Stop! Collaborate...Listen

I was on Twitter this morning, yes, I admit I was tweeting. I came across a post that was providing information for an upcoming event. I found myself retweeting and condemning. Then a voice said, “Stop. This is not your place. Pray instead.”

Convicted! Caught with my hand in the cookie jar! 

We are called to love our enemies. We are called to love those we do not agree with and to share the good word of God. Loving with boundaries is perfectly acceptable. 

Forgive me, Lord, for my condemning heart towards an event that is full of lost people who need to know you! I pray your will be done over this event and that those who are lost will be connected with your light through others. Amen.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Deleting my post is much like trying to retrieve the stone that was just thrown. It was best to follow up with a prayer and a reminder not to judge. After I replied to my own post, a picture of wearing armor came to my mind and lead me to Ephesians:

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Every morning, and sometimes often throughout the day, we must put on God’s armor. His armor protects us from the schemes of the evil one, prowling around searching to devour. The devil’s focus is to seek, destroy, and kill. So we must dawn the belt of truth for wisdom, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace. To raise our shields to block lies the evil one hurdles in our direction. Dawn our helmets of salvation and raise the sword of truth. 

A knights most valuable possession is his sword. The sword of truth represents the word of God, scripture, the Bible. His teachings are worth more than anything we have of value on earth. So when we raise our swords, we are raising the word of God. We are wielding His promises, His love, His grace, His mercy, His truth.

I do not want to get caught up in the finger pointing, name calling, and division of our society. These are lies and deception so deep, we retweet or post, falling further into the darkness.

I am so incredibly thankful that I serve a God filled with grace and love. That He loved me so much that He intervened and told me to stop and realize what I was doing was not His will, it’s not my place to judge.

Jesus is the way, the truth. When I love like Jesus, I am sharing His truth with others so they may know the Lord. When I condemn and judge others, there isn’t any sharing of His eternal light. I block their path to Him. I am incredibly thankful for the moment I shared with Him today and to be able to be real and honest as I share it here.

Lord-

I praise your name for you are protector and an incredible teacher! Never does a day go by that I’ve not learned a valuable lesson. Lessons to allow me to learn more and more about what you desire for me, those around me, all of us! Thank you for the vision of wearing your armor, for giving me the courage to admit to my wrong doing. For humbling me so that my pride does not get in the way of other’s path to you. I pray to be a light to others. Amen

Let His truth be dispersed like dandelion seeds caught in the wind.
Polk County, Mo
2022