Hello Friends,

It's been a while, over a year since I last wrote.  It's been a rough year fighting depression, anxiety and Spiritual Warfare.  The website lwf.org defines Spiritual Warfare as "the inward and outward battle we face against the enemies of God... Once we become Christians, a battle begins between the spirit (our internal spirit) and the flesh (the inward sinful nature we are born with). In this battle, we must utilize the Holy Spirit within us to help us fight."  This means Satan attacks us, but we also have our sinful nature we must overcome.  To fight this battle, Paul tells us to put on the armor of God.  Ephesians 6:10-17 (NASB) says: 

^"10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against ^[a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; ^16 [b]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

I do not wish to go into details on what specifically led to my Spiritual battle, however I will say it had to do with different interpretations of the Scriptures.  This past year I have been spending more time digging into God's Word to better understand the viewpoints different theologians have.  You may say, in a sense, I was updating my armor.  Tightening my belt of Truth, and breastplate of Righteousness.  Sharpening my sword and gaining strength to hold my shield of Faith in a better position to protect myself.  I put on new shoes on my feet as I grow in my desire to spread the Gospel of Peace.  Over the past month I have finally begun to feel more of God's Peace than I have during this whole 11 months.

Spiritual battle is a real thing, and the devil knows God's word.  Satan is skilled at twisting scripture to try to trick us into sin.  Remember Adam and Eve?  God said they could eat from ANY tree EXCEPT ONE.  Satan starts by asking Eve if God really said NOT to eat from ANY tree in the garden?  Of course, Eve corrects him, but Satan has her attention.  He convinces her to eat the forbidden fruit.  When Jesus was being tempted Satan in the desert, he misapplies the scriptures to try to tempt Jesus to sin.  Jesus recites scripture right back to him to fight back.  It still happens today, causing confusion and misunderstanding of scripture.  Remember the scripture that says money is the root of all evil?  IT'S NOT THERE... scripture actually says it's the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil.

Spiritual Warfare can be exhausting.  But we must remember we are not fighting alone; we have the Holy Spirit fighting with us.  Not only that, but the Holy Spirit also intercedes for us (Romans 8:26).  We need to stay in the Word, keep sharpening our Sword, keep praying, and keep Worshiping God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Remember too, Jesus says for those weak and heavy laden to come to Him, and He will give rest.  We aren't fighting alone, it is a battle for sure, but we can endure.  This is one reason we go to church, to encourage and build each other up.  To pray for one another, intercede for one another, and help each other stand strong.

So, to all who are fighting in a Spiritual battle, read your Bible, Pray to God, and Worship Him.  Keep your armor on, do not take it off, even for a second.  Cling to your Faith, do not let go.  Gather with other Christians, do not give up.   

I feel I am in a better place now, and I am really hoping to get back to updating this blog regularly.  I still struggle with depression, and the last year has been hard, but I've missed writing you.  Please let me know if you have topics, you want me to try to write about, I don't promise to have the right answers, but I will do my best to encourage and uplift you.  If you have accepted the Free Gift of Grace Jesus offers, then we are brothers and sisters in Christ and we are in this together.

I am a follower of Christ, I am not perfect, but I love Jesus.

Until Next Time,

Liz Allen