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Spiritual Growth

The Fruitful Vacancy

Fertile Emptiness... We live a lifetime of transitions. In his book, Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, author William Bridges states, “Things end, there is a time of fertile emptiness, and then things begin anew.” Fertile emptiness; fruitful vacancy; God's upside down kingdom. They clash in the soul, like skilled…

Posted on April 1, 2019March 31, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Breaking Faith

An Act of Treachery... Breaking faith is an act of treachery. Strong language for sure. Treachery is akin to betrayal, infidelity, disloyalty, even treason! Breaking faith can apply towards God and also towards one another. "Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we…

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Inspirational

Be Persistent in Your Resistance

The Same Answer Awakened recently by a howling wind at 3:00 AM, these words were clearly on my "inner audio" - Be persistent in your resistance. I instantly knew their source - a Bible verse that I had been meditating on for a couple of days. "When word came...to our…

Posted on March 18, 2019March 18, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Armor of God – Summary

I've really enjoyed studying through the armor of God with you and will be writing a more extended version on this subject soon. Below is a brief summary/review. In case you missed a week, each section title is a link to the full blog on the particular piece of armor.…

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Sword of the Spirit

Heart Treasure While all the pieces of spiritual armor require action and discipline on our part, the sword of the Spirit is the only truly, offensive weapon. The sword is the word of God, an extremely powerful weapon, that is a “must-have” for our arsenal. The method of acquisition and…

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Helmet of Salvation

Confident Assurance... The clearest Biblical definition of the helmet of salvation is found here: "You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us…

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Shield of Faith

Flaming Arrows The Roman shield consisted of two layers of wood glued together, covered with linen and hide, and bound with iron. The shield of faith is distinctive in comparison to our previous pieces of armor. It specifically tells what the effect will be when the shield is used -…

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Firm Footing

Firm Footing The third piece of armor is having your "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." What does this piece of armor provide? Athletes wear cleats to guarantee firm footing when they compete. The Roman soldiers of old were no different. Bits of nails…

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Breastplate of Righteousness

Good Soldier Every believer can identify with these words of the Apostle Paul: "Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. 2:3 Life is a battle and God has provided all that we need to navigate it victoriously. In our last post, we began…

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

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Armor of God – Belt of Truth

The Full Armor of God “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,…

Posted on December 17, 2018January 4, 2019 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo