Standing Is Fighting

When we as believers take a stand for what our Father has said, then we in fact are doing more than just standing. We are involved in spiritual warfare on some level. We can be the people that make a difference in the planet simply by refusing to give in to evil. On the surface, that sounds simple. But let me share the story of a friend of mine, whom I will call Michael, and perhaps this will make more sense.

Michael has been around a while. He began to not feel well, but shrugged it off as just the weather. Eventually he was very sick with congestion, headaches, and drowsiness. Then came swelling of lymph nodes under his left arm. He decided not to visit an earthly physician, instead relying on the healing power of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus).

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

He used some essential oils to advance the reduction in swelling of the nodes. He had a few really good days, with no signs of any issues. He had some pretty bad days where not only did the nodes swell, but he had significant pain in the left side of his body – arm, leg, and chest. As of today, the swelling nodes and pain under the left arm are gone! Praise YAH! He still gets chest pains and has some difficulty breathing, but all in all, he will tell you, his Messiah healed him.

Michael has just taken a stand. I will not judge what he is doing, for he does it unto the Lord. But one thing for certain, in the spirit realm, it is known that there is a human that is not cooperating with darkness. May YAH be glorified!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name YAH! Let Your will be done here in this earth, without fail, as it is in heaven, gloriously. Let Your kingdom come here into the hearts of men. Send us now Your provision such that it might overflow to those around us. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Wipe away all thoughts and memories of the evil done to us or by us. In their place let there be only thoughts or memories of You and Your will and Your kingdom. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that we might use it to promote Your kingdom in the hearts of men. Restore unto Your people seventy times seven all the good that has been taken or held back in any way from them, and the more besides. Let this be Your time, Father. Let this be when Your light shines to men. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name, YAH. We ask all these things in the name of YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Vision Of Four Men

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night. Seeming more awake than normal for just waking from sleep, I went and sat for a bit in a lit room. Still trying to adjust to the shift from sleep to awake, I began to pray softly, sometimes with understanding and sometimes in the Spirit, with my eyes closed. Suddenly, with my eyes still closed, I had a very vivid full color vision of four men standing on the top of a rolling hill. There were hundreds and possibly thousands of people seated in the surrounding hills, listening intently to what these four men were saying. My view was as if I was perhaps 60 feet behind them and elevated maybe 20 feet in the air. During this time, I was completely conscious and was able to move left to right somehow. I moved to my right and panned the crowds. There was great peace in the crowds as they listened. I had a sense that one of the men talking was me. Watching long enough to make sure I was awake and that I would remember, I finished praying, the vision stopped, and I opened my eyes. Returning to bed, I went to sleep quickly.

Over the years, I have only had a few of these visions where I was completely awake and knew I was awake at the time. By that I mean when I am completely wide awake. In the vision, the sense I had was I was speaking truth. It also seemed like I knew at least two of the people with me. This morning As I was praying for the interpretation, what it seemed God was saying was, “Go. Just tell them the truth.” The truth really is simple, I believe, at least in some ways.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

It has always been true that our Father wants us to be moving forward in life, changing our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

It is the war for our hearts and minds that we must face. The good news is, God is on our side and the battle outcome is already decided. We win!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom come in all our hearts, turning them from stone to flesh. Let Your will be done here in this earth, perfectly and without pause, as it is in heaven. Send us now Your provision. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Deliver us from the evil here, and wash us that we have thoughts and memories of only You. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that we might feed the poor, care for the widows and orphans, free Your people, and promote the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name YAH. We ask all these things in the name YAH Yeshuah. Come quickly. Here our prayers. Amen.

Understanding The Task

This morning while trying to gain a better understanding of spiritual warfare and our roles as believers in this earth, I considered what we should be about doing. It is unlikely that we are to be fighting at all times, not impossible, but unlikely, especially since Yeshuah (Jesus) has already defeated the enemy. Even as I write this I wonder if the battle for the earth is already completed, and we now just have to battle for our own minds to believe what we have been given. I am uncertain. There are things we do constantly, and things we do periodically, and things we do randomly. One constant thing is praise and thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

And again the writer of the Psalms agrees.

Psalms 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

We also not only pray “at all times” but we pray for specific requests. We also pray at specific times.

Psalms 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

And then there is the rest of the time.

Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

So there is battle with the sword of the Spirit, and there is doing the daily routine. These are the tasks at hand.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom reign in the hearts of men. Let Your will be done here as it is in heaven, where all Your will just comes to pass like clockwork. Send us, while it is called today, Your overwhelming provision that we might overflow to others. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Deliver us from the evil here, and wash our hearts and minds white as snow. Heal us from the inside out. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that we might use it to promote Your kingdom, Father. Restore one thousandfold of all the good that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people – whether lands, monies, gold, silver, jewels, relationships, or any other good thing – and the more besides. We rely on You, our King, and none else. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name, YAH. We ask all these things in the name YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Confronting The Enemy On Homeland Soil

It is well known that the best place to fight a war is in the country of your enemy. There are a few reasons, and one is that the damage done is done to his land and community, and not your own. It would seem that spiritual warfare is the same thing. We have to find out as much as we can about fighting our enemy. We have to prepare to fight. And we have to continue to prepare and learn. The worst case scenario is the war comes to our own doorstep. But the truth is still the truth, and that is what we must cling to in the end, if we are to emerge winners.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Let us use the utterance of God, the rhema, the prayer in the Spirit, and defeat our enemy always.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom come here. Let Your will be done here absolutely, as it is in heaven. Send us now Your overwhelming provision that it might overflow to those around us. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have transgressed or trespassed against us. Wipe away all thoughts and memories of the evil done to us or by us. In their place let there be only thoughts and memories of You and Your love toward us. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all that has been taken or held back in any way that was good, and the more besides. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that we might promote Your kingdom here. We need You, now more than ever. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name YAH. We ask all these things in the name YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Loving Is Winning

Over the last few days in speaking with several friends I have heard stories of situations where people have reacted to others badly, making public false and/or misleading accusations against people. As I pondered this morning these situations, I recalled something our Messiah said that makes so much sense now.

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Paul repeated this in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

It is clear that if we can be more like the Messiah and less like those that choose to speak evil, we can do what He did, and overcome the world.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Let us all try to love one another.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom come here. Let Your will be done here, as it is in heaven, without hesitation. Send us now Your overwhelming provision, that it might overflow to those around us. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Deliver us from the evil here. Wipe away all thoughts or memories of evil done to us or by us, and replace them with thoughts and memories of You and Your love toward us. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all that has been taken or held back in any way of that which is good from Your people, and the more besides. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that we might use it to promote Your kingdom. WE ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name YAH. We ask all these things in the name YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Slaying The Dragon

We are meant to be servant warriors to the One and Only True King. As such we will face the unknown. It is okay. For what we do know sustains us, and that is our Messiah Yeshuah died, and then rose again demonstrating the defeat of the enemy. It is His resurrection that we must remember, and His shed blood. These things were pure and undefiled, and we have access to them and to our Father through them. Not that there was no access before, but rather, being human, we had our sin with us. Now we can turn from our sin and have our Father receive us openly, the same as He receives Yeshuah. This is a hard thing to comprehend, because we know exactly what we are like. And yet, our Father does help us. He does lead us. He does care for us. He does deliver us. And we can count on Him. He never leaves us or forsakes us.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

We know that we can slay the dragons in our lives because our Father is on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom come here. Let Your will be done here as it is in heaven. Send us now Your overwhelming provision that it might overflow to those around us. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Wipe away all thoughts and memories of the evil done to us or by us. In their place let there be only thoughts and memories of You and Your loving kindness. Deliver us from the evil here. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all the good that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people, and the more besides. Bring in quickly the $424,523,962.53. Restore now Father, while it is called today. Remove tumors and swellings, remove fevers and sicknesses, make the lame to walk and the blind to see. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all theset hings of You, Father, in Your name YAH. We ask all these things in the name of YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Fighting When You Cannot Stand

It can be a challenge for us as believers to fight the good fight in times of great distress. As I listened to someone talking last night I heard of great pain on the part of parents and families. I cannot even imagine how that must feel. I do understand how it feels to be alone and in great weakness, leaving only me alone with YAH. But even when we do not have the strength to stand upright, we must keep fighting, as best we can. We do that with our one true weapon, the sword of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Even when knocked down to the ground, if we will believe, we can still be victorious. When we pray in the Spirit, we have the power to overcome darkness. Paul is considered by some to be the greatest of the original Apostles. Here is what he had to say about his praying in the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

Paul prayed, sang, and spoke in tongues (the Spirit). Apparently a lot. And many consider him great in the kingdom. This one thing is sure. If we will speak with our lips the things of YAH, He will honor those words. He will show up as King.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom come in men, and let Your will be done here as it is in heaven. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Heal our hearts and minds, wiping away all thoughts or memories of evil done to us or by us. In their place let there be only thoughts or memories of You. Please forgive us. We are people, weak. We need You to help us be more like You. There is hope, but that hope is only in You. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that we might promote the kingdom. Deliver us from the evil here. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all that is good that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. Hear my cries, my King. Father, I need You to show Yourself strong for Your people today. Only You can do these things. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things in Your name, Father, the name YAH. We ask all these things in the name of YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Wrestling VS. Fighting

We are meant to be involved in spiritual warfare. When I think of wrestling, I flash back to high school and to college, and men and boys in tights. However, that is not what is meant for us by spiritual warfare. Let me try to explain.

Ephesians 6:For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Two things to note here. We are not at war with humans. We are at war with non-humans of some degree of capability. This does say wrestle. However, what follows is the detail that makes it plain that we are to go beyond wresting to what appears to be full blown armed combat.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

There are many interesting things to say here. One is that we have only one weapon listed, which is the rhema (in the Greek) of God, which Paul seems to indicate is prayer in the Spirit. Many refer to this as praying in tongues. For those that might get distressed over this writing, let me only ask that you pray and ask sincerely for wisdom. When our Father reveals it to you, then do that.

This we can be assured of, our Father is on our side, and our enemy is out to kill us, our families, and our friends.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name YAH! Let Your kingdom come here, let Your will be done here, as it is in heaven. Send us now Your provision for this day. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Deliver us from the evil here. Wipe away all thoughts or memories of the evil done to us or by us. In their place let there only be thoughts and memories of You. Warm us from the inside with Your anointing oil. Let us be more like You such that the image of You that we are, resonates with the universe. Send in now the $424,523,962.53 that the kingdom might go forth in this time. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all the good that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. Show us a sign for good that all men might know that You alone Father, King, have done these things. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name YAH. We ask all these things in the name YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Fighting Back

We must never quit fighting the good fight. It is our destiny. It is our calling. As challenging as it may seem at the time, we are actually designed for it. If we will believe that above all else, we will win.

Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King! Praise the name YAH! Let Your will be done here, let Your kingdom come here, as it is in heaven. Send us now Your provision for this day. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Wash us clean and we will be refreshed. Deliver us from the evil here. Restore unto Your people all the good that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yehsuah (Jesus). We ask all these things of You, Father, in Your name YAH. We ask all these things in the name of YAH Yeshuah. Amen.

Battle Strategy For Spiritual Warfare

There are times when fighting in spiritual warfare that the best strategy is to limit the areas in which we are fighting. There is actually a good example of this in scripture.

Nehemiah 3:23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house.
24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.
26 Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.
27 After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.
28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

Here we see that Nehemiah undertook the work of rebuilding the wall around the city by getting each family to build the wall that was at their own house. Additional areas were assigned to the priesthood and others as they were available. But there was a specific area assigned to each person. There were defined limits to each persons responsibility.

Another important point is that the wall is for defense. It was built in layers, stone upon stone. There were defined entry points. But there was another interesting point to the situation with each builder.

Nehemiah 4:16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

We see here that there were a number of people dedicated to defending the builders. But every builder held a sword in one hand. Leterally, every single person had a weapon to strike at the enemy in battle if there was an attack.

Spiritual warfare is the same. We must learn to determine where we are to be responsible for building. We must also learn where we are to be responsible for limited battle. It is this limitation that is a wise strategy for each of us to deploy for ourselves and our families.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name YAH! Let Your will be done here and Your kingdom come here as it is in heaven. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our trespasses and transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed or transgressed against us. Deliver us from the evil here. Wipe clean our thoughts and memories that they be only of You. Restore unto Your people one thousandfold all that has been taken or held back in any way that was good, and the more besides. Let there be seventy times seven blessing upon Your people. Heal us Father. Let us be in You and You in us. Send in quickly the $424,523,962.53 that it might be used to build Your kingdom here. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We ask all these things in Your name, Father, the name YAH. We ask all these things in the name YAH Yeshuah. Amen.