By pastorbillwalden
The following is an excerpt from a sermon given by Pastor Ray Stedman, Penninsula Bible Church, December 12, 1965. Ray is now with Jesus. The entire sermon can be read here.
Ray Stedman
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But the helmet (of salvation) is designed for the head, for the intelligence, the mind. If we follow through consistently in our application of these pieces, we will discover that this is something Christ is doing in us, and through us, in the world. This helmet can keep our thinking straight and preserve us from mental confusion and darkness. Stop a minute here. I would like to ask you this: As you look at the world in which we are living, is there anything more desperately needed than this? Is there anything which could possibly be more relevant to the situation in which we find ourselves than this factor which will keep us thinking straight? Was there ever a time when men were more frankly bewildered than they are in our day, or when statesmen were more openly confused and honestly admitting it? The intelligentsia confess being utterly baffled in dealing with the problems with which human society is confronted.
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By pastorbillwalden
I just finished reading “Lord Foulgrin’s Letters”, written by Randy Alcorn. It is a fictional book, describing the unseen spiritual warfare that the Bible tells us about.
The book focuses on letter writing between a senior and a junior demon, and tells of the senior demon’s counsel to his subordinate about how to destroy a particular man. Every other chapter focuses on the demonic letters from the senior demon to the junior demon. The alternating chapters give a chronological account of the man’s life, and the interaction between the demon’s efforts against the man, and the work of God in seeking to help the man.
I highly recommend this book. It is one of those books that rings true about what I have believed for a long time, and known, but don’t effectively remember often enough. It puts into words vividly that which I know in my heart.
Buy it here.
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I am realizing that I believe in the unseen world much more than the seen world. This world makes no sense to me except by the explanation of Holy Scripture. My citizenship is in Heaven. I am a pilgrim.
I will not pour myself into things that will pass away. I will enjoy life and the blessings that God has given me, but I will pour myself into things that will last eternally.
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I thank God that he will receive me unto Himself, whether via the rapture or by death.
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I believe in the truths of God now more than ever.
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I am in the middle of an unseen spiritual war. I am more sure of the presence of Satan than ever before. I am also more sure of the power of God.
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Prayer is indispensable. I am blessed to pray with men each Tuesday night. I believe that God will do great things because we are asking for His will to be done. Prayer is becoming the air in my lungs and the constant thought of my mind. I pray more than ever, because I must, and because it is powerful to change things.
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I am at the same time, amazed but not surprised about people who turn away from Christ. I did it myself for 6 years, but I still can’t believe why I did it, or why anyone would do it, and yet I am not surprised, even though I am shocked.
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I grieve over those who live without Jesus. One of the Wesley brothers (John or Charles) was quotes as saying to his congregation, “How can I not cry for you, when you will not cry for yourselves”.
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I don’t like when people assume things about me because I am a Christian and a pastor. I don’t hate gays. I am not a hard core Republican Conservative, nor a liberal Democrat. I am not blindly pro-Israel. I don’t expect to change the culture, but I pray that Jesus will change people and use me in the process. I am not in favor of making prayer in school mandatory. I am a Calvary Chapel pastor, but I don’t like being pigeon holed as being a blind follower of Chuck Smith and all things Calvary Chapel. I am a Christian, and seek to follow Jesus, not a movement.
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I cannot accomplish everything I dream of. It is hard to know how to spend my time. I will die with many dreams undone, but that is O.K. My life is His to spend, not mine to keep. Therefore, I will pray about how to spend my life, for my life is His.
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I have recently realized that many of my dreams and hopes have come to pass regarding ministry efforts. That leads me to believe that God was the inspiration of those dreams, which brings a wonderful peace and gratitude to my heart.
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Ministry that costs little accomplishes little. (not original with me, but I don’t remember who said it)
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Like everyone else, I want to be understood and accepted.
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Faith waits…
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1 Timothy 1:12-14 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
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The above painting is done by my friend Rich Brimer. It is entitled “Mary Painted”.
Rich’s work can be found at http://richbrimer.com/
