“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” — George Orwell
We need to understand that we face a terrible, relentless foe that will not stop attacking us and everything we love as long as we stand opposed to his ways. We can take comfort in the fact there are people all over the world praying for us and all Christians everywhere for our strength, courage, fortitude and protection. And, we do warfare for them as well during our watch. I am reminded of the fact that we need to be on guard or at attention at all times that we may intercede for all Christians everywhere:
Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
We need to storm the very gates of hell through prayer to establish the kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven. We need to take every matter to the Lord in prayer. When we hear of persecution in some faraway place, our response must be to get before our Father on our knees and intercede for those dear saints.
We also need a better understanding of God’s majesty. God’s majesty is always increasing. We are being transformed from glory to glory. God is irresistible, irrepressible and indomitable! He absolutely can’t be overcome! God’s majesty is absolutely stunning and unfathomable to all who witness it. This means we win! No matter what enemy or mountain we face, God is superior to it and since we are His, and He always wins – we win! Praise God!
Adversity is training for reigning! We don’t need sympathy – we wear the enemy down by staying positive and upbeat, in spite of our circumstances. We’re told to count it all joy. James says it well:
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Also, when we endure persecution for the sake of Jesus’ name, we will have the Spirit of glory and of God resting upon us! In crisis, the Spirit of God rests on us! This means we walk in the favor of the Most High! What a position of privilege and power — we need to believe that and receive it.
1 Peter 4:12-14 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Further, Jesus told us we have freely received and we need to give freely to others so they may enter in to what we are blessed to enjoy:
Matthew 10:7-8 And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons: freely you have received, freely give.
- Heal the sick – they are oppressed by the enemy of our soul
- Cleanse the lepers – they are covered with the mire and muck of sin
- Raise the dead – we are surrounded by walking dead and they do not know they are dead
- Cast out demons – the people are tormented and oppressed by the agents of our enemy
These are our marching orders from our King, Jesus, spoken directly from His mouth. How do we defeat the enemy? We take the battle to him by doing the above things for every person we meet. We demonstrate God’s love for that person and we help one person at a time to come to know that God does indeed love them and will provide for all their needs and desires.
We help one person see the defilement that sin causes in their life and help to get free of it. We help them become free from disease, illness and ailment. We help them become children of God by accepting Jesus as Lord, Master and Savior! We help them become free from the spiritual forces that harass and debase them. This is the work of life; freely giving that which we cannot hold back because it is always straining to reach out to the next person. Then, the next and the next and …
We become compelled to act on behalf of our brethren because that’s who God created us to be! We do not need to be ordained or attend Bible College or some seminary. We already possess everything we need by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not say, get ordained and then go. He said go!
I am often reminded of the truth in Proverbs 24:
Proverbs 24:11-12 Deliver those that are drawn toward death, hold back those that are stumbling to the slaughter; If you say, Behold, we knew it not; does not he that weighs the heart consider it? and he that keeps your soul, does not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
People are dying all around us without hope, without remedy and without any chance at all because of the forces arrayed against them. We have the cure! His name is Jesus! And, He is more than enough! Take a chance and commit your life, your money, your strength and your sacred honor to Jesus – to helping everyone you meet to see Jesus and to help them get to know Him!
I had a young man ask me recently how to stay on fire for God because he once was on fire but the flames have simmered down and he was being drawn back into his old ways again. He does not want to go that way, but he senses that is what is happening and he wonders how can he stay hot for Jesus?
As I stood there and pondered this, the notion came to me that we all come to a point in our walk with God where we must choose to go all the way or not. We are either all in, or we will begin to fade away. We come to a door that we will either step through or not, and that door is total, unequivocal and complete surrender to the Lord where we make Him first in everything in our life.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
We must make Jesus Lord of all we are, all we possess or shall ever possess, all we desire or shall ever desire, all we love or shall ever love and all we hold close to us for whatever reason. He must be before our belly, our lust, our money, our reason, our families, our work or livelihood, our rest, our passion and every other facet of our lives.
You see God is a jealous God and He will not allow any other Gods to stand before Him.
Exodus 20:2-3 I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.
And
Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
The Lord is worthy of all our adoration and our complete surrender to Him and His commandments. We can only stay hot for Him if He is absolutely first in everything.
So, I put the question to all who have ventured this far, “will you surrender all to God and make Him the Lord of your life?”
Father, please help us realize that putting you first in our life is the best thing we can do! Help us take ourselves off of the throne and put you on it. Help us to dedicate our lives to you totally without hesitation or reservation. Help us to become fully committed to honoring, worshiping, obeying and loving you for all of eternity. Give us the courage to be all in, all or nothing, hot for you and your kingdom. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
The Warrior Anointing 