What the He$% is happening? Raising Warriors

After weeks like this in America, a common question that gets asked over & over again is “How does this level of evil exist in our world?!” We wonder how ANYONE could viscously & senselessly take the lives of innocent people…innocent children! It’s almost just too hard to conceive. Until, you whip out the Word of God. Where evil like this is described, explained, and predicted. The Bible…that book we have become desensitized to & that has lost its value to the majority of people in this country. Where answers are written in black, white, and red. Where there are answers that explain the “How?” and where it does makes sense. Where, we have to admit that evil does exist. But, not in the form that our minds and hearts can’t understand. But, in a way that God explains and teaches us how to fight it (and ALWAYS defeat). An evil that is fueled by the spiritual world that we try to ignore. It sounds scary BUT, is a power of darkness that can be defeated really more scary than crazy freakshows running around blowing random people up? No, its not all rainbows and butterflies. However, it is REAL…evil is real – no matter which way you look at it. Ignoring it does NOTHING. It’s the old cliché – Knowledge is Power. And, thank God, there is a POWER that is all things good and cannot be defeated. In Ephesians 6:12, it explains that evil (real evil – not stupid, careless choices people make) is more than just bad people “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.” Okaaaay…so what does this really mean. It means there is BAD & GOOD. That the fight that we are so used to fighting, is not against human (flesh & blood) but, against the dark & spiritual forces – or the BAD. All of these crazies running around, are not zombies that have ingested too many GMO’s :P. They are those influenced by the evil that lurks trying to kill, steal, and destroy in any way it can (John 10:10). The very force that is kicking & screaming to make things horrible for those that God created for good. What?? Yes, there is a GOOD part. Let’s get to that. We gotta WAKE UPPPPPPPP. There is a God! He is alive and living in people that allow HIM in. And, when we do, we learn that not only do we win in the end but, we can fight and win along the way! Everything we need to fight is written and makes so much sense. Our kiddos are growing up in a world that is getting scarier and scarier. If we don’t know how to fight and we don’t teach them how to fight – where will they be? Victims of random evil acts? NOT MY KIDS – NO WAY! There is nothing more important than teaching your kids The Word. Not only does it breathe life and give them everything they need to live life – it arms them with a fight that will always protect them & lead them into victory. This doesn’t mean life won’t bring trouble or hard things. John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” It does mean, that with God, there is ALWAYS victory. How do you fight? Ephesians 6:10-17 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes…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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Still, what does this mean?? It means we stop standing around with stupid, little nerf guns saying “Oh gosh, I wish evil would stop wrecking on this country. Or, man I sure wish my finances weren’t getting ROBBED because of the “economy” or I hope and pray my daughter gets cured from an “uncurable” disease…please, oh please… NO! We start saying HELL NO, pick up the artillery that GOD gave us and start kicking some BUTT. A couple months ago, my hubby and I went on a “date” to the shooting range. Please don’t let this get into a debate about guns – I HEART Bambi and I never, ever want to see a human being hurt by a gun. But, my husband is into shooting at the range and I wanted to experience what the fuss was all about. It was when our daughter was really, really sick and ANY break sounded appealing. Although I was really scared at first, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. In an extremely stressful time of life, it was something that completely took our mind off of all the pain in our life. For those moments that you are shooting a loaded gun, there is NOTHING you can focus on besides firing that weapon properly. The instruction is so important – as using it incorrectly could cause death. The power of the kickback after you pull the trigger has to meet a simultaneous force to keep your body from being thrown back. And, then boom – the bullet hits the target. Were guns scary to me before this? Yah! After, no…cuz knowledge brought power. I think my hubby married me all over again when I asked if next time we could bring the shotgun! J This is it, this is just like The Word. Sure, all of this is a little scary at first. But, then we get knowledge & it turns into POWER. When we turn all of our focus to the weapon (the Word) and take our mind off the pain, we pull a trigger that is simultaneously met with a force that NOTHING can wrecken with. And, once you get a taste of that power, you want to move onto the shotgun and give the devil one big, fat kick in the booty! Not allowing him to steal anymore, kill anymore, or destroy anymore. We’ve taught our boys since they were little to put on the full armor. That by putting on The belt of truth- They learn all of God’s promises: That by Christ’s stripes we are ALL saved & healed (Isaiah 53:5) That God has only GOOD things for us – NEVER bad (Jeremiah 29:11) That He always leads his children into victory & triumph (1 Corinthians 15:57) That He will never leave us alone (Deuteronomy 31:6) The breastplate of righteousness- Obeying the Word and us Their feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace- Knowing how to fight ahead of time…so that they KNOW it is a fight they can win through Christ The shield of faith- Believing in Christ and everything he says to be true – this is it! This captures it all. The helmet of salvation- Accepting Jesus as their savior & allowing Him to rule over their lives And, The Sword of the Spirit- The Word – the Bible. Where there is scripture to EVERYTHING. Obviously, spiritual warfare has to be made age appropriate. But, we are doing are kids such a disservice to think this is too much for them. And then turn around and let them play games & watch movies that are so inappropriate and pointless. Seriously, how many brain cells have been sucked from our kid’s brains by shooting a sling shot at ugly looking birds that are angry. Okay, if you didn’t already think I’m crazy, you might now. But, I don’t care! Because if crazy is JOY, PEACE, ABUNDANCE, CONFIDENCE, & NO FEAR – then put me in a straight jacket! Just not an ugly one…I look terrible in green 😛 XOXO, Sarah