“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” –Deuteronomy 31:8
With all this Armor of God, why do I feel like a failure?
The Key to effectively taking up God’s armor and using it correctly, or according to its design, is taking it up and receiving it “through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–” (Ephesians 6:18). Prayer is the key… and not just mouthing off some memorized lines, prayer is not a magic potion, it is intently seeking the heart of God with a desire to know His will (or to understand His operating manual). James tells us “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may ‘use God’s provision’ on your pleasures” (James 4:3).
Repeatedly, God has reminded us throughout His Word that ‘if I regard wickedness (that is anything against God’s nature like selfish desire for revenge, manipulation of others, or pride) He will not hear us’ (Psalm 66:18) and unless we ‘seek Him with ALL our hearts, humbling ourselves and putting off all self driven motivation, we will not find Him’ (Prov 1:28). John puts us in the right path to effectively seeking God when he writes “we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight (or according to His will)’ (1 John 3:22) and we can be ‘confident before Him, if we ask anything according to His will, He will hear us” (1 John 5:14). So the answer to our being weak and ineffective is that we are not connecting with the power source through prayer, and our motives are self centered, and for the purpose of meeting our own pleasure. Consider yesterday’s quote, do you desire God to just remove the pressure of the situation like an illness, or do you desire to remain in His will… even if that means staying sick? This is reminiscent of Jesus’ prayer in the garden; ‘take this cup from me’ or ‘take off the pressure!’ But Jesus didn’t stop there, He continued, ‘But Thy will be done!’ or ‘I will go forward in your will even if it means suffering a cruel death… I trust that you know what is right and good.’ Here in the garden, Jesus is taking up the Armor God has provided Him in prayer, not in his own strength.
Paul mentions just before listing the Armor God has provided that the Believer is able to ‘take up the full armor of God and resist in the evil day’ because they ‘had down everything TO stand firm’ (6:13), this meaning the Believer is already ‘keeping His commandments and doing what pleases Him.’ Jesus didn’t just blurt out that prayer in the garden, His life was already marked by the desire to walk in God’s will and keeping Gods Word for the purpose of Glorifying the Father. So we too must follow His example if we want to be effective and not weak failures. Stop now and ask God to show you how to pray… even if that prayer is simply ‘help’, He will hear it and come to you when your desire is to walk in His way and not your own. God knows we struggle with this and has provided His Spirit to assist us in prayer. Paul tells us, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” (Romans 8:26-27)
You can know God’s strength today… you can effectively wear His armor, resisting evil and standing fast in His will. Help is only a prayer away…
Choose wisely….
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6)
Praying U choose Christ today.
Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.
Think About This: True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfections of the One who cannot lie. It is enough that God has said it. – A.W. Tozer
The Daily Bible Reading: Luke 3| You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
This place is beautiful! Great for a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Robert Rodriguez
1711813203
The bestest place
Florence Ibrahim
1711601879
Christan true and very clean and good food and speaker blessed bmy soul love it my home and will always come back again again for ever in the lord. Room was so beautiful . They work so hard to make you happy. Will try to bring family member to be... blessed hear also. I support all that they do to help men and woman find god. When I come to Keswick I didn't want to go home . That how happy and blessed I'm. Always pray for all of them daily. So glad I found this blessed placeread more
Ross Fichter
1710505821
Stayed here while we were visiting my in-laws at The Pines Living Facility. Exactly what we needed for lodging -- inexpensive compared to most motels without any loss of accommodations, and very Christ-centered environment. Plus they serve a great... breakfast every morning. No TV in the room, but that was not an issue for us, since there is nothing worth watching anyway. Staff were extremely friendly and did their jobs well. This place is a gem and a blessing to all who walk on their beautiful property.read more
Manuel Chávez Martínez
1709498094
Es un lugar maravilloso para disfrutar la palabra de Dios
Pianista Benjamín Arias
1708802888
Bien
William Dundas
1708697460
This place holds a special place in my life journey. I was Baptised there as I RE-DEDICATED myself. It was Febuary at night, so my review may not give it the right justice. What I can say, there were a ton of relaxing, peaceful locations to... re-connect with JESUS. Obviously, there was a pool, several lake's with benches. Gathering locations to celebrate, and break bread. A very wholesome Resort.read more
Adrian Obrien
1707934719
Spontaneous invite to girl talk! Loved it! Speaker was on point, fellowship and food , how better to start Valentines?
Ivelisse Romero
1707021027
Beautiful place to separate yourself for the Lord. Soo peaceful no technology which I love. Just you nature and God. I was there for a women's retreat.
Jennifer Crabtree
1706843166
A wonderful Christ- and family-oriented place! Beautiful grounds and welcoming staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the conference we attended as well as the community hymn-sing. Highly recommend.
Jason Zimolong
1706837733
They've been a 5 star treatment and resort...doing God's work!
Patricia Simpson
1705193514
Peaceful little spot, so close to home 🩵
James Kolchin
1704151396
It's A Good Place To Have Retreats And They Have GREAT FOOD AND GREAT MUSIC
Kaia Leeds
1703475382
This was a very nice place!! I sang here with my school!!
Google Rating
4.8
Based on 427 reviews
America's Keswick Christian Retreat and Conference Center
This place is beautiful! Great for a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Robert Rodriguez
1711813203
The bestest place
Florence Ibrahim
1711601879
Christan true and very clean and good food and speaker blessed bmy soul love it my home and will always come back again again for ever in the lord. Room was so beautiful . They work so hard to make you happy. Will try to bring family member to be... blessed hear also. I support all that they do to help men and woman find god. When I come to Keswick I didn't want to go home . That how happy and blessed I'm. Always pray for all of them daily. So glad I found this blessed placeread more
Ross Fichter
1710505821
Stayed here while we were visiting my in-laws at The Pines Living Facility. Exactly what we needed for lodging -- inexpensive compared to most motels without any loss of accommodations, and very Christ-centered environment. Plus they serve a great... breakfast every morning. No TV in the room, but that was not an issue for us, since there is nothing worth watching anyway. Staff were extremely friendly and did their jobs well. This place is a gem and a blessing to all who walk on their beautiful property.read more
Manuel Chávez Martínez
1709498094
Es un lugar maravilloso para disfrutar la palabra de Dios
Pianista Benjamín Arias
1708802888
Bien
William Dundas
1708697460
This place holds a special place in my life journey. I was Baptised there as I RE-DEDICATED myself. It was Febuary at night, so my review may not give it the right justice. What I can say, there were a ton of relaxing, peaceful locations to... re-connect with JESUS. Obviously, there was a pool, several lake's with benches. Gathering locations to celebrate, and break bread. A very wholesome Resort.read more
Adrian Obrien
1707934719
Spontaneous invite to girl talk! Loved it! Speaker was on point, fellowship and food , how better to start Valentines?
Ivelisse Romero
1707021027
Beautiful place to separate yourself for the Lord. Soo peaceful no technology which I love. Just you nature and God. I was there for a women's retreat.
Jennifer Crabtree
1706843166
A wonderful Christ- and family-oriented place! Beautiful grounds and welcoming staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the conference we attended as well as the community hymn-sing. Highly recommend.
Jason Zimolong
1706837733
They've been a 5 star treatment and resort...doing God's work!
Patricia Simpson
1705193514
Peaceful little spot, so close to home 🩵
James Kolchin
1704151396
It's A Good Place To Have Retreats And They Have GREAT FOOD AND GREAT MUSIC
Kaia Leeds
1703475382
This was a very nice place!! I sang here with my school!!