Ephesians 6

1-3 Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. "Honor your father and mother" is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, "so you will live well and have a long life." (The Message)

I have shared a lot of things on this blog regarding my past. You have read things about my Dad and unthinkable things that I have faced with him. Mental abuse, physical abuse and his alcoholism. One of the things I have really struggled with is sharing my testimony while honoring him at the same time. It's difficult for those of us that grew up in hell to honor our parents. But my Dad is not the same man that he used to be. He lives less than two miles down the road and comes over and eats with us about every other day. We don't watch a Maverick's game without him and he takes us out to dinner a lot. He knows things have been tough with Jeremy's back injury so he has given us money just about every week. He gives me money for the kids all the time, so I buy them lots of clothes. I recently got a speeding ticket and he paid for it. He works nearby and he knows I am feeling pretty puny these days so he calls a lot to ask me if he can bring me lunch. Today he called while I was sick and asked what sounded good to eat. I told him limes in club soda, celery and oranges. Within the hour, he was at my front door with all of those things in hand. This is not the man I grew up with. While he still struggles with negativity and anger, he adores me, adores Jeremy and worships my children. I need him in my life, so today I honor him.

10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.(The Message)

I absolutely love this translation in The Message. It makes it so personal. It helps me to realize how much God cares about me and how He has provided a way for me to beat the enemy! What a way to put it! It's not an athletic contest that we walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours! So true! We will always fight this fight but the amazing and satisfying thing is knowing that we can ALWAYS win. Today remind the devil of his future!

13-18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. (The Message)

Battles are lost because of our lack of preparation. Right here in God's Holy Word, we are told to be prepared because we cannot handle any of it on our own. Why is that so hard for us to understand? Ladies, this scripture passage tells us that we are doing the best thing to fight our battles! We are in the Word! This is why I knew the Lord was telling me to get women together by reading God's Word. His word is essential and daily we are reading it! I am proud of us. I love what it says about prayer and keeping each other's spirits up. Women are so good at this. We love to help each other out and be there for each other. The devil hates this about women but the more we serve each other, the more we can show one another the love of Jesus.