Unsheathing the Sword Ministries

Prayer is a very important part of the Christian walk. So important that it’s our way of communicating with the one who saves us and sets us free from all of our sins. This song hits me hard and gives me chills all at the same time every time I hear it because I know I struggle with the simplest part of being a Christian. I struggle with simply saying a prayer. I often catch myself asking God why. Sometimes I get caught up in the asking and forget to listen for an answer because “life is so busy”. There have been times that I even get so mad that I don’t say one on purpose and some times that I don’t even know what to say or I can’t even form the words when try my hardest to say one. My point is God knows our hearts and He knows who we are and what we think. So in those moments of sadness, madness, and questioning, I make myself pause to remind myself that God knows all and can do all things, and I whisper “In Jesus name, Lord just let your will be done in my life and in these situations. Amen.” I am so unworthy of His grace, love, wisdom, and mercy yet He continues to fill me with more time and time again.

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 John 5:14

Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

Lindsey Gibson Bedwell

Who is in charge of your heart?

Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.”

God is so much bigger than what you are facing.

“What plaque of life has been building up in your heart?”

Go check out this devotion for today.

www.bible.com Bring the beauty and truth of the Bible into everyday life. With the YouVersion Bible App, you can read, watch, listen, and share on your smartphone or tablet, and online at Bible.com.

Check out this weeks podcast! First one we have had in a while. We are back and will be posting 2-4 episodes a month. If you have topics you will like see discussed feel free to message us or comment.

‎Unsheathing the Sword: A Christian Response to Terrorism and Politicians on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Unsheathing the Sword, Ep A Christian Response to Terrorism and Politicians - Sep 24, 2021

We haven't posted in a while, but we are back! We will have a new episode coming this Friday! We are gonna be changing the format up a little (so expect a little experimenting), but the aim is still the same as the beginning. We aim to help better equip you to use the Bible in fighting Spiritual warfare and applying Scriptural truths to your life.

Wow, 2021 is finally here! How do you plan on making 2021 better than 2020? Making 2021 better should be top priority on your own list for yourself, not everyone else’s. Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us then who can ever be against us?” I think people misunderstand this scripture. Yes God is for us and with us and wants us to do good and to experience good but God is for us in a sense that He sent Jesus to die for us. He sent Jesus to take our sins away and to make it easier for us to be saved. Everyone and everything, even the devil, can come against us physically but if we prepare our minds and cover it with God’s goodness and let our minds to be fulfilled completely with God, things that come against us don’t seem to be near as bad as when we don’t do those things because God has given us the strength to endure those things and to fight them with a stronger spiritual mindset than normal. If we depend on anyone else other than God to make this year better we will quickly be disappointed. We need to point our eyes to God for the strength and the comfort to help us get through anything this year throws at us. This year should be good because you make it good, because you allowed God to work wonders through you, and because you did everything you could in Christ’s glory not because you waited on someone else, especially the government, to make it good for you. Despite what happens, you should strive to make sure positives are found. Don’t let the negatives steal your joy of the new year. This year is yours to make it the best you can. Don’t let other people or hard moments determine how your year is gonna be.
I challenge you: Take time to pray and thank God for yet another year, and pray that he will be the leader of everyday in your life this year through the good and the bad.

I pray that you take time this year to arm yourself with God’s word and wisdom so He will strengthen you to deal with the things you may face throughout this new year.

We hope everyone has a great year!

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

What are some of your excuses for not slowing down? During all the hustle and bustle, are you still taking time for Jesus? This time of year always seems to be the busiest for everyone. We always get carried away going 90 mph throughout the day never seeming to stop because if we do we think we are going to fall behind. I struggle harder than normal to keep a routine during this time of year. I feel like if I slow down for even a second I run out of time in the day to do everything. I always catch myself saying that I will just do it in the morning and when the next morning comes I find myself hitting the snooze button about four times wishing I could for a fifth time. I always feel like I run out of time so quickly during the holiday season because everything seems to slip up on me so fast. I fail often at spending time in God’s word and I make up so many excuses but in reality if I would just slow down for a short break I could fill that break with so much goodness and truth. Jesus isn’t just the reason for the season. He isn’t just the reason for one day of the year we celebrate. Jesus should be the reason of your every day life.
I challenge you: when you catch yourself making excuses and going that constant 90 mph speed the holidays bring, stop and take time to reflect on how amazing God is.
I pray that when the holidays get crazy you pause for some moments of gratitude to God to thank Him for making everything possible.

We love you all and hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas!

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

Be sure to check out this weeks podcast if you haven’t already!

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsheathing-the-sword/id1538531927

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0sPnYyv0KREytZDbOjVf5w?si=RnXx68bSRlijD1VnZwCrJA

This coming Friday we will be talking about Catholicism and their views on Jesus. As I’m preparing this episode I want to get everybody’s impute on rather or not the Catholic Church should be considered a Christian church.

Did this year stress you out like crazy? Did you find different ways to continue serving God through the stress? This year has been a year to remember. It will be in the books for everyone to talk about for years to come. Being stressed about what’s coming next seemed like it become a second nature from the beginning. You never knew what you would face within the week and still the weeks to come. Everything seemed to be thrown on us one right after the other and still seems to be coming. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”. God knew what this year was going to bring us all. He knew that we were gonna face some trials that would test our faith and perseverance to serve Him. Throughout all the craziness this year has thrown at us, many have still chosen to persevere in their troubling times to continue to serve in their ministries. Many people chose to continue their service for God by finding numerous ways to worship despite the restrictions. It has amazed me to see the numerous ways Christians still continuously find to serve God and continue their ministries. No matter how often we are told to not gather or how many restrictions are set up it is still good to see churches stand strong in the ministry. It is good to see Christians still committed to serving God.
I challenge you: during your stressful moments try to find and exercise ways to serve Hod and to praise Him during the stress.

I pray that God relieves your stress and you find ways to enjoy this season despite the crazy moments.

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

Be sure to check out this weeks episode now up on Apple and Spotify

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsheathing-the-sword/id1538531927 =Buzzsprout-6685118

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2XserBsABlxQh9113Pj9J2?si=hXw7DljUTMKH9OpsYco2wQ

Did you find things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving? This year has been a crazy year for everyone and it has been a little upside down feeling as well. It has also given us very many things to complain about. Many people have been stuck at home lost in their thoughts, and that seems scary to some. I am the type of person that likes to stay busy because if I get still for the slightest moment I get lost in my thoughts. Often times in those moments, I find myself depressed or very anxious because all of the “What If” scenario thoughts all seem to flood my head at once. Even though I know they aren’t true or they can’t happen my anxiety still convinces me that they can. Throughout this year I have learned a lot about myself and have discovered many ways to be thankful despite the craziness of this year’s circumstances. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the Bible tells us that it is the will of God for us to be thankful in all circumstances. This year has given us many crazy situations and circumstances to face, but God has given us the ability to dig deep to find things to be thankful for even though some may be harder to find than others. It is very easy to catch yourself complaining about the current circumstances rather than staying positive and finding things to be thankful for. It is Gods will to teach us how to be thankful in all circumstances despite the situation.
I challenge you: whatever else is thrown at you this year you try to focus on things to be thankful for and thing to be learned instead of how bad things are or can be.

I pray that God gives you the strength to be thankful in the crazy situations this year has thrown at you.

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

Do you have trust issues? If we are honest, what living being doesn’t! We all have trust issues, especially when it comes to trusting other people. Trust is something that has to be built between two beings. Trust isn’t just something given to you easily. It takes hard work and a lot of time to build, but it only takes seconds to destroy. When it comes time for me to trust God in a particular moment, I hesitate because sometimes I find it hard to trust someone I can’t see, hear their voice spoken clearly, or even touch. Even though I know God is here with me, it is still hard at times to put whole hearted trust into Him. Sometimes it is like I tell myself that I am giving God my full trust in the situation but I still have one finger on the controls just in case something doesn’t go my way. When it comes to trusting God, we seem to be more hesitant in trusting Him than other people. We tend to put half or even smaller amounts of trust measures into His hands rather than as much as we do in others. In Mark 5:27-34, we see a story of a woman who had so much trust and faith in Jesus that if she just touched His clothes she would be healed of her illness. Although we may not be able to physically touch the presence of God, He can touch us in many ways of our life giving us the assurance that He is there with us. Instead of putting trust into people who don’t deserve it to help us through certain situations, we should exercise that trust in God because He can help us through anything. Things may not go as you want them to but God knows what is best for us in the end.
I challenge you: when you feel your trust in God being shaken, remind yourself that He knows what is best for you. God will always lead you in the right direction. He doesn’t make mistakes.

I pray that God gives you the strength to trust Him more.

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

Do you ever feel like you are separated from God? Or that God is nowhere to be found in a moment of your life when you need Him the most. One morning you may wake up and feel the closest to God that you have ever felt, and then the next morning you feel like He is nowhere to be found. It is scary at times to feel an absence in a sense of God not being there when you need to feel His presence the strongest. In Hebrews 13:5 and again in Joshua 1:5 God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” In reality once we have accepted Him and let Him into our life, He is always there with us whether we feel His presence or not. Salvation can’t just be taken away. It can’t be turned off, so God is there through the good and the bad times. He is there when you have those moments of feeling like He isn’t. When God seems to be silent or distant we have to slow down our busy lives because maybe it is time to listen. Maybe we have gotten caught up in doing things our own way instead of listening to what He has planned for us. God goes silent sometimes to get our attention and to make us realize, “hey, maybe I need to take a step back to listen to what God has to say.”
I challenge you: when you have those moments of feeling like God isn’t near, pause and take time to reflect on how much you have actually listened to Him lately. Take some time to truly listen and trust God to point you back into His presence. He is ALWAYS there.

I pray that in the silence you don’t get discouraged, instead you take time to recalculate your directioning to God and listen to His plans for you.

Today’s Scripture Is found in Romans 8:38-39.

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

This weeks episode is now up!! Go check it out and learn some things that might surprise you about Islam!

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsheathing-the-sword/id1538531927 =Buzzsprout-6467179

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xwXNaCOk3vlYgYbz61Jcy?si=K8YKyIP1TW6FwJDWC0Szww

When starting this podcast I never imagined so many people would start listening and following so quickly. It was my goal to have a hundred people on this page at 3 months and here we are not even a month later with 85 people already! I’m very grateful for you all joining us on this journey! I’m excited to see what God is going to do through this podcast! And let’s hit that 100 mark by Sunday! We can hit it easily and pass it if everybody can invite at least one person to like the page! Pray about who that one should be and send that invite!!!

Do you ever feel God calling you out of your comfort zone? It’s frightening sometimes, isn’t it? It is often scary to have to step outside of your daily life and away from what you are comfortable doing. I am a person of comfort and I don’t like venturing out very often. I am a very shy person and for those of you who know me know that statement is very true. When I felt God lay it on my heart to do devotionals for Unsheathing the Sword, I thought He was crazy because it was something I had never done before. For a moment, I tried to run from this and put it off because I was scared but obviously I didn’t get very far. I prayed about it and asked God to give me the courage to do such a thing as this. With one simple comment from Austin, God give me all the courage and strength I needed to do what I am doing. During a conversation Austin told me, “You know when you marry me you are submitting your life to the ministry, right?” Immediately I felt bad, not because I knew it was true, but because I was reminded that the day I give my life to Christ was the day that I submitted myself to His ministry. My submission to the ministry started when I said yes to Jesus and accepted Him to be the head of my life not the day I marry a minister. When we accept Jesus into our life, we are submitting ourselves to His ministry to spread the gospel to other. We are submitting our life to get outside of our comfort zone when called to do so. Life is not meant to be comfortable when we submit our life to doing God’s work. It may be hard at times and we may think that God is crazy for wanting us to do such things but there’s no doubt that He will give us the courage, the wisdom, and the strength to branch out and perform His duties He has set before us to do.
I challenge you: when God is calling you out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to take on whatever it is. God will provide the means necessary to perform the duties at hand.

I pray that you will courageously jump out of your comfort zone when God calls you to do so.

Today’s scripture is found in Joshua 1:9.

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

Have you ever thought that life was going perfect and then all of a sudden it’s like you get hit by five brick walls at once? Or maybe you feel like you are finally having a high moment in life but it suddenly turns to low again. Life has it’s ups and down, there’s no doubt about that. During the lows, God allows us the opportunity to make a choice of turning that low moment in life to something greater. The choices that we make in those moments can bring about a change in our life within minutes. When we choose to point out the positives, we learn to teach ourselves that not all bad things happen to us. We eventually train our minds to not so quickly jump to the negative side of the situation. When we choose to point out the positives in negative situations, we are choosing to rejoice in the Lord and to find joy no matter the circumstances. We are choosing to put God first and let him take control. We are choosing to let God give us the strength to deal with the situation at hand instead of taking control ourselves and potentially making things worse.
This week I challenge you: when those low moments seem to hit hard, stop and think about all the positives that took place and can take place despite the bad. When you point the positives out, even the small ones, and combine them all together they make that one negative seem way smaller than before.

I pray that God gives you the strength to deal with whatever life throws at you this week. In Jesus name.

Devotions by Lindsey Gibson

This weeks episode is now on iTunes and Spotify! This week I took a break from The Who is Jesus series to discuss an issue with our faith and politics.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsheathing-the-sword/id1538531927 =Buzzsprout-6352378

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/10ABOpBhizXij0BY9MGjZ2?si=kCLIogR3TrS1XqzKg0Q-GA

‎Unsheathing the Sword on Apple Podcasts ‎Christianity · 2020

Thank you to everyone that has checked the show out so far! It’s greatly appreciated! I’m excited to see where God is going to take this podcast. I’ve got several ideas for topics I want to explore on this show but I’m also open to suggestions. Also if you got any pointers on how to improve the show please let me know, this is my first time ever doing a podcast and I pray the show gets better with time! Another episode should be out by Wednesday. Go subscribe on Apple podcast or Spotify to make sure you don’t miss a single episode that is posted!

Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsheathing-the-sword/id1538531927

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NKwsaSxfRK05V1DWIt3sZ?si=LjgRP7zSRQWTStaJ1u5LoQ

‎Unsheathing the Sword on Apple Podcasts ‎Christianity · 2020

I was able to get approved a lot quicker than I thought on iTunes, so instead of having to wait a week to hear the first two episodes of Unsheathing the Sword you can hear them now on iTunes, Spotify, or, Buzzsprout.

ITunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsheathing-the-sword/id1538531927

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5URcJ8w4eebzjHMAlL1frY?si=o5UmvtqxSjWjTthHH6Vyjw

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1461277

Unsheathing the Sword is something that has been on my heart for a while now. Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on the first couple of episodes and sharpening my focus for this podcast. Hebrews 4:12 has been the main Scripture on my heart as I have prepared this podcast. Scripture is sharper than a double edged sword, but we so often don't use Scripture like the double edged sword Scripture is. We use it sheathed because we have not been studying the Scripture like we should or we are not sure how to approach certain topics with Scripture. So my heart behind this podcast is going to be helping others unsheathe the Sword. Helping people better defend their faith and helping others understand the Sword better. I'm hoping to have the podcast launched sometime in the next two weeks. So stay tuned, people on this page will be the first to know of the official launch of the podcast!