Just Reload...

Never retreat. Just reload. ~Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is a controversial character.  Some of you may love her and some of you may hate her.  If you are one of the ones who hates her, please hang with me anyway.  I have a point. I promise!

I recently watched Sarah's new reality show Sarah Palin's Alaska.  In the first episode, which is the only one I have seen, Sarah goes on a variety of wildlife adventures in the beautiful Alaskan wilderness.

The one adventure that interested me the most was her rock climbing experience.  Why did I like this segment so much?  This segment showed me very clearly why Sarah Palin has gotten as far as she has. It is because she is a fighter. 

In this segment, we see Sarah and Todd (her husband)  trudging across a crevasse-filled glacier on cross-country skis  tied together by ropes and attached to their wilderness guide. As they trek along, you can tell that Sarah is getting tired, but the beauty of the landscape and the challenge of avoiding those crevasses seems to keep her buoyed.

After successfully navigating the glacier, Sarah arrives at the portion of Mt. McKinley that she is expected to rock climb.   She mentions that she is afraid of heights, but gamely begins to climb, anyway.

About half way up, she encounters an obstacle.  Sarah gets to a point on the mountain where a large stone is jutting out of the side of the mountain.  It is right in her path, and as it protrudes out near her mid-section, she cannot figure out where to get a foothold or a hand hold in order to get around this stone. Sarah is stuck in this position for 45 minutes.  Can you imagine how tired she must have been?

Regardless, after being frozen with anxiety on the side of a mountain for over 45 minutes, Sarah finds a way to climb around the obstacle and reach the summit.

So what did I learn about Sarah Palin's character in this story?  I learned that the lady who says, "Never retreat.  Just reload." actually lives her life that way.

But what does this have to do with a blog about reading the Bible every day for a year?  It reminds me that you and I are in a battle every day.  We face obstacles and are in a spiritual battle every minute of every hour of every day on planet earth. 

Within this battle, you and I are constantly facing obstacles and crevasses.  Every day is filled with struggles and strife.  Worse yet, we are battling against real forces of evil.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 6 that we  are in an epic battle.

Read this quote from Ephesians 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."  NIV translation

So how does this battle manifest itself in our lives?  In a variety of ways that include:

• All manner of temptations
• Lies in our heads about our self-worth and ability to be loved
• Negative coping mechanisms for our pain including addictions, self-harm, abusive behaviors
• Bitterness and the inability to forgive others
• All forms of envy, strife and anger
• Immoral sexual behavior
  
  

We need to fight back.  How do we do that?  Very simply, the greatest means you have of battling these forces in your life is the Word of God.  The truth found in Scripture is the truth that will set you free (John 8:32).  Jesus was not joking when he said that truth in our lives sets us free from the powers of darkness in the world. 

The words in the Bible and the concepts taught throughout the text are the ammunition we must use to fight.  

In conclusion, as you and I face our daily temptations and come against unseen forces in our lives, we need to "Never retreat.  Just reload."

Please join me in the fight!

We begin our reading very soon!

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton
P.S. Why don't you get a friend to sign up and read the Bible with you?  It will be fun!