Fighting In The Faith

When we pursue our walk with God, we will inevitably come to a place to battle our enemy. We are fortunate above all men because the enemy is out to kill us all. However, we have our God to defend us if we call upon Him.

Psalms 64:1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Let us remember that we serve a living and true God. He will come to our aid when we call.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Mos High. Send Your kingdom to destroy the kingdom of the enemy. Give us abundant provision. Forgive us our sin. Send healing and deliverance today Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Battleship

The last couple days have been very full. So much so that instead of writing in the morning I ma writing today in the early evening. As I sat a moment to rest and consider all that is going on and how God is with us, I am reminded of a battleship. Having never served in the Navy, I likely have an unrealistic picture. My vision of a battleship is a sleek powerful cruiser that has within it the explosive power to change somebody’s world. It reminded me of how we are to be in our spiritual warfare.

Luke 10: 17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

In this scripture we not only see that we are to have within us the power to dislodge and destroy the enemy, it makes Jesus happy when we do. He does provide a word of caution to not get puffed up thinking we are something special as a resul. We are to be like this. We are God’s battleships on the sea of mankind.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You for being our King and Ruler. Send Your kingdom to this earth. Reign, Lord. Send us abundant provision today. Forgive us when we make the dumb mistakes that we know we will. Send Your healing and deliverance, especially from ebola. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Don’t Hand It Over

We as believers have an enemy that is constantly trying to cause us harm. We know this because Jesus stated this in scripture.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Our Messiah came to give us life. Abundant life. He did this because of His great love for us. As I was thinking of this scripture this morning and of how our God is always present to help us, it occurred to me that there is another situation that happens from time to time. There are the days when we are indeed fighting our enemy in spiritual warfare. We can give in at times and stumble, but we can turn and God will still forgive us and lift us up.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

The other times I spoke of are when we, without fighting, do things to just hand over the kingdom in our lives to our enemy. It is possible to do this by giving way to sin simply and without a struggle. For me there have been times when I thought I could not fight back because I believed the lies told me that I had no value. Many people struggle with self esteem issues. The truth is God never has and never will give up on us. In the middle of these types of battles all we need do is open our mouth and say no to our enemy and call out to our God. He will save us.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Paul is certainly speaking here of calling out to God for eternal life. But this same act can work against our enemy when we are under attack. It works when we are tempted. It works because God has ordained it, that if we believe He is on our side and we call out to Him, He will come to our rescue. Today, if you are in a spiritual battle, do not believe the lies that you are no good. Call out to God and He will save you from that moment.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. You alone are worthy of our praise. Let Your kingdom rule in the earth today and in our hearts at every moment. Send us today Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we fail You. Remind us to call out to Your name. Send us today Your healing and deliverance. Be our Mighty God boldly today, that all men might know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

A Fighting Chance

These days it seems like the world is determined to become a crazier place every day. There are cowards grabbing the lime light by capturing innocent civilians and then attacking and beheading them while they are tied up. There are wars in many places on the globe. And in the cities in America crime continues to rise. As I look at this I try to make sense of it and can only come to one conclusion. Man needs God more than ever. God is our defense against such insanity, as He has always been.

Psalms 101:1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.

Our God will rise up to cut off the wickedness.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Let Your kingdom reign Lord. Let Your will be performed in the earth. Send us today Your abundant provision. Deliver us from the ever present evil of cowardly men who do physical and financial violence in the earth. Forgive us when we get things wrong. Send us Your healing and deliverance that all men might know that You alone are the One True God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

When We Reach Out

We are all given the charge to get the word out about the good news. Just like us at one time, those that we know or come into contact with that have not heard about or given their life to Jesus need to hear about Him. They need to know that Jesus dies for them before they were even born. They need to know He did this so they could have life.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

This is the truth that will set them free. Jesus died to be their Messiah too.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

So this then is what they should not only hear from us, but see in our lives. When they see our lives, they should see abundant life. They should want the lives we have. When we pray and ask God to help us in our lives we are not only battling for our own abundant life, we are battling for those that will see us and want the life we have.

Psalms 86:17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

We must always remember, Jesus died to set all men free.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. We thank You for the life You have given unto us through the death of Jesus, Your Son, on the cross. Please send us today Your abundant provision. This earth belongs to You for You are its Creator. Let Your kingdom reign in this earth Father. Dispel the darkness we see around us. Destroy every work of the enemy. Take away the abuses that people do to themselves and each other. Turn the hearts of our loved ones and neighbors that do not know You. Draw them to You through us and our lives. Let us be a token for good, that others may know You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Help Is On The Way

We are a people that want to believe. After all, we are called believers. We believe in our God. We believe He is good. We believe that He will prevail in all situations. We believe that we are His children and that as a Father, He wants our lives to be filled with joy. And certainly we believe that good triumphs over evil. Sometimes we can struggle with this last point. Scripture tells us that good does triumph over evil, that we should cry out to God every day, and that God delivers us and shows us as a token for good in the earth.

Psalms 86:1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

Today, let your spirit and your countenance be lifted up. God is on our side. Call out to Him and He will deliver you!

Help is on the way!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High King. We thank You for all Your great work and the wondrous things You have done, are doing, and will do in our lives. Please send today Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we give place to doubt and fear. Strengthen us. Send Your kingdom to us today in healing and deliverance, and silence our enemies. Show us a sign for good. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Leading Edge

When we are fighting against the enemy, we do not stand alone. Not only that, we do not stand defenseless. Paul tells us how to fight and what keeps us safe. The edge of the blade we cut the enemy with, the leading edge, is not scripture.

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;

Here Paul says it begins with God. It is His power. We protect ourselves with truth wrapped around, the breastplate which covers our heart is our righteousness which is in part our attempts to do good. For example, if we keep the Torah, we attempt to do good works. More importantly we have the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

It is this same faith which is the protector of our minds, our helmet, which is our salvation. Our salvation is through faith. So our heart and our mind is protected by our faith in Jesus. And we are lead to that through the Law, according to Paul.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Finally, in the end, we have the sword of the Spirit. Many think that this is the bible. According to this scripture, it is not. According to this scripture the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is the rhema of God, which in the Greek means the utterance of God. Paul goes on to explain that this is the praying in the Spirit. If we are to overcome the enemy, we are to use this to pray without ceasing, to pray on behalf of all believers. This is the weapon we have been given.

Today, if you want to join in the battle, pray in the Spirit and watch God destroy the works of the enemy in your life and in the lives of those for whom You pray.

Prayer
Father, we long for You to be with us. We exalt You as our King. You are our Father, always looking out for us. Please send us today Your kingdom. Please send us today Your power and Your provision in abundance. Help us to remember to pray in the Spirit. Forgive us when we fall. Keep us from evil. Heal and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Kneeling Warriors

When we think of warriors, whether ancient fighting men or today’s modern soldier, certain images come to mind. The warriors of old are pictured standing hold sword and shield. Modern soldiers with weapons ready in full gear are pictured firing at the enemy. There is another type of warrior that has even greater power. This is the prayer warrior.

When we pray to God on behalf of others or situations, we are the most powerful warriors of all. This is not because we in and of ourselves have some great power. It is because of who God is. God is able and willing to defend us and His creation when we ask. David knew this. He was a great warrior and yet He called out to God regularly to defend himself, his soldiers, and his people – God’s people.

Pslams 57:1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

It is not a requirement for us to kneel to pray and praise. No matter where we are we can praise our God. No matter where we are we can cry out to God to come to our defense and He will answer. But there are times when we as prayer warriors feel compelled to fall to our knees to honor God and call out to Him. In all cases He responds to rise up to defend His people.

Today, if You have a need or know someone that has a need, call out to God and watch Him again come to the aid of His people.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our prayer and praise. You alone are King. Please come in Your power today and bring Your kingdom into the lives of Your people. Please forgive us when we stumble, and pick us up. Come today Lord, come now, and bring Your healing , deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Air Power

Growing up my dad was in the Air Force Reserves after leaving the regular Air Force. I think that was the reason we watched all of the old movies about World War II with James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart, and many others. There was one point that was made repeatedly and my dad would sometimes mention. The one that had air superiority, that “ruled the sky”, would always win. As I began to write today I realized that applies in spiritual warfare as well. Our enemy is in the air.

Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

So our enemy is the prince of the power of the air. If we can rule the air, then we win. Scriptures say that our God is even higher and rules the sky. He rids on it and through it.

Psalms 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.

Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Our God rules the air. And when we call out to God, when we humble ourselves and pray, when we sing His praises, we ride with Him. With God, we can rule the air and defeat the prince of power of the air.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. Come in the clouds and rule over the earth. Bring Your kingdom amongst us. Help us for we are Your children Father and we need Your help. Forgive us when we do not follow You. Come now in power and heal and deliver Your people. Come in power and send us Your overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Rising Early

Sometimes our days go exactly as planned. On other days events occur that seem accidental, yet later we discover it was no accident at all. It was as if it were planned. Today was one of those days for me. I had to get up extra early to take a 45 minute drive to a business appointment before work. Upon arriving I was told the appointment was tomorrow, which I remembered when they told me. It made me wonder why I was there. On the trip there and back I did manage to see several signs that had information that I was looking for and I was able to get some things done that I would have missed without this unusual series of events. Spiritual warfare can be the same.

We are called to prayer and praise as believers. We never know when our actions may change the course of events for someone we do not even know. David was both a physical warrior and a spiritual warrior. Although he was a soldier, he did not rely on only his own strength, but on God to defend him.

Psalms 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

We too can battle early in the morning. We too can receive God’s protection and defense. We too can be helping our fellow believers with our early prayers and praise, whether they are next door, across town, across the country, or on the other side of the world. Let’s fight the enemy early with our prayer and praise today.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We love You and need You in our lives. We need Your kingdom in our lives. Please forgive us for our transgressions. Please send us your healing power. Destroy the enemies of Your people. Help those we do not even know. Guide us and keep us. Deliver Your people. Send us Your abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.