Christianity is a TEAM sport!

Well leave it to God to have me pour out my heart and then reveal His truths (well some of them) to me :) Almost immediately after my friend blog I received a text from a pal I hadnt really talked to in awhile & it was just a simple bit of encouragement. Which reminded me of a saying that I love, "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." Her little text gave me such peace that night which led me to praying for her and her family.

The very next day in what would seem to be random, except I dont believe in random things cause God orchestrates everything, I ran into another gal I hadnt seen in a while we just began chatting and she just asked me to pray for her because she had been in a funk lately, not wanting to go to church even though she loved it but everytime she saw certain people she just felt discouraged. She really couldnt explain her feelings but I was able to share with her what God had been working on me in the last few months. That it isnt PEOPLE we wrestle with. That Ephesians 6:12 says 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. Even with ourselves, we are constantly in a spiritual war where we constantly have to fight against our own sin nature and others. Satan would love nothing more than to keep this lady from church and from other Christian women. I was INCREDIBLY excited to see her at church last Sunday! :)

I could write about EVERYTHING and EVERYONE God has put before me since I poured out everything on here, but I wont...I'll just say that I see what God needed to do in me.

I used to be a professed loner but had gotten too attached to needing people. It's sometimes easier to call up your best friend and vent or brag about what is going on in your life than to lift it up to God first. I had even began relying on my friends to share my feeling with over my own husband. My thought was, "Well they understand me better cause they are women and he is a man." And I know my gal pals can relate to my feelings better cause they're women too, but my husband should know me better than them. I need to share stuff with him so he can pray for me too and know what's going on in my lil woman universe.

Ephesians 6:12 has really helped me not to take things too personally. Also listening to John Piper talk about making war against your own sin. Yes people say and do things that hurt us, but we have to remember they are also in their own spiritual battle and instead of getting too angry with them, we have got to PRAY for them and the battle they're in. This has also taught me PATIENCE! Slowly and surely anyway ;P

Instead of making an immediate decision as to why certain things happen or don't happen I just have to lift up these things to God, pray for the other person, for myself and for the battle we are in. Satan has already been defeated so there is no need to allow him to sneak in and make me are anyone else stumble.

Bro David said something VERY profound Sunday night, "Christianity is a TEAM sport!"

We are not in this world alone! He has made us apart of ONE body, the body of Christ. HE has blessed us with brothers and sisters to sharpen us, to pray for us, to even be our hero when the time comes. Bro. David spoke about King David and how when he went to kill Goliath he had 5 stones, but he only needed to use one.

Later on descendants of Goliath came to kill David and David being a mighty warrior with 4 stones left could have taken them out! But God had a plan for 4 of David's friends to be his hero and kill these descendants for David instead. This probably strengthened their relationships.

So God began to remind me of some ladies who had been my heroes in the last few months. During the most HORRIBLE time of my pregnancy weeks 7-9 when I couldn't even get our of bed or leave the toilet God sent a sweet neighbor to watch my kids for me, my husband missed work and my niece gave up her personal time @ college to come & help me. Others checked in a lot and sent me texts reminding me they were praying for me. And I must say, it wasn't as bad this round as with my previous pregnancies.

One night I was at church feeling completely alone and down trying to put on a happy face at TeenMops when God would orchestrate this AMAZING lady who I had never met before to be my prayer partner. She was my hero that night! I was able to cry to her & felt completely free to just be open and she has been an incredible prayer warrior for me since and God keeps using her and her husband to encourage me at various times.

God also shown me how I have been able to be a hero to others as well. All the while I think I was fighting one battle, it was something else, and God was bringing new people in my life through various things and teaching me so much more about myself and His Word. And He is still teaching me which is how it should be :)

I am so grateful I am not alone in this battle! God is always there and He has blessed me with some amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. All I have to do is reach up to Him, reach out in prayer for others and keep my armor on when enemy tries to lie to me and make me stumble.