On Guard

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.
Be strong. And do everything with love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT)

When I read the above verses this week, the words, “on guard” caught my attention. I recognized the expression as a fencing term. With limited knowledge of the sport, I looked up the term’s meaning. “En garde” is French for “on guard” and alerts fencers to take their positions for the bout (match) is about to begin.

In the verses above, Paul gave urgent advice to the church at Corinth as he closed his letter to them. He had just offered instruction on matters of morality and theology—problem areas within the church. He concluded his letter with Chapter 16 informing these new Christians to be on guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous and strong, and to do everything with love.

I would imagine that the sport of fencing requires similar instructions. Fencers need to take their positions and be ready for the bout to begin. They need to stay alert, be aware of their opponent, take a firm stance, and have faith in their training. Courage and strength also sharpen their skills. I doubt they go after their opponent with love, but it’s a nice thought.

As I prepared for this blog post, God’s love for me moved me to tears. I am so fortunate to have His message available to me in written form to read whenever I choose. The Word of God is my lifeline during hard times and even when things are going well in my life. As I stay alert to His prompting, and aware of the enemy’s lies, I can reach out to others in love and confidence and allow God to use me. To have the Lord with me and leading me is a beautiful gift. I am so thankful.

I’m thankful, too, for Paul and his letter reminding us to be on guard—to stay alert and strong when those fencing bouts with the enemy occur. And to be aware of what’s happening around us including those in need of our love and kindness. We’re reminded to grow in our faith, courage, and strength. And do everything with love.

Thinking about fencing led me to my favorite movie—the 1995 BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. I pulled up the fencing scene. Although they did not use “on guard,” Mr. Darcy states after his bout, “I shall conquer this. I shall.” He wasn’t talking about fencing. He referred to a personal battle he was facing. We can conquer our battles during our fencing bouts with our sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Watching that tiny clip made it difficult to stop my DVD player to finish this blog post. Now that it’s posted, if you need me during the next five hours, you’ll find me in front of my television.

Blessings!

---

Photo by Eugene Lim - Unsplash

7 Reasons to Attend Church

A believer friend of mine doesn’t attend church. She told me she feels uncomfortable when she goes. She believes others in attendance look down on her. Our conversation caused me to ponder this question: why attend church? I’ve listed seven reasons that are important to me.

God Asks Us To

People in Old and New Testament times gathered together in temples to worship God. God’s Word calls us to do the same.

Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see
the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:25)

Worship God

We could stream our favorite preachers and worship services, but as we read above, the Lord wants us to come together to worship Him.

So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his
praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship the Lord.
(Psalm 102:21-22)

Hear God’s Word and Grow Our Faith

Paul gave instructions to Timothy. If Timothy was told to publicly preach, Paul expected people to hear. Through hearing the Word, our faith grows.

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,
to preaching and to teaching.
(1 Timothy 4:13)

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word about Christ.
(Romans 10:17)

Grow in Our Walk with the Lord

As we hear and apply God’s Word, we grow in righteousness. The more we grow, the better we prepare ourselves to serve others.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
(2 Timothy 3:16) 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up.
(Ephesians 4:11-12)

Use Our Gifts to Serve Others

Each of us is an important part of the body of Christ. God planned for us to come together to use our gifts to help one another. There is a satisfaction and fulfillment that comes when we serve others and use our spiritual gifts.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
(1 Corinthians 12:7, NLT)

Fellowship with Other Believers

Church offers us a community of fellow believers. We gather to not only worship together and serve one another but to encourage, pray, and love others. Even though we may not always agree with one another, we learn to work through our differences and bring glory to God.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
(Acts 2:42)

Teach Our Children to Love the Church

Growing up, my family did not attend church often. This is something my parents regretted when they grew older and accepted Christ into their lives. I am the only one of four children who attends church regularly.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when
they are old they will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)

What are your reasons to attend church? Please share below in the comment section.

Scripture is from the NIV unless noted.

---

Photo by Leah S. Terrell

Faith Conquers Fear

This past week my husband, Kenn, and I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for the Gideons International Convention. We met new friends, visited with old friends, partook of amazing worship, listened to powerful testimonies, and enjoyed God’s Word. During this inspirational time of worship, fear attacked. But faith conquers fear.

On Wednesday, I got stuck in an elevator after the housekeeper placed her arms inside to keep the doors from closing. She asked me a question and walked away. The doors remained open six inches which caused the alarm to sound. I punched the button on the panel to open the door—nothing. When I pressed the close button, still nothing. I tried the lobby and our floor’s button with no results. The doors wouldn’t budge when I stuck my arms in between them to pry them open. My heart rate intensified. After what seemed like hours (two minutes), the housekeeper returned and pried the doors open from the outside. After she forced them open, they closed on their own, and I was on my way to the lobby. Everything was fine.

Rarely do I remember dreams, but that night I had an eerie one. Kenn and I stood inside a store. I moved away from him and walked outdoors. The parking lot was dark and vacant except for two cars, and neither belonged to us. I turned to go back inside to find my husband, but the store was empty. Not only of people but of everything. The lights were bright inside, and the sliding doors were open six inches. But nothing remained in the store.

When I awoke, I determined everything wasn’t fine. Fear tried to take hold of me. I said out loud, “I will not give in to fear,” and I quoted 2 Timothy 1:7.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love
and of a sound mind (NKJV).

On Thursday night, fear again attacked my dreams. This time, someone knocked on my hotel room door. I opened the door to a woman and asked her in a panicked voice, “Where’s Kenn?”

Again, I repeated 2 Timothy 1:7. Every time I remembered either dream, I repeated this verse because Scripture wields power and builds our faith. I took fearful thoughts captive and overcame them with the Word of God.

Friday evening after a banquet, Kenn’s supervisor, Rodney, requested his help, and I returned to our room. Forty-five minutes later, I received a call from Rodney. “LuAnn. Kenn had an accident. The freight elevator doors smashed his hand. He passed out, and his hand is swollen, but he’s okay. You should come down here.” I grabbed my purse in case we’d need to make a trip to the hospital and took the elevator.

On my way, fear spoke. “He’s worse than what Rodney told you. Remember your dreams?”

I once again declared God’s Word and repeated, “I will not give in to fear.”

Kenn sat in a chair with beads of sweat on his forehead. His hand was under a plastic bag filled with ice. He looked up at me and said, “I’m okay. Don’t worry.” Two EMTs arrived a few minutes later with a gurney, took his vitals, and recommended he visit the emergency room for x-rays. They offered him a ride, but he chose to bypass the ambulance. We spent the next three hours at an ER in downtown Atlanta. We returned to the hotel around 3:00 a.m.

I’m grateful there were no broken bones and that the weird dreams stopped.

Fear comes from the enemy. Our faith in God combats it. When fear speaks, refuse to listen. Speak the Word of God, and keep your focus on Christ. Trust in Him and His Word.

For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you” (Isaiah 41:13 NLT).

Peace Came in the Morning

Not too long ago, I received disappointing news. Something I’d hoped for didn’t happen. The next morning, I awoke filled with anxiety. After I spent time in prayer and read my Bible, I prepared my breakfast. I thought one of my favorite songs might get me more excited about getting ready to go to work. When I called upon my Amazon Echo, I struggled to get the words out fast enough—forgot the name of the song.

My Echo thinks she knows me well. She said something like, “Since you listen to worship music, I’ll play the Amazon worship channel and Chris Tomlin.”

Sounded good to me. I like Chris. The song, “Good, Good Father” played. After Chris, another song played about trusting God. The two songs together spoke to my heart and spirit and brought peace to my morning and a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness.

My hope is found in the Lord. He meets my needs. I acknowledged how good my God truly is and renewed my choice to trust Him in my situation and with the decisions I needed to make.

When I put my faith and trust in the one who loves and watches over me, my anxiety diminishes, and peace moves in. Peace makes a better companion.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way” (GNB).