Christians are in a constant spiritual warfare. Just as the Israelites fought against Amalek, as told in Exodus 14, we too are in a battle against evil. This was the theme of Fran’s Retreat yesterday.
Twelve of us gathered at Fran’s house for breakfast, lunch, a video by Kaye Arthur, Bible study and reflection, and a time of sharing. And, we came away refreshed and armed with the determination to go to God and His Word as our defense against evil.
We are a “Me” generation. We seem to have put our wants, our needs, and our goals above the Word of God. Many times, we judge whether something is right or wrong on the basis of what we feel is important, not on the timeless words of the Lord.
In Ephesians 6:12, God tells us where our battle lies. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The remedy? To study Scripture, know what it says, and obey.
As we went to our quiet time yesterday, Fran played a beautiful song, “Ancient Words“. If you’d like to hear it, click on the link. I think it’s lovely.
Fran’s Flowers
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=blanche+day+manos
http://pen-l.com/Mystery.html
It sounds like you and your friends had a wonderful time together. It is refreshing to be with fellow believers. Times have certainly been changing in this world. I always think how God gave his earthly family such dignity by allowing us to make our own decisions. Once we remove Him from our life however, we can never find true happiness. (lovely flowers too!)
Thanks for writing, Sharon. You are absolutely right; once we remove God from our lives, we no longer have much to count on.
Blanche, my IA friends (who left yesterday) and I enjoyed reading this post the day after our retreat. You summed it all up beautifully and the Scripture you included meant a lot to Pam!
After looking at your book,The Cemetery Club, she read us the first sentence and said; “Blanche is a good writer! She hooks you with the first sentence!”
I thought you’d enjoy knowing that!
It was also fun for them to see the pictures you included of my Spring flowers, to see how they’d grown!
Blessings on your day!
Thank you, Fran. And thank you for letting me take those pictures. Tell Pam I appreciate her comment. Being at your house is always a joy as is meeting your friends and visiting with everyone. You are a blessing.