September 30, 2008
Prepare
for War
Joel
3:9-13 Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the
mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. Beat your
plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I
am strong.'" Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all
around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.
"Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the
winepress is full, the vats overflow — For their wickedness is great."
When
wickedness rises up, we must go to war! We must not wring our hands and
worry—we must put on the armor of God and rise up in Spirit to do battle.
When
you spot the enemy trying to rise up through rebellion in your teenager, don’t
believe the lie that says, “That’s how teenagers are.” -- Go to war!
When
you spot the enemy trying to bring in strife and division in your marriage,
don’t believe the lie that says, “All couples fight.” – Go to war!
When
you spot the enemy trying to bring sickness upon you and the ones you love,
don’t believe the lie that says, “I just caught what is going around.” –
Go to war!
When
you spot the enemy trying to attack your finances, don’t believe the lie that
says, “Everyone is struggling these days.” – Go to war!
For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ, and being
ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Cor 10:4-6
Your
weapons are not worldly weapons. You
must pick up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God and pierce the
darkness of lies with the light of truth. Pray in the Spirit. The
Spirit helps us in our weaknesses by making intercession for us according to the
will of God (Rom 8:26-27). Begin praising God and thanking Him for the
victory you have in Him. By praising and thanking Him, you put your faith in
action believing without seeing the results. Having done all--stand in the
confidence and trust of the Lord to work all things out for your good.
You
are a warrior of the Most High God! He has called you to be His battle axe. Let
the weak say, “I am strong.” All human strength is weak in comparison to
God. In your weakness, His grace is sufficient for
you, for His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Verse 10 says,
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This is true because when we
quit trying to fight battles on our own, we rely on God, and the battle really
belongs to Him anyway. We
are strong in the Lord and power of His might (Ephesians 6:10)!
I
am proclaiming today oh mighty warriors of God, “Prepare for war!”
Janet Fairbrother