Prepare for Battle

"Preparation is only possible when it is not currently necessary."

In our battle with sin, preparation is the key.  If we are not prepared to face the enemy, the enemy will overwhelm and destroy us.

I found that the idea of two armies battling is a great example.  You don't begin learning to use a gun when you are out in the midst of the battle.  In the same way, preparation for our battle with sin is necessary before sin has drawn up in battle array against our souls.

So, preparation is necessary, but what exactly is preparation?  In preparation for a real battle, you need to have the weapons, and you need to practice with them.

Having weapons and armor.  The first things you need are weapons and armor.  In Ephesians 6, we find our weapon is the Word of God, and the armor consists of salvation, righteousness, and many other virtues.  So we must first be granted salvation and establish these virtues through the Word of God in our hearts.

Practicing with the weapons and armor.  Now that you have the armor, you must use it.  Before a soldier goes into active service, he learns how to use the weapons and armor he has been given.  Exercise your God-given spiritual gifts at every opportunity.

In the army, discipline is huge.  Soldiers are strictly trained and disciplined to be ready as soon as possible.  Soldiers in an army that is waiting for the inevitable attack of the enemy (and the attack of sin is inevitable) do not sleep or "entangle [themselves] in the affairs of every day life," but they are prepared "for action" and "sober in spirit."  They are on the alert for any hint of the enemy.

So I encourage everyone who professes to be a soldier in the active service of God to do these three things.  Make sure you have the weapons and the armor, make sure you practice with them daily (at every opportunity), and finally, make sure you are disciplined to watch for the enemy.  You should always be prepared to battle for your Lord.

Luke

Do Hard Things Photo

On the Reb. blog they asked for pictures of their book that are interesting or funny. Here's ours. Cool huh? Yep, It was pretty hard. And no, I did not use my Jedi-powers to get on Kole's shoulders, I would have liked to... but... well, we used a ladder instead, ok! :)

~Kade

"Give, Give"

Proverbs 30:15 "The leech has two daughters; "Give" and "Give" they cry."

Now, this isn't talking about the song by Relient K "Give, give, give, until there's nothing left." No, it is talking about greed. I looked the word up in a dictionary and the only antonym for the word was generosity. And I thought, am I generous with what I have?

Well sometimes, when I feel like it! But generosity doesn't just have to do with possessions, it also has to do with how we spend our time. Like, by serving my family, I am being generous, you know what I mean? So sometimes, as teens we don't have a lot of money or stuff, but we can be generous with our time!

Another thing, praying does a lot more than giving, because God does a lot more than we. So pray. But by all means! It is very good to give, because what has Christ done for us? Given all! So like the Relient K song we need to, "Give, give, give..."

All Christ,
~Kade

p.s. Tell me some things that you do, or that you can do, to be more generous.

Donut-Man Song!

Last Sunday, pastor taught about serving and how Christ served. And immediately I thought of a song on one of those kiddy-DonutMan-bible-movies...

"James and John were hanging around, fighting over who was the best, and Jesus said "You want a crown on your head? Well, this will be the test: (listen carefully) If you want to be made great by the Lord, well then you've got to be the servant of all!"

Pretty cool, huh? And yes, sometimes I watch those "kiddy movies" with my sisters.

Did you know that Christ had the same life-goal as we do? To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. And we should strive to be like Him. And just as He was a servant, we should be too. "Whoever wishes to become great, shall be your servant... just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve!" Same with us!.. but sometimes we get carried away and think we are the ones who are to be served!:)

All Christ,
~Kade

Small Hard Things

Oh Yeah!!! Nick's last post put us at our 100th post and this one will break 100!!! I just wanted to post really quick about what happened to me yesterday. I was going to help out with something our church was doing, and I was ok with everything, until I found out that I had to wear a long-sleeved white collared shirt! Looking back, this was quite ridiculous, but I was upset because I only had one white long-sleeved shirt and it was pretty much brand new and it was expensive! Not like my other consignment store shirts! I was sent to a room to pray and when my mom walked in she asked if I was ready to serve. She also told me to "Do Hard Things". And that struck me. I had been ready the book the night before and learned about the "small hard things" like: cleaning your room, for me: washing my face, or things of that sort. This was one of them. Things that seem like they're not that important. But we need to take everything and do it as best as we can, for God's glory!

For His Son's Glory,
-Kole

Answers in Genesis

I watched a video a few nights ago made by Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis and he was talking about evangelism. He based his message on two different aspects, the Jews (Acts 2) and the Greeks (Acts 17). He was saying that when missionaries go and spread the Word in a country with 'Greeks' (I'll get to that in a minute), a lot of them start with Jesus dying for our sins. Well, people with no Biblically based backgrounds don't know much about the Bible, so they don't get it very well. When Paul was teaching the Jews in Acts 2 he didn't have to start from the beginning because they knew the same God he was preaching about. But in Acts 17 when he was preaching to the Greeks, he had to start from the beginning because they didn't really know which God he was talking about. But we in America are starting to get that way as well. Fewer and fewer people these days know about the Bible. They think of it as a storybook. A book for little kids to learn at Sunday School. People don't take it seriously anymore. Our country was built by godly men, but now they are slipping away from the Bible.

I would recommend getting Why Won't They Listen: Reaching a Lost Culture. This is the video that this post is about.


- Nick

Book Recommendation

Hey Guys, I just wanted to recommend a book I am currently reading called "Do Hard Things". It was written by twin brothers named Alex and Brett Harris, the authors of the blog "The Rebelution". It is a great book that will challenge you to "Do Hard Things" and raise the standards for your life. Get the book as soon as possible, if you can!!

-Kole

P.S. Their older brother is Joshua Harris, author of a book called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" and others.

Approach God in Humbleness

So sorry I haven't posted in a while guys! I was on vacation for a couple of days, and yesterday I was sick... so... anyways...

Proverbs 25:6 "Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say, "Come up here," then for him to humiliate you..."

Hmm... That's a great verse, I was just thinking about how God is the King. And we need to come before him in humbleness. God will say "come up here', and he will exalt us. "Humble thyself the the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." ('higher and higher" ok sorry, just had to say that)

Have you ever tried to lift yourself up? Do it right now... ...wasn't it ridiculous! It's the same when we try to lift ourselves up instead of God praising us, it's pitiful! So we need God to do it!
:)
All Christ,
~Kade

We're back

Hey Guys, just wanted to say that we got home safely today, and that I'll post tomorrow, Lord willing. Thanks Guys!

-Kole

What we enjoy...

I was reading a great book by John Piper, and I knew that I needed to post on some of what I’ve read so far. At the beginning of the first chapter he talks about God’s justice and His love. And how we have turned to other things to fill us with joy, and how we were told, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.” (Deut 6:5) Piper says, “We glorify what we enjoy most. And it isn’t God” I thought about this statement, and I thought of things I might enjoy more than God: sports, reffing, music, guitar, books, food… the list goes on. But I thought about how Jesus found his most enjoyment in his communion with his father and the Holy Spirit.

So, I ask you, what gives you the most enjoyment? Jesus’ enjoyment was in glorifying the father, and we need to follow his example and ask God to help us find us most enjoyment in Him, that we might glorify him!

For His Son’s Glory!
-Kole

Sword of the word

Be on the Alert! Alert against whom, you say? Satan. Satan does everything he can to undermise God, but instead of him going strait out to God, he attacks us! Remember when Christ was tempted by Satan, well, what did he do? In Luke 4 (I believe) Christ used the word to "fight off" Satan. So should we.

But, we need to do all this in gentleness... "A soft answer..." Sometime when we answer hard, mean words, it just makes it worse! So... gentleness.

I like what Michael the Archangel said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you!" We totally can't do anything, but we can ask for the Lord.

All Christ,
~Kade

p.s. Kole and I will be going on a vacation, so we probably won't be able to post until Tuesday.

Setting Standards

Last night as part of our family bible time, my dad told us about how proud he was of us completing the test. But he told us about how Paul told the Thessalonians that they were doing well, but they should excel still more. And how we should not set our standards to those of the the world. How even if we ace this test, we shouldn't set our standards to that of the world. As two young men I know, who have a true passion for Christ, when it comes to the world's standards they say, "The roof is where the floor should be." Meaning, the world's best should be the minimum. "The roof is where the floor should be." What a great line! Where we think we're doing our best that's where the floor should be. So I encourage you, excel still more! And don't forget to give God the glory!

For His Son's Glory,
-Kole

God cares about the...

Well, today I tested... How did it go? I probably did ok. Afterward, my Mom was a little late in picking us (Kole and I) up, so we helped a couple of ladies move some tables, chairs, etc. And they were really blessed by that! And even if we didn't do so well in our testing... We still had a good attitude, and we were being a servant. And you know what?! God cares about the heart! He is pleased with that!

But we should always do all (even test) to the glory of God. And if we all got F's... do you think that would bring God glory? No. So we should try to do well. (By the way, I made this cheer, "Do your best, in the test, and let God do the rest!" cool, huh?(I kind of stole a little bit from somebody else, sorry) In a song that I really like, the guy says "It's the heart that really matters in the end!" And that's right! And our actions will reflect what is in the heart!

Alright now, I'm going to steal a saying that my Dad's friend says all the time, "Saved to Serve." That's awesome! That's why God saved us! We are saved to serve!

All Christ,
~Kade

Preparation

This afternoon, I am taking a state test and I didn't prepare myself very much. Some people might be worried in my situation, but I'm not; and it's because of something my Great Dad told my brothers and I, and it was this. He asked, "How long have you been preparing for this test?" And the answer he told us was, "All your life." You see God has been preparing us for this moment all our life, either to do well or poorly. I just wanted to say, that any thing that happens today, or five years from now, God has prepared us for it. Remember, he never gives us more than we can handle.You might not think he did at the moment it happens, but He prepared you!

For His Son's Glory,
-Kole

A Soft Answer

Tonight I have games to ref, but tonight is a little different. I will be reffing in the center of the field and I will be reffing u-8 kids. Now last week there was this guy who came over before a game that my brother and I were going to ref, and he went nuts! Apparently he didn't like a call one of the refs had made and was upset. We talked respectfully to him, but he started getting annoying because he was delaying a game that we had to start. Later that night after all the games were done we told our Dad about this guy. He asked us, "you know what to do if you meet that type of person, right?" And he told us this verse in chapter 15 of proverbs. It says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." I was a little worried that I might meet this guy again, but I remembered this verse and now I know what to do if I meet him.

Moral of the story: "A soft answer turns away wrath"

-Kole

'It is finished"

On Sunday, pastor taught about "Famous last Words." When it was time for Christ to die, He was concerned for others, not himself. But pastor didn't really touch on Jesus' very last words, "It is finished." So I'm going to talk about that. What was finished? What did He do? Well obviously, the easy answer is that He died for our sins... But I'm going to try to go a little bit deeper...


I think a couple of things were started and ended when Jesus said, "it is finished." These are some: (1). We no longer needed to make sacrifices, because Jesus made it! (2). We could pray, and we wouldn't need priests and stuff. (3). Our sins were paid for. (Hallelujah) (4). His suffering was over. (5).His "life purpose" was fulfilled. (6). etc. (In the etc part, make a comment and tell me something that ended or began when Jesus said "It is finished.") There are definitely a lot more things that are all wrapped up in those three words.

All Christ,
~Kade

Much More

Hey guys, I know that I haven't posted lately. But here is a song that I wrote called "Much More."The music to it is really cool, but I can't really get it to you, you know? Anyways:

Much More
~I feel the brokenness all around me,
~We are saved in a world that's lost,
~This generation's in need of help, much help.

~But I... know... that we... can do... much more than this...

~We've got to share the word ,
~Yes we've got to share the word of God,

~We need to come to the front,
~To show those who are in need of Him,
~That He is able to to save us all today.

~And I... know... that we... can do... much more than this...

(Repeat Chorus)

~Kade

p.s. Even though you don't know the tune... the chords are Am-F-C-G. So just play around with it if you want.

The Lamp

Today, in Matthew 6:22-23, I read this, "The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness ..." I read this and I thought 'We (Christians) always talk about guarding our eyes, but I think we say it out of habit too often.' This needs to be serious. If our eyes are clear we will be full of light. People can see this light! If we call ourselves Christians and then go out and watch a bad movie, they won't see the light! They'll see darkness! That is not what we want them to see in people who have claimed that they have been saved and changed by Christ! Guard your eyes not only for your own sake, but for Christ's name and his glory!

For His Son's Glory,
-Kole

Why in the World?!

Hey guys, I've kind of been out of it. So sorry. I'll make what I have to say short. Today I was reading Matthew 4, when Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to "follow him" and he would make them "fishers of men." Now, if someone I didn't know, came along and told me to follow him and he would make me a fisher of men, I'd think he had lost it!! or maybe I had lost it.... WHy in the WORLD would I follow him?! Then he calls to James and John, and they follow! I have a question for EVERYONE and I would like you to comment and tell me what you think because then I get a couple different views on it. Tell me why you think they would follow?!

For His Son's Glory,

-Kole

Behavior & Attitude vs. Skill

Let me tell you a little story:
A couple of weeks ago, Kole and I were going to start ref'ing some soccer games for money. (We took a test and passed). And when we showed up to ref' our first game there was a girl there... We call her "Goth Girl." (Because of the way she looked and dressed)... Anyways, she was very silly and disrespectful. And Kole and I were the opposite, we had good attitudes, we were respectful, and we did our job. So what do you think the "Ref' Manager" is thinking now? Yep, you guessed it! We are getting all the jobs! We may not have been the best ref's (in skill), but we were the ones with the best attitude!

James 3:13 "...By his good behavior, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom."

1 Peter 1:15 "but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct."

1Peter 2:12 "Keep your behavior among the Gentiles honorable...that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in the day of visitation." I love that! We need to show our good behavior among the unsaved, to bring Christ glory!

All Christ,
~Kade

p.s. Kole and I aren't that bad of refs :)

Every move I make

Today I was playing the song "Every move I make," I don't know why, I usually don't like that song, but anyways... I thought about when it says "every move I make I make in you." Hmm? Is that true? Do we always walk in God? No.

But maybe it means something else... maybe it means that whenever we walk, it's because God gave us that step. Hmm, I don't know. But what I do know is that we don't always walk in Christ. We mess up. Humph.

But what do we do when we mess up?:

(I know I've said this quote before... but... I really like it!) "It's not about how hard we can hit, it's about how hard we can get hit, get up, and move forward!" -Rocky Balboa. I take it to mean that we repent, get back up and go on.

Psalm 7:12 "If a man does not repent, God will whet His sword; He has bent and readied His bow."

All Christ,
Kade

The Sin of Omission

Last week at my homeschool group, I remember going into the mom's room, and meeting this gentleman who was in there getting ready for a presentation. I had finished what I was doing and right before I left the room I hear something and looked back at where he was, and saw that he had spilled a small cup of water. I walked out of the building and started to enter another building when I stopped...and stood for a little while. I thought 'I should help him. He doesn't know where any paper towels. I don't even know where some paper towels are.' I stood there for about ten seconds, debating if I should go back and help. I didn't. And I fell bad about not helping him.

Yesterday in our bible reading in James 4, the last verse in the chapter, the last verse, made me think about what happened. Verse 17 says, "So whoever knows what is right and does NOT do it, for him it is sin. This is called the sin of omission, the things you don't do that you know you should. We need to be careful about this type of sin, because it is very sneaky. We need to look out for it.

For His Son's Glory,
-Kole

Seek after Wisdom

Want to know how to be wise? Well:
Proverbs 2:4-6 "If you seek for her as silver, and search after her as hidden treasures; than you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding."

So, we find wisdom by seeking after it, simple. But how do we do to seek after it? What do we do? Well, one, by correcting ourselves... when we are being foolish, we repent, and by doing this we are wise. Because wisdom repents. Hey, that's cool, point one: Wisdom repents. Point two: God gives wisdom. So another thing that we can do: pray. Because God gives wisdom!

All Christ,
~Kade

Instruction and Teaching

Today in our bible reading I read Proverbs 1, and in verse 8 and 9 it talks about the instruction of our father and the teachings of our mother. But read verse 9, it says, "Indeed they are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck." It may not seem that way right now, but in the future (for those who are still younger) it will make a big difference. We will be able to handle situations differently (hopefully better). Homeschooling will also make a big difference and help us get a good job. But the instruction and teaching of our parents will be, and are, a graceful wreaths or ornaments. We enjoy IT!! Or we will! Others see it and think it's wonderful! Listen to your father's instruction and your mother's teaching, and LOVE IT!!!

-Kole