EBENEZER | Jeanie Baird

THIN PLACES | The Sword of the Spirit

Paul describes the Word of God as the sword of the Spirit because Scripture is the believer’s weapon in the spiritual battle. The enemy fights with lies, accusations, and temptations, but the Word of God exposes deception and anchors us in truth. Jesus himself modeled how to wield this sword when he resisted Satan in the wilderness by quoting Scripture. To take up the sword of the Spirit is to fill our minds with God’s Word, to answer temptation with truth, and to allow the Spirit to apply Scripture to our lives. In a world searching for meaning and truth, the Word of God remains living, active, and powerful. The sword that defeats the enemy is the Word of God.  It is our only offensive weapon.

THIN PLACES | The Helmet of Salvation

Paul tells us to take up the helmet of salvation because the battle is not only around us but also at the level of the mind. The enemy traffics in despair, confusion, condemnation, and forgetfulness, seeking to cloud our vision and unsettle our hope. But salvation guards the head by reminding us who Christ is, what he has done, and where the story is going. In Jesus, we have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. The helmet of salvation protects the mind with hope, steadies us in the midst of attack, and teaches us to live from the certainty that our future belongs to Christ.

THIN PLACES | The Shield of Faith

The Christian life is lived under fire. The enemy sends flaming darts of fear, doubt, temptation, accusation, discouragement, and despair, especially in seasons of ministry, suffering, spiritual dryness, and vulnerability. Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith.  This is not faith in general, but faith in God himself. Faith is the act of taking refuge in the promises of God, the power of God, and the love of God. When the darts come, faith does not pretend they are harmless; it lifts the shield of God’s character and Christ’s finished work. In this way, faith extinguishes what would otherwise set the soul on fire.

THIN PLACES | The Sandals of Peace

In a world of hostility, anxiety, and division, Paul says the people of God are to stand with their feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This peace is not mere calmness or avoidance of conflict. It is the peace Christ has made through his cross: peace with God, peace within ourselves, and peace with one another, peace with creation. The enemy loves division, suspicion, and hostility, but the gospel makes a new kind of people, who are steady, reconciled, and ready to carry peace into a fractured world. To wear the sandals of peace is to stand firm in the reconciling work of Christ and to become agents of that peace wherever we go. The enemy loves division; Christ is our peace.

EBENEZER | Jeanie Baird

In this podcast, we are sharing Ebenezer moments of the people of Redeemer Church. An Ebenezer moment is simply telling the truth about where you’ve been and noticing where God has met you along the way. Some of that may feel clear; some of it may still feel unfinished. These stories are invitations to listen together to remember thus far how the Lord has helped, and to notice how God has been faithful-sometimes quietly, sometimes slowly, often in ways we only see in hindsight. Join us and listen along.