Armed with the Armor of God

      

 Armed with the Armor of God

            I hauled the helmet over my head, released my grasp on the chunk of metal and let it clash against my petite shoulders.  I continued to clothe myself with armor, snatching the handle of the fierce round shield and seizing the most important piece, the Bible.  My soul overflowed with strength gifted from above.  As I marched into my high school, others bombarded me with questions and shot down my beliefs. School life was a battle as the Jesus Freak on campus. 

Who I was in Christ was not a secret. The Lord allowed me to be bold and strong with my words and my actions. As a result, I was infamous for my love and faith in the Lord. Daily my school saw how I identified myself; not separated from Christ but one with Him. I wore a Jesus Freak bracelet, put Scripture up in my locker, and never backed down from a conversation that would prove the glory of God. These things made me extremely different. Nevertheless, because I was willing to be transformed instead of conform, the Lord used me in incomprehensible ways.

I recall many incidents when I was filled with the Holy Spirit. One event stands out in my mind. It was an overcrowded art room with three rectangular tables. Each held at least eighteen students. My teacher paced vigorously at the head of the tables.  Engrossed in the lecture I was unaware of the shuffling around me; a group of eight encircled my chair. This group previously persecuted, attacked, and questioned all that I believed. An in-class activity distracted the rest of the class from the assault.  I bowed my head, clasped my hands, and begged for the Lord’s strength and wisdom. When I opened my eyes to confront the challenge ahead, my teacher placed a Bible in my hands, and suddenly became blinded to the happenings in that corner. The other students began questioning me and, with Scripture to stand on, I defended my Lord. Eventually, the Holy Spirit broke through the barriers of their hearts. It was over an hour of exhausting ministry. As the conflict rolled to a resolution, I could see changed faces and hearts around me. 

The Lord blessed me with an overflowing peace during the battle.  However, when the group separated I shook, wept, and turned deathly pale. The story does not end there.  A majority received Christ as their Savior and regularly attended church while the others followed up with questions.

        Throughout my high school experience, the Lord used me in miraculous ways. He gave me the strength to fight armies, the wisdom to change hearts, and a passion that will never end. He continued to protect me with His armor. The Lord allowed me to see the fruit of my ministry.  Many of the students and faculty returned and told me of the new desires of their hearts, Jesus Christ.  

            Today, I am growing in my new environment at The Master’s College. I am surrounded by Christian people who are striving for the same goals. Classes, chapel, worship, and discipleship have already strengthened and changed me. I started as a warrior for Christ constantly in the fire; everything was about ministering to other people. Now I am the person being ministered to. The journey continues as Christ leads me to new schools and new environments where I am able to shout His Word and His purpose for all people from the rooftops. 

    Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 6: 11


All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved.
You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Shaken!

Acts 4:31 (New International Version)

 ³¹After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Wow! Shouldn't this be what it is like for all of us who receive the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives? We should have a deep desire to courageously go out and spread the good news, blessings, and message of Christ. We should want to do nothing but tell of the truths of God and the sacrifice and gift of His Son, Jesus. Accepting Jesus Christ into our lives should shake the core of who we are, our lives, and the place we are at in that moment. Our old lives and practices should be shaken off and our new holy righteous skin in Christ should come forth. The foundation of the world that we used to stand firm on should be cracked and useless to allow the new foundation of Christ, His Word, and His glory to be built and used as a solid rock for where we will stand. If you have accepted Christ into your life and your life looks the same as before you asked Christ into your life....examine your heart, ask yourself who are you truly living for...yourself or Christ?...read the Word of God, the Holy Bible and learn how Jesus wants you to live....pray every second of the day about anything and everything so you can build a unique and loving relationship with Christ....go to church consistently so you can learn more about His Word and fellowship with others who can encourage you and help you grow in Christ....if you have been living for yourself and for the ways of the world and want to live for Christ, tell Him, dedicate your life to live for and love Jesus. Jesus is waiting for you with open arms, so run to Him, and live in the joy, love, and unending goodness of the Lord.
May God Bless you all!!! 

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Holy Helping

It is a blessing to me that the Lord guides us and the Lord knows all. It is such a comfort and relief to know that I don't need to have everything under control, even if at times I want to. The Lord knows what was, is, and will come and we just need to be open to the opportunities, the challenges, and to learning more about the Lord. Every day is a chance to show our dedication to the Lord and to improve our upward growth. We get to learn of the power, greatness, holiness, and love of God. We get the privilege and honor to read the Words of God and to have His spirit within us to guide us and teach us. As Christ followers we can mature and develop in the Spirit and dive deeper into the wisdom of the Lord. How amazing is it that the Lord Almighty gave us not only the gift of eternal life by His side and cleansing from sin in His Son but that we also received the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us, and to grow us to be more like Him. His gift of the Holy Spirit grows us to be like Him and moves us towards Him as we start to mirror areas of His likeness. No one on this earth will ever be perfect but with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and Christian fellowship we can continue our journey, growing upward towards our kneeling seat at the heavenly feet of our gracious merciful and loving Savior. 

1 Corinthians 2: 

Wisdom From the Spirit

 ⁶We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹However, as it is written:
   "No eye has seen,
      no ear has heard,
   no mind has conceived
   what God has prepared for those who love him"^[b]— ¹⁰but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
      The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.^[c] 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
 ¹⁶"For who has known the mind of the Lord
      that he may instruct him?"^[d] But we have the mind of Christ.

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Armed with the Armor of God

      

 Armed with the Armor of God

            I hauled the helmet over my head, released my grasp on the chunk of metal and let it clash against my petite shoulders.  I continued to clothe myself with armor, snatching the handle of the fierce round shield and seizing the most important piece, the Bible.  My soul overflowed with strength gifted from above.  As I marched into my high school, others bombarded me with questions and shot down my beliefs. School life was a battle as the Jesus Freak on campus.

Who I was in Christ was not a secret. The Lord allowed me to be bold and strong with my words and my actions. As a result, I was infamous for my love and faith in the Lord. Daily my school saw how I identified myself; not separated from Christ but one with Him. I wore a Jesus Freak bracelet, put Scripture up in my locker, and never backed down from a conversation that would prove the glory of God. These things made me extremely different. Nevertheless, because I was willing to be transformed instead of conform, the Lord used me in incomprehensible ways.

I recall many incidents when I was filled with the Holy Spirit. One event stands out in my mind. It was an overcrowded art room with three rectangular tables. Each held at least eighteen students. My teacher paced vigorously at the head of the tables.  Engrossed in the lecture I was unaware of the shuffling around me; a group of eight encircled my chair. This group previously persecuted, attacked, and questioned all that I believed. An in-class activity distracted the rest of the class from the assault.  I bowed my head, clasped my hands, and begged for the Lord’s strength and wisdom. When I opened my eyes to confront the challenge ahead, my teacher placed a Bible in my hands, and suddenly became blinded to the happenings in that corner. The other students began questioning me and, with Scripture to stand on, I defended my Lord. Eventually, the Holy Spirit broke through the barriers of their hearts. It was over an hour of exhausting ministry. As the conflict rolled to a resolution, I could see changed faces and hearts around me.

The Lord blessed me with an overflowing peace during the battle.  However, when the group separated I shook, wept, and turned deathly pale. The story does not end there.  A majority received Christ as their Savior and regularly attended church while the others followed up with questions.

        Throughout my high school experience, the Lord used me in miraculous ways. He gave me the strength to fight armies, the wisdom to change hearts, and a passion that will never end. He continued to protect me with His armor. The Lord allowed me to see the fruit of my ministry.  Many of the students and faculty returned and told me of the new desires of their hearts, Jesus Christ. 

            Today, I am growing in my new environment at The Master’s College. I am surrounded by Christian people who are striving for the same goals. Classes, chapel, worship, and discipleship have already strengthened and changed me. I started as a warrior for Christ constantly in the fire; everything was about ministering to other people. Now I am the person being ministered to. The journey continues as Christ leads me to new schools and new environments where I am able to shout His Word and His purpose for all people from the rooftops.

    Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 6: 11


All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved.
You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.