Do Not Yield

The life of each believer strengthens and encourage other believers to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations. --Acts 14:22

That word tribulation is the word thlipsis in the Greek.  It means pressure (literally or figuratively): -afflicted, (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.  We all go through pressure in life.  When we do we gain our strength and encouragement from one another to not give up our faith but to continue understanding that this to will pass.  Everything we experience in this life is only temporary.  The paradisiacal life we have in Christ Jesus is eternal.  So, hold on to what you have (your faith in Christ) and do not give up or yield.  

The Armor of God

What should a believer in Christ Jesus fight evil with?  The following verses are from the King James Version (KJV) of the bible, read the passage Ephesians 6:10-20 for the full context:

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 

Your fight is not with people but with evil spirits working through those people.  The fight is spiritual not physical.  Your armor is spiritual not physical.  You are to put on the full armor of God, which is, according to Ephesians 6:14-17 (New Living Translation):

• truth
• righteousness
• the peace that comes from the gospel
• faith
• salvation
• the word of God (bible) 

For the believer, these are your armor and weapon.  Also, we are commanded to pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In addition, we are to stay alert and be persistent in our prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Knocking on my Door After Hours

At 7:38pm, just a few minutes ago, the maintenance man came knocking on my apartment door.  I asked him, who is it?  He said, maintenance.  I asked him, what do you want?  He said, you called for maintenance?  I said, no I did not.  He said, okay.  

I do not know what that was all about.  But, it is after office hours.  I found his visit strange.  He is the same maintenance man that used his key to enter my apartment unannounced on 11-13-2012.  I do not trust this guy.

An Angry Spanish Caller

Today at 4:46pm, someone with this phone number (630-456-4232) called my cell phone.  It was a female speaking Spanish and she sounded angry.  Her number did not show up in the display window of my phone but it did show up in the view received calls screen.  I wonder if this has anything to do with the maintenance man who tried to come into my apartment on 11-13-12.

A Man Tried to Come Into My Apartment

At 1:07pm today, the maintenance man who works at my apartment complex used his key to enter my apartment without knocking and without my permission.  I did not place any orders with the management office for repairs or work of any kind.  There was no notice to residents of work needing to be done in this entrance.  When I asked him what was he doing here, he claimed that he had the wrong apartment.  I called the management office downstairs to report it and I tried to report it to the local police but the officer was asking me for my name and birth date which I did not feel comfortable to give him and he had an attitude with me in his tone of voice pointing his finger in my face.

Half The Sky

Half the Sky is a film based on a book written by New York Times Journalist Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn.  It is a film about the unheard of stories of women and girls who are oppressed based wholly on their gender.  It is a film that offers hope for women and girls around the world from China to Africa, women of all cultures, nationalities, and ages.  I myself have been oppressed so this story touches me to the depths of my heart and soul.  Read the book, see the film, help bring awareness to the subject, have discussions about it, and get involved.  It aired last night and will air tonight at 8 pm central standard time.  Here is the link and thank you!

For the film: Half the Sky
For the book: Half the Sky

JUST A SIDE NOTE:  My sister did a search into our family tree and our distant ancestors are from Sierra Leone which is one of the places where the film was shot.

When You Feel Like Giving Up

When you feel like giving up, when it feels like an impossible situation, think about this.

1 Corinthians 10:13
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. --NLT

You can endure because God himself will not allow anything in your life that is too hard for you.  So don't give up.  Don't quit.  God will give you a way out so you can continue.  You might need to take a walk.  You could have a heart to heart talk with a trustworthy friend or family member.  Your life is worth living and there is a purpose for all that you go through.  Things always look better the next day.  Try to surround yourself with positive and reaffirming things to occupy your mind.  Do not meditate on the negative or on things which deplete hope.