A Time to War

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--...A time for war..."Eccles. 3:1,8b

The last 3 months could definitely be in the running for the hardest 3 months of my life. When things are easy, I have a tendency to forget I am in a war. But when things become hard, those trials become the alarm clock that wake me up to reality. And the reality is, God has called me to battle.

I am called to be a soldier. A soldier is always ready for battle. I need to be armed and ready to fight for my family and all the saints in prayer; to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ; and to always remember I am not wrestling against flesh and blood but spiritual hosts of wickedness.

Because unforseen circumstances with our economy have hit us hard, I can easily find myself on the verge of really feeling sorry for myself. It's a horrid sin, and the absolute OPPOSITE of God's will for my life. God's will is that I would be thankful for our financial trials. Really, truly, genuinely thankful because I know and am CONVINCED that God is good and that these trials are producing in me a far greater and eternal weight of glory.

I also need to remember that God is using these difficult times to produce patience in me. As a woman, patience is a great virtue. I casually define patience as "being able to wait WITHOUT SINNING." This means that when things are really hard, my heart is just as content and joyful as if things were easy, because I am fully trusting in God and my eyes are fixed on eternity. I can rejoice because God is providing me with a great opportunit to increase my patience, to practice giving thanks in all circumstances, and to remember I am in a war as a soldier and my duty is to endure hardship faithfully.

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:3

"For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." 2 Corinthians 4:17

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3

What Would Jesus Do?

"We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true." 2 Corinthians 6:3-8

Did you notice the last sentence in the above verses? It reminds me of an event that just happened to some friends of mine. In fact, though the event just happened, it happens so often I had to blog about it.

In the above verses, Paul tells us that he was treated like an imposter for preaching the gospel of Jesus. Just a few nights ago a group of my friends were teaching people about Jesus. While standing outside of a local Starbucks, they passed out tracts and shared the gospel to the people passing by. A girl came up to them, and began angrily yelling along the lines of, “Would Jesus have done this? Would Jesus have told people they were going to hell? This isn’t the way to reach people! You need to use your actions to preach the gospel!” By her statements, she was implying they were imposters—imposters to true Christianity!

But, to answer her questions: YES! Did would and DID do this!

In Luke 13:15 Jesus said, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

In Matthew 5:22 Jesus said, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."

In Luke 12:4-5 Jesus said, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (If hell is not REAL and if hell is not SCARY, why would Jesus give such a bold warning?)

And then, in Matthew 23:33 Jesus says, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?"

So Yes! Jesus WOULD and DID talk about hell. He knows it is a REAL and SCARY place, and He boldly warned people about it.

It's sad when people say WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) and they have no idea what Jesus would actually do. They have some idea of a pretty Jesus speaking kind words, and they forget that Jesus drove out the money changers in the temple with a whip. He was zealous for His Father.

And when His followers are zealous too, and when they deeply believe the gospel that they share with others, and when they can't help but share it with passion because they know it is true, they get accused of being imposters!

Yet in all of this, there is a great reason to rejoice! They are again in the company of Paul, who rejoiced after being beaten, because he was counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. (Acts 5:41)

And the winner is...

Congratulations Christopher! You are the winner of the Book Giveaway Contest!

Let me know which book you 'd like and your address and I will get it right out to you in the mail. You can email me at katielhoffman@yahoo.com.

Congratulations again!

And let me add a verse I love, that also seems to relate to this contest: "We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall." Proverbs 16:33

Enter to WIN a FREE copy of "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I'm actually giving a choice of prizes. The winner can pick "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, "Beautiful in God's Eyes" by Elizabeth George, or "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow.

All three of these books come HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free
The lies Christian women believe are at the root of their struggles. In Lies Women Believe, Nancy Leigh DeMoss exposes areas of deception common to many Christian women -- lies about God, sin, priorities, marriage and family, emotions, and more. She deals honestly with women's delusions and illusions and then gently leads them to the truth of God's word that leads to true freedom.

Beautiful in God's Eyes: The Treasures of the Proverbs 31 Woman
Guiding women through Proverbs 31, beloved Bible teacher Elizabeth George shows how God defines beauty and reveals how His plan for success is totally achievable. Insightful and practical, this book reveals how women can make each day meaningful and delight in what God accomplishes through them. Women will feel greater confidence and enjoy rich daily rewards as they realize who they are in Christ and what they can do when they follow His formula for true beauty.

Calm My Anxious Heart: A Women's Guide to Finding Contentment
Although many Christian women say they trust God, their lives are filled with worry and anxiety-about their children, their finances, their relationships, their jobs. They know their lives should be characterized by faith in God, but they're unsure of how to get that kind of faith. This book and twelve-week study helps women grow in contentment as they address the barriers to contentment and how to overcome them.


All you have to do is... leave a comment below and your email address or blog link so I can contact you. A winner will be randomly chosen next Wednesday. Everyone is welcome to enter. I will post the winner up on the blog. The winner can pick one of the three books listed above.

An excerpt from "In Pursuit of Praiseworthy Motherhood"

Here is an excerpt from the beginning of chapter 3:

"This is one of the things I am most excited about telling you, because this one thing has made a HUGE difference in our house.

Let me share with you what I have learned and seen first hand from experience. We even have a rule in our house: complaining and whining is not allowed. We treat it like a major offense. Because the Bible says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Phil 2:14) We don’t allow our children to complain, grumble, or argue.

But here is where it gets interesting. Even though I have disciplined my oldest son consistently every time he was disrespectful or whiny, even though I thoroughly taught him that complaining is never allowed, I still dealt with whining and complaining on a daily basis.

For a while, I couldn’t figure it out. What was I doing wrong? I was being consistent with discipline. I had trained him and taught him verbally. Why was he still not changing?

Finally, God allowed me to realize what I needed to do. It wasn’t until I changed one thing in my parenting that I saw a HUGE, almost night and day difference.
And here is the secret:"

What did I do? What made the huge difference in my children? Find out now: www.katiehoffman.org/freebook2.html

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Free Book for Christian Mothers

I've just recently completed and published a new book, In Pursuit of Praiseworthy Motherhood.

www.katiehoffman.org/freebook2.html

In this book, you will learn:

How to teach your children to willingly do what you ask the first time—which will reduce your frustration.

What the Bible says is key to raising kids who will not bring you shame.

What causes children to want to obey their parents in the Lord?

How will frustration and anxiety negatively impact your children?

The very simple, very easy thing I do that completely changes the atmosphere of my home.

A common thing mothers do to get their children to “straighten up”, which the Bible reveals will actually backfire in the long run.

How changing just one thing made a huge difference in how attentive and respectful my son was.

How to teach your children the most important thing they will ever learn—how to have a relationship with Jesus as their Savior.

How we can help prevent our children from making poor choices as they grow older.

Click below to recieve a free electronic copy of this book in your email:
www.katiehoffman.org/freebook2.html

Do you walk with God?

It’s very funny, because I always hear the term, “Walking with God”.

“Yes, she walks with God.”

“I’ve been walking with God for 25 years now.”

And it’s used as a way of saying, “Not only do I say I am a Christian, but I live like I am a Christian, too.”

But let me tell you the thought that struck me today and why I think it’s funny that I often hear this term.

First, let me say that the idea of walking with God is found in the Bible—Enoch walked with God (Gen. 5:22, 24) Noah walked with God (Gen. 6:9). And David walked with God (1 Kings 8:25). They all knew God and sought a relationship with Him. This pursuit of a relationship with God was called “walking with God.” But the term “walked with God” does not carry over into the New Testament.

Here is where it gets even more interesting…

In the New Testament, we no longer walk. We run!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1

In Hebrews, we are instructed to run after knowing Christ. In the next three verses I quote, Paul speaks about ways in which running could be hindered or done in vain:

• While speaking to the Galatians, Paul said, “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7
• Paul said, “I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.” Galatians 2:2
• In Philippians 2:16 Paul says he holds “fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

But we aren’t just running—we are running in a competition. We are in a race!

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

It’s not just a walk now! It’s a race!!!

The Greek word for run is trecho. In addition to being translated “run”, the word also refers to “persons in haste, of those who run in a race course, to exert ones self, strive hard, to spend one's strength in performing or attaining something”. And this is interesting. The “word occurs in Greek writings denoting to incur extreme peril, which it requires the exertion of all one's effort to overcome.”

The exertion of all one’s effort. That’s not a walk in the park.

Oh yes, dear ones, we don’t just walk anymore. This is a new covenant we are under. And we must run…

(I’ve previously done a study on what the Bible says specifically about the race we run. You can find it at this link: www.katiehoffman.org/knowingchrist1.html.)