Hello to all of our friends and partners,
I have been thinking a lot recently about how vital it is for us all to be walking in the fullness of everything that Jesus paid for us to have. There was a time in Israel’s history that they were oppressed by the enemy making sure that there were no blacksmiths in all of Israel (1 Samuel 13). This meant that no swords or weapons could be made to defeat the enemy. I believe that one of the ways that the devil uses to keep us oppressed is to keep us away from the word of God.
Ephesians 6:16-17 ‘above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;’
The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Notice that is says “hearing and not “having heard”. Most of us can remember what we had for dinner last night but that memory is not bringing us any nourishment. I thank God that one of the first things that God put in my heart as a young Christian was that reading and meditating on Gods word was what nourished my spirit and fed my faith. If I don’t spend time in the word of God, I don’t feel guilty but I feel hungry. Jesus said, ”My words are sprit and are life” (John 6:63).
The Bible says that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2) and that our weapons, that are mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds, are deployed when we take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus (1 Cor 10:3-6). Meditating on the word of God creates an image on the inside of us of who we are in Christ and everything that Christ’s obedience that bought us. The Bible even says that our sword is the word of God. One thing that a person in the military must know is their weapon. They spend countless hours studying everything that can be known about their weapons so that they can use it at its maximum capacity.
Matthew 4:4 ‘But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
We now live in a world that says that the Bible is an outdated book that is irrelevant to today’s society but it is more than just a book full of knowledge but food and life to our spirit. With so many distractions in life (our phones, social media, tv etc etc) let us make sure that we make time for the one thing that breathes freshness and life into our world-Gods word.
Cristie and myself are off to minister at a conference in the USA in a couple of weeks and also have our national ICFM in the first week of July. Please keep us in your prayers as we working to have a youth camp in the September school holidays that will really equip young people to know who they are in Christ and empower them with the weapons necessary to succeed in life. If you feel that the Lord is stirring you to become a partner in this ministry then you can just click the link below. Thank you to all of our friends and partners that make this ministry possible.
We pray for you, speak Gods word over you and believe Gods best for you.
Much love and Blessings,
Peter & Cristie
