Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NKJV)

Several years ago our church appointed a new pastor. At the time God made it very clear to me that he was God's man. I think God did that on purpose because He knew that I would start working in my prophetic gifting, and I would need that message from Him to help guide my actions and, more importantly, my words.

See, I have a tendency to gossip. I don't mean it to be a gossip. I refer to it as venting or discussing or debating or educating, so I don't call it gossip, but that’s what it is.

I've been working on not gossiping and especially have been working very hard to respect this new pastor the way the Bible says I should, so it's very interesting when I see things going on that I disagree with now. If the pastor is doing something different than what I feel God would want him to do it, I have to prayerfully consider how I'm going to respond before I open my mouth.

And, of course, my pastor did something that I feel contradicts biblical principles. It was before I got serious about not gossiping, so I told him directly that I would oppose him (I am part of a denomination that lets members vote on the action the church takes). But when it came to opposing him, I didn’t know how to do it without gossiping, so I started talking to God about it, and that's when He reminded me of Ephesians 6:12.

If I responded in the American way, I would vote down the activity I didn't agree with. But isn't that really voting down the person behind the activity I don't like?* And wouldn't I be talking to others about my discontent, which would be gossiping?

God, however, has a completely different approach to how we are supposed to deal with conflict in the church. We are supposed to love our brothers, we are supposed to prefer others above ourselves, so when we come into conflict in the area of spiritual activities, such as things where I feel the pastor isn't recognizing the leading of the Holy Spirit the way I see it, then I am not supposed to wrestle against flesh and blood. I do not have the luxury of gossiping about what I disagree with. If I see something that I think is being done wrong I am to bring it to God and I am to wrestle in the spiritual realm only. This is God's way so I very much want it to be my way, too. I think I was more relieved than he was when I told him I would not oppose him, especially since we won a spiritual victory that day.

*There are times when God calls us to oppose leadership. Maybe, if I had known how to do it respectfully, God would have called me to do it here. This is why every action we take should be taken after prayer and hearing from God. Today's directions might not apply to the same situation tomorrow.

We throw around terms that are meant for God so loosely. Men and women are referred to as gods and goddesses. Amazing and awesome used to be reserved for God but now are common terms about something we enjoy. So when Christina Aguilera tells a singer that she worships her (2:59), or when they thank the 'universe' for bringing them good things (3:41 & 3:52), it isn't surprising that these statements went uncommented. And in part I'm to blame for this.

I remember the day I heard an interview about the song, With You I'm Born Again by Billy Preston and Cerita. I'm assuming it was Cerita talking, and she said that she was looking for her most transcendent experience to describe the sexual encounter in the song. She chose a transcendent experience alright, her conversion to Christ, and in that act gave God's glory to men. At the time there was no social media, no blogosphere, and I was probably very late in hearing the story, so I felt unable to even make a comment about this travesty. And how many other Christians joined me in my apathy? So when Christina Aguilera says she's worshiping a singer we probably would've thought the singer was a fool if she had is said, 'I'm sorry but the only one deserving of worship is God.' And we would probably have criticized her if she had left the show over it. I call myself a Christian and I'm trying to love God to the best of my ability, which means I should be hurt by what hurts God. I am hurt by this. And this time I'm in a position to say something about it. You may see it differently and that's between you and God, but if I don't say something, that's between me and God.

I am offended that we worship people. I am offended when women are called goddesses and men are called gods. I am offended by all the swearing in movies, on TV, on the Internet and in my office. And I am especially saddened every time these attitudes are found in me. I want God’s glory to be given to God, first by me, then by everyone else, because (according to the Bible) it is the only way our country will ever be great again.

I have always loved the traditions and Jewish roots of the Bible, so it has been with great pleasure that I have discovered the teachings of Messianic Judaism, Hebrew roots and other movements within Christianity. And just last week a group that I am part of started studying the feasts of the Lord and how these ancient rituals inform us of God's plans for the end times.

At the end of the first lesson, someone asked what we are supposed to do now that we know about the significance of the feasts. Are we now supposed to celebrate all of them? I have an answer that God has been growing in me over the past several years.

You see, I have watched my life change as I have embraced behaviors called for in the Old Testament. I started by telling God I will do what I can (I'm currently limited by health constraints), and I started by giving up pork.

Now I'm not a big fan of most pork products but I love sausage and I especially enjoy pizza with sausage and pepperoni, so there was some sacrifice involved with this, although not as much as if I had loved bacon and ham. Within a few weeks of giving up pork, even though it felt like I hadn't actually had to give up anything yet, God broke my addictive craving for ice cream. It just went away. The only reason I could see for this release was my yielding a portion of my eating to the biblical mandate. 

Then another huge diet change occurred. A little over a year ago God asked me to give up sugar for six months. I wasn't able to give up all sugar but I cut out everything I could that wasn't specifically tied to my health. I call it cutting out sweets, as I am still eating sugar, but I reduced my sugar intake by probably 50% at the outset. And I've been able to maintain that reduction in sweets and remove even more of the sugar from my diet. Happily, I've been maintaining this new diet for over a year and a half now. I have a ways to go but the ease with which I'm able to maintain at this level is truly miraculous. 

From this and other evidence I've come to an understanding that everything we yield to God, every Old Testament ordinance that we obey, is like opening a door in our lives that God can now work through.

So when my friend asked if we needed to obey all of the feasts, my answer was 'yes, to the best of our ability.'

I explained to him my new understanding and then I told him that it was like him making sure to take his wife out for Valentine's dinner. This couple acts like newly weds; they are obviously very in love. His wife very much wants to go out for Valentine's Day each year and he makes it happen because he loves her. God, when He gave us the feasts, was telling us what He really wanted and if we very much love Him then we will work hard to give Him what He very much wants, just like this man does for his wife. It was very sweet to see their reaction as they connected what God was saying with their own experiences and understanding.

I gave my life to Jesus when I was very young.
I don't remember specifics, but it has affected every aspect of my life,
And now I can't imagine my life without Him.
Just recently He helped me overcome two habits that I've struggled with for years and is helping me with a third. He's helping me to minister to others, when I feel like I have nothing to give. He's walking me through my health issues. And He's showing me new things all the time. It's hard to explain how much He means to me and how I depend on Him every day.

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Several years ago I wanted a simple way to share my faith. I thought there should be a template that any Christian could complete, kind of like an elevator speech for my faith. I worked on it a bit, then set it aside.

Now, maybe seven years later, God has dropped the template into my heart and in what felt like only a minute it was done. Its so simple it feels obvious. I pray that God will use it to give Christians a starting point for sharing the greatest blessing of our and anyone's lives - a personal relationship with God.

You are invited to complete and share this template, if it applies to you:

I gave my life to Jesus __________ (date or age)
when I realized __________________ (what motivated you to give your life to Christ).
My life has not been the same.
Right away I noticed _______________ (what changed/improved).
And now I can't imagine my life without Him.
Just recently He _______________ (what has He done for/in you lately).
Today I am thankful for ____________.