The Battle Cry

In America, as in many lands, there has been from time to time a cry to battle. “To arms! To arms!” Yet our battle is not against fellow man. When we are driven to our knees, we deceive our enemy, for then we are most powerful.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

We can win if we can pray and turn.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Take up arms, my brothers and sisters! Fight our true foe on your kness. Our Father will defeat all enemies!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. Let Your kingdom reign! Praise the name of Yahuah! Send us today Your provision, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing! Forgive us our sins. Heal our brokenness. Deliver us from the evil that is trying to blot out Your name by destroying us. Crush these works to powder and blow them away in the whirlwind! Show us a sign for good, that all men might know that You alone have done this, that You alone, Yahuah our King, Are God! Do it today. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesu). Amen.

To The Right And To The Left

Today was a reasonably intense day. As I thought about the battles we have in life, it occcurred to me that we not only face them individually, we face them as a collective. We face them as the body of believers. In essence, even if we are holding our own in the spiritual battles, we need to remember to look to the left and to the right. Our brothers and sisters may well need us.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

We see at work here two principles. First, we are called to help one another. We need each other. No person stands alone. Secondly, we are all responsible for our own walk, We should not think that we can escape the fruit of our efforts, for goo or for bed. Paul states this specifically in the scriptures that follow – we reap what we sow. But the message here is that no man should be puffed up and therefore not help his brothers and sisters, because all will reap what they sow. All of us need each other. Collectively, we will defeat our enemy.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We need You and Your kingdom. We are Your kingdom in many ways. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Help us to help each other. Heal us. Deliver us from the thief that steals from us. Restore one hundred times one hundred fold, and hundreds of hundreds of hundreds. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Song Fighters

There are times and days when there is much to be done and little time to do it. In those days, the spiritual battle still rages. Sometimes stronger. In those times, I try to find a single scripture to meditate on and to say out loud to myself to help me win those battles. This is one of those days. This is one of those scriptures.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Today, I must remind myself to sing to my Father, and I will let Him defeat my enemies.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Let us live in Your kingdom. We bless the name Yahuah. Send us today the provision we need. Forgive us our sins. Heal us inside. Deliver us from the thief that is stealing away all You have provided. Crush those works. Come to our aid, my King! We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Fight With What We Have

There have been many times as I sat thinking about spiritual warfare that I thought about, no, I longed to have the results that I read about in the scriptures. I want to slay the giant with his own sword. I wanted to hold out a staff and have even the swimming pool get a dent in the middle. But those things were not for me at that time. Why? David replied to this when he fought the giant and prevailed.

1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

David was able over time, with the help of Yahuah (Lord), to be able to build up to fighting the giant. WE can too. We just need to fight where we are with what we have against whom God places in front of us. He is on our side, and the battle is His. As this sinks in, We will advance in what we can fight.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. you are our King. We praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us, now that the end of year draws nigh. Deliver us before it ends. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Preparing For The Dawn

As I look to the day ahead, while it is yet dark, I think about the battle we are in. This battle is for our very existence. We may think that there is plenty of time. Our needs are met, we can pay our bills (even though more than 1/3 of our take home pay is spent on interest), there is food on OUR table, and so on. We can forget that there is a battle around us, and we are slowly being lulled to sleep. We are being stolen from every day, yet we go on, oblivious to the theft. In some cases we know and pretend we don’t. In times like these God has a way of getting our attention. He allows the world around us and our enemies get closer. Eventually we cry out for His help and guidance and deliverance.

Jeremiah 17:13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
15 Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now.
16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.
17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.

When trouble comes, if we turn and cry out to our Father, He will hear us and come to our aid.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Your kingdom is near our hearts. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive our sins. Heal our minds, and deliver us from the thief that has stolen so much and continues to steal. Come in Your power and crush his works now! We ask all of these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Getting Back Up

Often in the past I have heard different information about spiritual warfare and the actions we should take. Sometimes they have seemed complicated to me. Say this, don’t say that, give to this, don’t give to that, and on and on and on. Depending on the circumstances, all this can have useful application. Other times is is just noise. Today in prayer I was asking for something to share that would be simple and more universal. I got something, based on scripture.

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

It is important to note here that “saved” means wholeness. So in the context of what is being said, it does not imply that a person must be perfect to the end for their rebirth to “stick” but rather, the fullness of life now as well. We have to hold fast. Only then can our Father save us wholly – meaning getting the most out of this life as well. That is more of the long version. The short version is simple.

If you fall down, ALWAYS get back up. It is never over as long as you are willing to get back up.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us for our sins. Heal us and deliver us from that which is stealing from us. Come in power now, Father! We need You. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Committing To The Future

Thinking about today’s writing, I was drawn to the idea of creating a better future. We are all provided with our own set of abilities. We are all offered the opportunity to change what happens in our life. WE often do this, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But what if we could exert some type of control over the future? What if we could create it to be the way we wanted it to be?

Mark 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Today, although it may be challenging, today we need faith more than ever.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Please help us. We praise the name Yahuah. We need Your kingdom and Your provision today. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from the evil the is around us. Restore one hundred times one hundred fold that which has been stolen from Your people. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Never Changes

It is a part of the destiny of all mankind to face battles in life. These battles are spiritual. They can at times overflow into the physical. If we can learn to approach these challenges the right way, we can overcome them in a way that does not leave us so beat up. These same experiences are recorded in scripture. They took place long ago – they are not new and unique to us. Here is one example of how the psalmist responded.

Psalms 9:1 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
7 But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

When we sing praises, we are doing battle. We are turning back the enemy. We are lifting up God over the enemy to crush the enemy. That is a part of our mission. We will be victorious because it has already been decided.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We search for the peace of Your kingdom. Bless the name Yahuah! You alone can save us. We are cast down, but we do not give up. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Hear our cries, Father. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the destroyer and the thief. The evil has been destroying everything that You have provided, and stealing the rest. Rise up, O Majestic King, and crush this work! Destroy this great evil! Return to us one hundred times one hundred fold what has been destroyed and stolen. Right this wrong quickly, my God and my King Yahuah (Lord). We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Earnest Effort, Eager Expectation

Today as I was preparing to write I found my self wavering a bit over a prayer request I had made to God. When this happens for me it usually has something to do with timing. Things are not moving as fast as I want them to move. Impatience sets in, and with it doubt. In these times it helps me to remember to check a couple areas of my life. First is, am I making an earnest effort in the area in question. Have I prayed, read the scriptures, done any legwork that needs doing, etc. We are expected to take some action, make some earnest effort, to receive something from our Father. One action required is to ask.

James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Our actions need also line up with what we are asking. Our actions WILL always line up with what we truly believe.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Finally, we need to eagerly expect what we have asked Yahuah (Lord) to provide. This is what the word hope means in the Greek – eager expectation.

Hebrews 1:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

So, if we will hope, and then act on our hope, we can achieve victory.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Bless the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming blessing. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

When The Battle Begins

Every battle we face in life has a beginning. For us, we need to be prepared for that battle, so that we can come through it and experience a positive ending. That preparation has many components. This morning in reading some scriptures, I discovered one that I saw in a new light as I thought about the beginning of battle with the enemy.

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Embedded in this scripture is a key I had not seen in times past – “… a good understanding have all they that do his commandments…” When I looked at this scripture this morning, this new viewpoint emerged. By keeping His commandments, it gives us a frame of reference. Once we have that frame of reference, we operate from that perspective. That is our understanding that is spoken of here. Having the correct frame of reference sets the stage for everything else we do. From that we then arm ourselves to prepare for the battle, but the correct beginning is essential to our success.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Your kingdom is longed for by Your people. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds Father, that we might follow you more. Deliver us from the evil that wants to steal from us, has stolen and is stealing from us. We need You now. Come quickly. We ask all these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah. Amen.