Spiritual warfare: The following passage reminds us that, in this world, no one PERSON is the cause of "the problem." People of a certain ethnicity or nationality are not the cause of "the problem." Political parties are not "the problem." Even the human heart, with all its wickedness, is not "the problem." Our struggle is NOT WITH FLESH AND BLOOD.

Christians have a horrifying enemy who seeks to do harm to the family of God at every turn of the road. Our weapons seem small: the armor of God and prayer of all sorts. But it is in these that our strength and power lies.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the strategies and deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Eph.6:10-18

Be strong in the Lord!!

The Board and Staff of Love INC

Dear Partners in Prayers,

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed - namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:19-24

The Staff and Board of Love in the Name Christ

Dear Partners in Prayers,

Matthew 1:18-25:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit.
And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly. But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]. All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet,
Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us.
Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife.
But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.

The Staff and Board of Love in the Name Christ

Dear Partners in Prayers,

"Give Thanks to God for He has Done Great and Wonderful Things"

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Staff and Board of Love in the Name Christ

Dear Partners in Prayers,

"Praise God for He is Good"

Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Psalm 150

The Staff and Board of Love in the Name Christ

Dear Partners in Prayer,

"God is Power"
"God is Faithful"

"Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest?when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end? then you say in your heart, ?My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.'

"And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."

Deuteronomy 8:11-18

The Staff and Board of Love in the Name of Christ

How can I know what God's will is for my life?   What do I need to do to be happy?  How can I teach my children/ grandchildren the ways of a good life and the ways of the Lord?   Which person should I marry?  Why do I continually have money problems?   How can I escape sexual temptation?

How can I get along better with my co-workers and my family?  Is there any way to get ahead in this life?  How can I control my anger better?  I have an addiction that not too many people know about; am I stuck with this for the rest of my life?  How do I make wiser decisions?  How can I make lasting friends?

 

We all have at least one of the above concerns in our lives.  We want to get rid of our problems, but we may be afraid to REALLY pray about them.  The problem with praying is that it opens the door for God to come in.  When He comes in, He may just ask us for whatever is our BEST, and we may not want to give that thing up. God has the ability to "mess everything up" if we let Him.  He just doesn't seem to leave us comfortably where we are.  So read the book of Proverbs this month - read prayerfully and wait for Him to speak change to your heart.

 

Love in His Name,

The Staff and Board of Love INC

 

After Jesus' baptism he was immediately sent out into the desert (the wilderness) for testing. So we are often sent out into a place of ?dryness' for a  time of testing after a time of joy in the Lord.

Often we think God has "left" us and we complain just as the children of Israel complained.  We may find that none of our usual encouragements are present.  We may even be in financial straits or have major health issues.  We may have numerous trials.  The children of Israel, by what they did not do, show us a better path.  Our Lord, through his temptation in the wilderness, shows a mature way.

Whatever our "wilderness" may be, we can be sure that our reliance on God Who carries us all the way through; will bring us the inner peace we need while we are wandering in the wilderness.  If you have called on the Name of Christ you have gone through at least one wilderness/desert experience.  No Christian is exempt.

 

As you go through the month's Bible verses, pray that God will show you how to apply these to your own desert experience.  There may be a gap between the receiving of a promise of God and its fulfillment in your life, however.  When we look at Scripture, we will see that this is often how God has worked in the past.  There are so many illustrations in the Scriptures to encourage us!  We will see that one must be in the wilderness in order to see the glory of the Lord. We will see that the wilderness is a place of safety, of testing, of proving, of NO EXCUSE, of remembering what He has done in our past, of the scapegoat carrying the burden of our sin, of the King in Glory coming, of God's provision.  As you study, see how God will speak into your wilderness.

 

Love in His Name,

The Staff and Board of Love INC