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June-August 2023 |
June-August 2023
Keep our focus on God, Eyes set toward Eternity, to be Kingdom minded through
the mind of Christ.
“For the word of God
is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart.” (Heb.
4:12)
Dear Partners and Prayer Warriors,
We hope you have all have had a great summer, but we are so glad to be headed
toward autumn and the cooler temperatures! This has been a red hot summer in
action and atmosphere. I have a theory that says if it is this warm, what is
going on in the heavenlies? Is the
warfare so intense we are feeling the pressure here on earth? It is just a
thought!
I remember the day when the Lord showed me the story of Mary and Martha outside
of their brother Lazarus. We know these people were real life humans and their
stories are real. But, the Lord showed me a different perspective that only
included the two sisters. You can find the story in Luke 10:38-41. Martha had
invited Jesus to her home and was busy about getting things prepared and her
sister Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and taking in all that He had to
say. This conflict reveals a dichotomy within Martha (our soul that gets
the work of The Kingdom done) and Mary (our spirit who sits at the feet
of Jesus.)
It has been a year and a half, plus a little bit since we have said goodbye to
people we love dearly still. We lost 6 people within three months and it has
taken a while to get past the loss; especially the loss of our daughter.
Grieving has changed in form but still comes just the same. This morning the
Holy Spirit brought to my attention that there is a conflict within me
concerning my Mary, who wants to be in heaven with Jesus, our daughter and our
grandchildren and my Martha who wants to continue to do Kingdom work here. I am
caught between two realms; heaven and earth.
What my spirit wants and what my soul wants and the conflict between the
two is real! The scripture above is talking about just that! I never, ever
thought about their being a conflict between soul and spirit and of joints and
marrow like this (internally) OR that the enemy would try to use this as a way
to divide and conquer me and keep me distracted. Praise God the scripture goes
on to say that He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
As it turns out, we have the same battle raging in our world right now! Our
hearts cry out to God for change and relief. We long to see His miracles and to
feel His presence like times past. To know that He hears us! We want the
pressure and agony to be over and so we look to the eastern sky in hope for His
coming and we meet Him in the clouds. Our
soul, on the other hand, wants to do something about the here and now, but what?
It is the same conflict between spirit and soul, heaven and earth and it rages
within us. What can we do?
I believe in first things first, that we ask God show us the battle within
ourselves and ask Him to soothe the conflict between our heart and our soul.
He alone is the answer and He has
our solutions. He is the discerner of our thoughts and heart.
Secondly, we activate our faith. When we
don’t know what to do or we think we have done all that we can do; then we
activate our faith and we stand on His unfailing Word. Remind Him of His
promises and stand on them in faith! “A
man’s heart plans his way, But the
Lord
directs his steps.” (Prov. 16:9). I am counting on that!
Psalms 77:19 says this: “Your
way was in the sea, Your path
in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not
known.” My prayer is that He place my steps in His footprints that went before
me, before I knew there was even one! To show me what is next and do not let me
be deceived. Trusting and believing in Him is the only option and His Word, the
only Truth in which to stand on. It is time to stop paying attention to what
evil is doing all around us (the distraction) and get our eyes on The One who
will lead us on and soothe the conflict of our heart and soul, and show us what
to do about the world we live in today. There are too many voices vying for our
attention. STOP! Pick up the WORD!
When we put on the armor of God, who we are putting on is Jesus! He is
the helmet of salvation. He is the breastplate of righteousness. He is the belt
of Truth. He is our shield that extinguishes every fiery dart. He is the sword
of the Spirit – the Word of God who became flesh. He is the Prince of Peace and
as His body our feet are shod for the readiness of the peace of the Gospel.
JESUS IS THE ARMOR!
Jesus is also the hiding place and the secret place mentioned in the 91st
Psalm. We are so completely covered and protected by Him that it does not matter
what is happening in this world. God has us and He will tell us what to do and
when to do it! We are only passing through this season of time.
Until then, ask Him about the conflict
between your heart and your soul. For me it is simply wanting to be with Him in
heaven and staying to do the work of the Kingdom here. I am asking Him to show
me how to do both and to soothe the conflict within me.
I encourage you to do the same. I am
staying in the Word because
His Word is written in two places;
ironically, those two places are my soul and my heart.
The holidays are coming quickly and so we pray blessings over you now and that
you enjoy your fellowship with friends and family.
Thank you for your love, prayers and support!
Blessings,
Doug & Lisa
Happy
Thanksgiving
LPE Ministries
6203 76th
St.
Lubbock, Texas
79424
Doug 806-790-4757
Lisa 806-790-4756
LPE Ministries is a 501(c) 3 Charitable Organization.
All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
