Have you ever watched the movie The Croods?  These pics are of my two youngest sons and two grandchildren watching it.  My youngest, Ryan and I and Ayden, my grandson, had taken some furniture to Sean and Sarah and visited for the weekend. 

I had seen this movie once before, wasn't real sure I liked it the first time. Now after the second time, I'm still not sure!  Just something about it didn't sit well with me. 

So, bright and early this morning at 6 am, I was on my way to BSF leader's meeting. We meet every Saturday morning from 7 - 9 am. This is our training time and our time to share what God has been teaching us through the week.  Today we were having our monthly fellowship after class. This is when we eat and casually sit and share with one another what God has been doing in our lives since the last fellowship.  It's one of my favorite times, we get to know each other better and can share some of the awesome things God has been doing that we don't have time for in our normal leader's meeting. 

I was driving to Lynchburg this morning, about a 25 minute drive from my house, and asking God what He wanted me to share with the ladies. Sometimes He just says listen, today was one of those days...But as I was driving and asking His forgiveness for my sin He brought that movie to my mind.  Not because it was wrong to watch it, but He brought specifically the part where the young man and the father had fallen off a cliff and were in a tar pit. 

They were stuck. No way out. Nothing ever survived a tar pit. 
The tar does not let go, it sucks you in more and more till you 
are sucked under.  And now I can't remember what it was that 
pulled them free!!    :(   But, anyway, they grabbed onto I think 
a log or something...shoot, someone tell me what they grabbed!!  And didn't a bird come and pull them out??  You can tell I'm not good at this!  One of you will have to comment and tell it correctly for me...please???   

Anyway,  God brought that to my mind in relation to sin.  Sin is just like that tar pit. Once it gets you, it does not want to let you go.  And the longer you are in it, the further you sink, until one day you are sucked in and covered up with it. Unlike the tar pit that is black and ugly and you can see it, sin can be very deceiving, it can be appealing and sound like a wonderful thing. It can be so small at first that you don't even think it could ever amount to anything big. 

But, oh, isn't that just what our enemy wants us to think??  The Bible tells us that He masquerades as an angel of light. 

2 Corinthians 11:14   And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.


2 Corinthians  11:3  But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 

It is all too easy to fall for the trap our enemy wants to set for us.  So how do we keep from falling for it? 

One of my favorite passages is Ephesians 6:10-18 

Eph 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 
Eph 6:11  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 
Eph 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 
Eph 6:13  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 
Eph 6:14  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 
Eph 6:15  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 
Eph 6:16  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 
Eph 6:17  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 
Eph 6:18  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. 

Have you ever really studied this passage. I think it's pretty amazing.  I can be strong in the Lord's mighty power? Wow!   I can take a stand against the devil's schemes?  And all those struggles I see as against another person are against the forces of evil. Wow again!  That is hard to see when I'm right in the middle of a "disagreement" with someone. It sure does seem to be them I'm battling against.  But to see it as spiritual puts a different light on alot of arguments and differences of opinion with others.  I need to step back, pray, and allow God to shed light on the truth. 

But I can not fight this battle on my own!  It very clearly says put on the armor of God. I need a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, special shoes for my feet, a shield of faith to extinguish those flaming arrows of the evil one!!   Oh cool!!   I need my helmet of salvation, and my sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And I need to pray always, with all kinds of prayers and to be alert and keep praying for the Lord's people!  

I need to stay close to my Lord in order to fight the battles in this life!!  In order to stay close to Him, I must stay in His Word, I must be around other Christians, I must pray continually. If I don't I am going to get stuck in that ugly, black, miserable, life sucking tar pit.  I don't want to be there!! 

With that in mind I ask as Paul did that you would keep me in your prayers and I will pray for you!


Eph 6:19  Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 

And that is where I believe God took me this morning on my way to leader's meeting!  I pray you have a wonderful Sunday. That you will  join in your own church and worship the Lord. 


It's supposed to be 65 here tomorrow, I am hoping to spend the afternoon outside enjoying His beautiful creation. 

Love, 
Barb