3 Keys to Remember in Times of War
With the war starting between Russia and the Ukraine I have been pondering war and what we can do to help ourselves when we are faced with physical and spiritual battles.
3 Keys to Remember in Times of War
God is Omniscient
This means God knows everything and this war is not a surprise to Him
We can find evidence of this when we read in Matthew 24 where Jesus tells us the signs of the times before His Second Coming and tells us
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass.” (Matthew 24: 6)
So, don’t be troubled by these wars you see happening, it is all part of the winding up scenes before Christ comes.
We are ALL at War
We learn this in Ephesians 6: 12
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Satan is attacking because he knows this is his last opportunity before Jesus Christ comes again.
So, what do we do? This leads us to step #3
Act—Put On God’s Armor & Help Spread His Word
In Ephesians 6:10-18 we read what we can do to put on God’s armor every day—because the battle for our souls is fierce!
In Matthew 24:14, Christ also explains that one of the things that needs to happen before He comes again is:
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
We know how this war will end—with Jesus Christ coming in the clouds of glory. It will be an incredible day for the righteous. Until, put your armor on and stand with God. He will help you be God strong and ready when He comes again.
Call to Action
I have felt called to start a women’s group based on these same ideas I have been talking about today called Women Warriors of Light. Please follow my new social media channels for more information about how you can connect to Jesus Christ, put on His armor, and band together with a group of warrior preparing for His Second Coming.
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #war #physicalbattles #spiritualbattles #armoroflight #armorofGod #Bibleverses #SecondComingofChrist #JesusChrist #SignsoftheTimes
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
Tamara Anderson 0:03
Have you been troubled by the recent current events? War beginning with Russia and Ukraine? If so, I've got three important keys that I want to share with you that you can remember to help you feel more at peace with all of this, and the winding up scenes for the Second Coming. Stay tuned.
Tamara Anderson 0:27
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
Tamara Anderson 0:53
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Stories of Hope in Hard Times. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson. And today we're going to talk about a not very fun topic, but we're going to look at it through the lens of faith. And probably like me, you're you've been disturbed the last little bit watching things unfold between Russia and the Ukraine and the war going on there. And you're wondering, What can I do? My heart goes out to, you know, the people being invaded. And it's just a hard situation to watch when we've had a relative amount of peace recently.
Tamara Anderson 1:30
And so I thought today that the most important topic that I could talk about would be three key things to remember in times of war. And these things bring me peace. And so I want to share them with you, so that hopefully it can bring you a little bit of peace. And it also will give you something that you can act on and not feel so powerless in these times.
Tamara Anderson 1:54
So the first thing is to remember that God is omniscient and so this isn't a surprise to him. Now if the word omniscient is big in your life, Tamar, I have no idea what that means. It means that God sees everything. He knows everything. And so the idea that Russia invaded Ukraine is not a surprise to God. He saw this in the winding up scenes before the Second Coming. In fact, it's even prophesied about in the Bible. And I wanted to share this with you really quick this morning. You can find it in Matthew chapter 24. And Matthew chapter 24 is an amazing chapter that talks a lot about some of the key signs that we're going to see before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Tamara Anderson 2:41
And in the beginning of Matthew 24, he gives this key sign of the time, he said, "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that she be not troubled for all these things must come to pass. But the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." So I want you to pause right there. And I know that these verses are kinda like, well, I don't want to hear that. But I just want you to know that God knew this was going to happen. He knew that there was going to be wars and rumors of wars, he knew that nation was going to rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. He's prophesied these famines, the earthquakes, the tsunamis, all these things are part of the signs of is coming.
Tamara Anderson 3:44
And I think they're God's way of trying to wake up the people on the earth, and try to get them to pay attention, that things are changing, things are happening. Often people will continue on their way until something shakes them up, or there's a change that happens. And so these changes, these natural disasters, these wars and rumors of wars--these give people the opportunity to pause and ponder and hopefully turn their hearts to God. So just be at peace. And remember that God knew this was going to happen. This is not a surprised him, and he's got it all figured out.
Tamara Anderson 4:32
And we know how this is going to end. We know who's going to be coming in the clouds of glory. So this is all a prelude to Christ second coming. And as believers that is something we are looking forward to and praying for, with more earnestness, the closer we get, because the pandemic was terrible. Let's be honest, that was no fun. But adding wars on top of pandemics and famines and pestilences and more natural disasters, We're just going to have to cling to God.
Tamara Anderson 5:01
And so the next two points are things that apply to all of us that I think we can do and act on every day, and help us as we're preparing for the Second Coming. The second thing that I wanted to bring out is that we are all at war already. So you may be going, Oh, Tamara, I'm not at war. So I wanted to share with you another couple of verses in the New Testament that talks about how we are all already at war. And this is found in Ephesians, chapter six. And this is one of my all time favorite parts of the New Testament, because it applies so much to our day, as well. And this is what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He said, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Does that sound like life right now? I know it does.
Tamara Anderson 6:05
For me, my battles lately have not been picking up a gun and fighting against another nation, they have actually been more of the spiritual battles where I'm battling for those I love and for the challenges that they're facing. And there seems to be an increasing number of attacks against the family against God fearing people against goodness, there is just this huge attack. And I think it's because Satan knows that we are at the end of times, he knows that his time is limited. And so he has just marshaled his forces, and they are attacking with everything we've got. Think of the increase in suicides, people are being more and more diagnosed with depression and mental illness challenges. I know I've seen this in my own family. And so these are things that are real, these are things that we're battling every day. And so even though we may be looking at this war in Ukraine, and thinking, Oh, my goodness a war is starting again. There's a war already going, and we're in the midst of it. And we're battling. And some of us are losing some battles.
Tamara Anderson 7:24
And some of us are fighting our very hardest, and we are coming out with bloody knuckles and scrape knit leg, some of us may feel like we've been stabbed, we've been fighting so hard for ourselves and for our families. I know if you feel that way, you're not alone. Because I feel that way too. And sometimes it's hard. But this next part is the key.
Tamara Anderson 7:49
This third key will help all of us no matter if we're facing a physical war or a spiritual war. And that is we need to learn to act. And God teaches us two key things, both in Ephesians, and in Matthew 24, that we can do right now, to begin acting, to prepare ourselves, and to insulate ourselves from these physical and spiritual battles that we're facing on a day to day basis. The first one is, is hearing Ephesians six. And this is what he says in verse 10. "Finally, my brother (and I will add my sisters), be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." And then skipping to verse 13, "wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand."
Tamara Anderson 8:52
That is the key right there. We are not strong enough for this onslaught of evil on our own. We're just not, but we are strong enough with God. We are strong when we put on his armor every single day and we defend ourselves and our families. We are God strong people. And it is there is a power in that. And that is how we will stand and withstand in the evils of our day.
Tamara Anderson 9:24
Let me read you what that looks like, "Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness." So right there, we're talking about learning the truth, having righteousness be on our hearts. Next, "Your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace." So we are preparing the way for the gospel of peace to be shared. Next, "Above all, taking the shield of faith," keep your faith strong, "Wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Powerful! "Take the helmet of salvation." When you think of salvation--Do you have Jesus on your mind? Is He there? Is He protecting you is? Is He who you're thinking about all the time? Is He the one you're turning to when things are hard? That's what we need on our mind. So the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
Tamara Anderson 10:24
I love it that our only offensive weapon is a sword. And it's not only that, it is the sword of the Spirit, we learn spirit is the third member of the Godhead. Oh my word you guys, we have a member of the Godhead, right at our disposal. That is how we battle. That is how we fight. We are God strong when we have this armor of light on each of us.
Tamara Anderson 10:52
Final thing, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching they're unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." So we put on our armor every day. And then we pray. And we watch. And we work, right? That is what that looks like. Put on your armor.
Tamara Anderson 11:11
What does that look like for you? For me, putting on the armor of God every day means praying and connecting with God every day, and asking Him to help me to arm myself and those I love. I pray for each of my family members by name, that they can have their armor on that day. But they also have to make that choice themselves. Are they doing things that help them put that armor on? Are they thinking about Christ? Are they reading their scriptures? Even a verse a day to help put that armor on and protect them? Are they thinking of things that help reinforce their faith? Or are they feeding their doubts?
Tamara Anderson 11:50
And that's another key thing that I'm noticing in religion in general, is that a lot of kids are feeding their doubts and looking for answers to questions. And when they can't find them. They doubt and they leave God and his family. And and so we need to keep having faith and trust that God will answer those questions in his own time and way. "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith," religious leader Dieter F. Uchtdorf said. "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." that is key in these latter days before the second coming.
Tamara Anderson 12:28
Alright, one final thing before we go. In Matthew 24, so he listed a whole bunch of signs of the times including this wars and rumors of wars he talks about iniquity abounding, and the love of many waxing cold. But here's key in verses 13 and 14. "But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for our witness, and to all nations." And so as we strengthen ourselves, we can share our witness of Christ. We can share our witness that these things are not unknown to God that He knows this is going to happen. We can share our testimony that when we see these things happening, it's not something to be troubled about, like it said earlier in the chapter. But this is something that is inviting people to look to God to find the answers. Look to him, come to Him, and He will help you feel peace.
Tamara Anderson 13:34
He also invites us in verse 15, to stand in the holy place. And what that means for me is to make little havens of peace. For me, I have an office, a little tiny room in my home where I read my scriptures and I say my prayers and, and pray about what I need to talk about on my podcasts and stuff like that. And that is one of my holy places. Going to church can be a holy place. Maybe being out in nature is a holy place. Climbing on top of a mountain I know many ancient prophets climbed mountains to feel like they were in holy places. So find your holy places and stand in those-- stand.
Tamara Anderson 14:17
And he does promise us in verse 22, that for the elect's sake, those days, meaning these days of tribulation, shall be shortened. So pray that those days will be shortened. We want to deal with this for as short amount of time as we possibly can.
Tamara Anderson 14:34
And my friends, we know how this battle is going to end we know that Jesus Christ is going to come. So when we see the signs He invites us, "Know that it is near even at the doors." When? It says in verse 36, "But of that day, an hour no man knoweth. No, not the angels in heaven but my Father only." So we don't know when it is but we can tell But it's getting closer by the increasing frequency in the signs of the times that we read about in Matthew chapter 24, and in other places in the Bible.
Tamara Anderson 15:10
So my friends, three key things to remember in times of war: one, God is omniscient, and this is not a surprise to him. So don't be troubled. Number two, we are all at war, we read about that, against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness in high places. Satan has increased his battle, but that doesn't mean that we're alone. And that puts us to number three, how we can act since we know these things. And we see these war, both physical and spiritual. We can put on God's armor, every day for ourselves, teach our families to do it as well and those we love, and then help spread His word to the world. Tell people guys, these are signs of the times. Jesus Christ is coming. These earthquakes, these wars, these tribulations, this pandemic, this all is to wake us up and remind us to look to God.
Tamara Anderson 16:05
So my friends, fellow warriors in this battle, for good against evil--stand. I want to conclude by saying, this past weekend, we finished watching as a family, the third Lord of the Rings, movie. And they are fantastic. I love the Lord of the Rings movies. They, they did such a great job with those. And at the very, very crux of the movie, Aragorn is standing against this huge giant who's knocking him out. This giant is about ready to slice his head off and his friends are trying to get him while this battle is raging, it's super fierce. And at that moment, something changes. And they are saved because all the wicked orcs are wiped out. And they run and they flee. And the battle is won.
Tamara Anderson 17:02
And my friends, that is how it's going to be someday. This battle against good versus evil is not new. It has been going on for a long, long time. But just know that Jesus will come and evil will be wiped out from the earth at a future not so distant time. So stay true. Stay strong. Keep fighting, be God's strong, stand with his armor on you every day. And you will be able to withstand the evil day as it says in Ephesians six.
Tamara Anderson 17:39
I also invite all of you to follow me I am launching a new brand. And I'm excited to announce it on my podcast. It's called the Women Warriors of Light. And it's all about this that I've been talking about today. And for you men--just know send your wives to me. I will keep speaking to both men and women on this podcast. But I specifically feel a call to talk to Christian women, as we battle for our homes and families here and these winding up scenes before the second coming of Jesus Christ. That we need to band together as Christians and stand against evil by teaching people to look to Christ to strengthen their faith. So follow my new social media channels, Women Warriors of light and invite your friends to do that as well because I know that we're all feeling a little worn out and rundown and we need each other as we continue in this fight for good against evil. Hope on, my friends.
Tamara Anderson 18:43
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you like what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website storiesofhopepodcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote or a scripture verse that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you are struggling with hope to carry on and the strength to keep going when things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, remember God loves you!
Transcribed by https://otter.ai