Scriptural Foundation:
Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John: 16:32-33 New King James (NKJV)
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
2 Timothy 2:3-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
Revelation 17:13-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
Reflection:
In the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of warrior is a brave or experienced soldier or fighter. In the 15+ years I have been walking with the Lord, I have gone through some stuff. In the very beginning, I naively thought that as soon as you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior that all of a sudden life would become easier. In the beginning, it was easy. As a baby Christian, I feed on the milk of the Word and absolutely loved it. I prayed and got a response almost immediately. As I transitioned to the meat of the Word, things became a little more challenging. The enemy would have you believe that you are the biggest failure as a Believer that ever lived. These attacks will come showering down on your mind like a relentless missile strike. The enemy hoping to discourage and disrupt the progress you have made with the Lord. When the Holy Spirit started revealing my gifts then things became unbearable in the natural. Paul breaks it down very vividly in Ephesians 6 the Armor of God. We as Believers have to come to terms with that we are at war in the spirit. In everything we should turn to Jesus as an example. Before He was taken away to be crucified and fulfill His assignment on earth, Jesus prophesied to His disciples as we draw closer to the fulfillment of our purpose things in the natural will become difficult, but He had already overcome the world (John: 16:32-33). If you study out the lives of his disciples, they all encounter serious opposition, most to the point of physical death.
A couple of years ago, I came across a great book called Dress to Kill, A Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare and Armor by Rick Renner. The author focused on each item in the Armor of God and broke down its significance to the battle that we face on a daily basis. We as Believer can’t be naive to believe that passive faith is going to get us across the finish line. It is not enough any more to say “I will pray for you” and walk away or post things on social media let “sending prayers”. These statements by themselves are hollow if you don’t take the time to do what you actually say. My Pastors tell us all the time that there is no better time in the present to pray for people. Sure in the beginning it is uncomfortable to pray with a family member, friend or co-worker, but when you start realizing that you are sowing seed for the Lord with each connection it becomes easier. You don’t need to be the in five-fold ministry; you just have to be available and willing to share your heart when the Lord calls. Take your place in the army of the Lord….helping to plunder hell and populate Heaven.
Seeking Revelation:
Grab your notebook:
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- List out the different “fronts” in your life. For example – home, work, traveling soccer, fire house auxiliary, etc.
- Ask the Lord to put someone on your heart to pray for. Gradually the Lord will create opportunities to ask “can I pray with you?”
- The more you pray with individuals the more testimonies that you will hear and will help strengthen your faith to advance in the Spirit.