sword of the spirit – Engaging Scripture

You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5

I started this week talking about Tolstoy’s short story, How Much Land Does a Man Need. Read that post here. The main character of the story, Pahom, is hiking around land for sale. As he hikes, he stakes out the land. He has from sunup till sundown to make it back to his starting stake,Continue reading “You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5”

How to use scripture to fight temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 4

I believe we need to have a balanced approach to studying the Word. We need community study where we can study and discuss it together. We need Sundays where we hear the word from preachers and teachers. And we need personal study. Psalm 119:9-11, for example, says, “How can a young person stay on theContinue reading “How to use scripture to fight temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 4”

What we can learn from Jesus’ battle with Satan – Sword of the Spirit, Part 3

Temptations pull at me. I struggle with the empty self. It is very easy to desire a new car to replace our 2010. It often feel discontent about my car. But that car continues to get me around. It is super difficult to know when the right time is to pull the plug and getContinue reading “What we can learn from Jesus’ battle with Satan – Sword of the Spirit, Part 3”

Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1

Have you heard of the short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? by famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)? Tolstoy is famous for his mammoth works like Anna Karenina or War and Peace, as well as for his desire to live out Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. But How Much Land Does aContinue reading “Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1”

Sword drills in Sunday School class? – Sword of the Spirit, Preview

Did you participate in sword drills as a child in church? Yes, in church. But I’m not talking about swords with metal blades. When I was growing up in children and youth Sunday School classes, we had sword drills with our Bibles. No, we didn’t slam each other with Bibles. Here’s how sword drills worked: AllContinue reading “Sword drills in Sunday School class? – Sword of the Spirit, Preview”