Authority Over the Enemy

January 13th, 2017

authority-over-the-enemy

Today is the first installment of our new series on “Unmasking the Enemy,” where we will be discussing authority over the enemy, which is the demonic realm ruled by Satan. I will be showing you Scriptures which prove that Christians have power over demons, and that we should not fear them. When Jesus was on this earth, He commanded His followers to cast out demons in His name. (Matthew 10:8) What God commands you to do, He enables you to do, because “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 NASB)

If we have the power to cast them out, we should not be ruled by them either. I see so many Christians ensnared by the devil, and they refuse to see it. They are trapped in the grip of sin and its consequences, and the strongholds in their lives are enabled by their flesh which has fallen because they allowed the devil a foothold. When this happens, demons can oppress Christians and rule over them in specific areas of sin.

Authority Over the Enemy

If you belong to Christ, Satan no longer has power over you; you have power over him! Satan’s power over you has been taken away. Christ paid the penalty for our sin so that we cross from the domain of darkness into light (I Peter 2:9) You must understand your position of authority in Christ:

  • “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15 NIV
  • “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 ESV
  • “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 15:57 ESV
  • “…that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14b NASB
  • “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!” Luke 10:17 ESV

It’s crucial for you to understand your authority in Christ over the enemy so that you can gain victory. This is the first in a series of 7 practical videos. Make sure you don’t miss the next installment in this series, “Satan’s Strategy: Deception.” You can keep up with my posts by following my Prayer page and subscribing to my monthly newsletter below.

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Posted in Prayer | 10 Comments »

The Gingerbread Man: Hands-on Activities

January 11th, 2017

the-gingerbread-man-hands-on-activities

One of my daughter’s favorite books is The Gingerbread Man, so we decided to do some hands-on activities to bring this book to life! We decorated gingerbread men, put on a goofy stick puppet show, made a little pillow and a flip book, and ate some pancakes in the shape of the gingerbread man.

the-gingerbread-man-activities

Decorate gingerbread cookies:

First we decorated gingerbread cookies. This activity is great for all ages. You can bake the cookies yourself, or you can buy a set of gingerbread cookies already made at the store. You will need white icing, which you can dye several colors with egg dye. You will also want to decorate with chocolate chips and any other small candies. You can often find kits around Christmastime that include the cookies, the icing, and the embellishments all in one box. (You can decorate a gingerbread house, too, where the little old woman and the little old man can live!)

the-gingerbread-man-puppet-show

Put on a goofy stick puppet show:

Using the cookie that you decorated as the main character, re-enact The Gingerbread Man story. My daughter used table place mats for the backgrounds for her show. She also drew the little old woman, the little old man, and the gentle brown cow on some stiff white card stock paper. She taped popsicle sticks to the backs of her stick puppets.

She grabbed a small bear from her room and a gray wolf puppet to play the part of the red fox. We were going to make a river out of a blue blanket but forgot. You can see for yourself how much fun we had re-enacting this fun story:

Make a small pillow of the gingerbread man:

You will need brown felt, brown thread, and some buttons. This is a simple sewing activity that small children can enjoy. You will find instructions on how to make this fun project here:

gingerbread-man-pillow

Make a gingerbread man flip book:

Staple some pages together, and use gold or brown construction paper to make your flip book. You can have your child re-tell the story either in words or in drawings on the pages. For more information on how to make this booklet, go here:

gingerbread-man-flip-book

Make shaped pancakes:

Why not finish your Gingerbread Man unit study with a fun pancake meal? You can use a cookie cutter in the shape of a gingerbread man to cut out the shape from large pancakes. Use chocolate chips for eyes and buttons, and use chocolate syrup for the mouth and background. For more instructions on this activity, go here:

gingerbread-man-pancake

I hope you enjoyed all our hands-on ideas for bringing this book to life!

decorating-gingerbread-men

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Posted in Early Childhood | 4 Comments »

My Most Popular Blog Posts from 2016

January 9th, 2017

most-popular-blog-posts-from-2016

Here are my top ten most popular blog posts from 2016:

Hands-on Learning Series:

I baked a series of educational cakes that was highly popular this year. From science and history cakes to literature and math cakes, there was something for everyone! Next time your loved one has a birthday, take a look at one of these original cakes.

I also did a fun series of physics experiments, which included flying pizzas, spinning cookies, and infrared cameras.

Human Anatomy Posts

We studied human anatomy last year both in elementary and in high school. My kids had a ball creating the following hands-on projects, which were highly popular on social media:

High School Post

I wrote a blog post about what I’m using this year for high school homeschool curriculum. Most homeschool bloggers cover elementary, but for some reason they don’t blog about high school as much. I believe this is why this post was so popular this year:

Mixing with the Masters Posts

My kids painted loads of beautiful paintings this year while studying the classical painters. Here were the two posts that got the most attention:

Spiritual Posts

I wrote a lot of spiritual posts last year, especially about how to connect to God through prayer. But my most popular posts, as always, include hands-on ideas:

And there you have it! Those were my most popular blog posts from 2016. If you missed any of them, now you have a chance to see the ones that really resonated with my readers!

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Posted in Family Life | 4 Comments »

Unmasking the Enemy Series

January 6th, 2017

unmasking-the-enemy-series

This month I’m starting a new video series called “Unmasking the Enemy,” where I will be exposing the devices of Satan against believers and showing you how to overcome each device. We need to unmask the lies of the enemy so that we do not fall into his traps. Instead, our birthright as sons and daughters of God is to triumph over the enemy with compete victory. Educate yourself to overcome the enemy, or you will be ensnared by him.

You also want to be aware of how the enemy works to help other Christians, that “they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:26 ESV

In war, you are supposed to study the enemy so that you can have victory over him. You find out his tactics and strategies so that you do not stumble into his traps. If you insist on NOT studying the tactics of your opponent, you will easily fall into his snares because demons have been around for thousands of years and they are much smarter than you are. So many Christians insist on staying ignorant, and they do not realize that desiring to stay ignorant is itself a scheme of the enemy!

We are commanded to be vigilant: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Over the next seven weeks, I will be doing a series where I will unmask the tactics of the enemy so that we can overcome him.

Unmasking the Enemy Series

  1. Authority Over the Enemy
  2. Satan’s Strategy #1: Deception
  3. Satan’s Strategy #2: Accusation
  4. Satan’s Strategy #3: Temptation
  5. Satan’s Strategy #4: Control
  6. How to Resist the Enemy’s Attacks
  7. Take Up the Full Armor of God

Christians must be aware of Satan’s strategies “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 NASB

Stay tuned for the first installment: “Authority Over the Enemy.” If you don’t want to miss this series, follow my Prayer page and subscribe to my monthly newsletter below.

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Posted in Prayer | 14 Comments »

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