 NIV)
Before we go any farther, let's clarify one more thing - "helper" (or “helpmeet,” as it’s translated in the King James Version) does not mean subordinate. It does not mean slave. It does not mean "Mrs. Step-n-Fetch It". It does not mean "life-support system for a baby factory who can cook". And it also does not mean "boss" or "superior". In fact, everywhere else in scripture that the Hebrew word for "helper" (ezer) is used (Exodus 18:4; Deuteronomy 33:7, 26, 29; Psalm 33:20, to name a few), it refers to God Himself when He is acting as a rescuer of His people. Eve was made for Adam as a companion, a helper, a partner in Eden, to rule over the earth with him, hand-in-hand and side by side, to rescue Adam when he needed help, and to glorify God together with Adam in the perfect partnership of monogamous – one man and one woman - marriage.
Whether you are single or married, take some time today to praise God for the uniqueness of marriage, and how that relationship can glorify Him. Not all people will marry, but those who do can be greatly blessed through their relationship with their spouse, second only to their relationship with Jesus.
No matter what your status right now, praise God for His creation of marriage through which one man and one woman can become a perfect reflection of the personality and character of God - a status that can be attained in no other way. Praise Him for His unique plan!
Dogwood Ministries
5. Articles Pointing to the End Times Watch
[Note: The number following End Times Watch is the sequence number for the End Times article and is inserted to assist the reader in locating the article as well as assisting the search engines.]
End Times Watch 103 - The Obama administration took the unusual step Saturday night, Jan. 30, of leaking word to major US media that the United States, Saudi Arabia and Gulf allies - the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain - have accelerated the deployment of new defenses against possible Iranian missile attacks. They are preparing for Iran, or its surrogate Hizballah, to hit back for a possible US or strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities.
debkafile's US military sources confirm that Washington plans to treble the 10,000-strong US troop contingent, already present in Saudi Arabia for guarding its oil fields and port facilities against medium or short-range Iranian missile attack, or sabotage by Hizballah marine units trained for their mission by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps.
End Times Watch 104 - Pentagon expands Patriot missile program across Middle East after Tehran repeatedly spurns hand of diplomacy.
The Obama administration is intensifying pressure on Iran by increasing its missile defenses in the Middle East to defend against potential missile strikes in the region by Tehran, it emerged today.
The US military has boosted the capability of land-based Patriot defensive missiles in several Arab nations in the Gulf, and one official told the Associated Press the navy was also increasing the presence of ships capable of knocking out hostile missiles in flight.
End Times Watch 105 - . Invading Bekaa Valley would strike ‘Real blow’ to Hizbullah
BEIRUT: The Israeli state must take into account Syria’s role in supporting Hizbullah in any future war with the Lebanese group, an Israeli security analyst said on Friday. Renewed hostilities could also see Israel launch a ground invasion of the Bekaa to cut Syrian supply routes to the Shiite group, Jonathan Spyer, senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center, wrote in the Jerusalem Post. Hizbullah officials contacted by The Daily Star declined to comment on the story.
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7. Announcements
Ø The theme of www.PracticalSpiritualWarfare.com centers around practical, everyday ways to deal with the battle of living in this current season and preparing for the end times the world is getting ready to enter.
Ø We all need to become the person God designed us to be. Those who have thought they “had it all together” are finding they have just scratched the surface. You need to discover God’s destiny for your life, the reason you were born. There is help for you on this journey – I will soon be a Nationally Certified Life Coach and you can web mail for more information.
Ø Thank you for all your comments about this e-zine, The REMNANT, they are an encouragement to me. If you have any questions or comments, I encourage you to send a web mail.