Prepare For War…
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (Amplified Bible)
3For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.
4For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
5[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
As I sat in Sunday Morning Service and the message was coming forth our Bishop, who is a unique vessel that hears from God in such a clear and concise way, relayed to us that the number ten means testing. Although there is a spirit of expectancy and expectation, the blessings, revelation and whatever else God has for us will not come without a test, or a price. He went on to say, so many of us want to graduate, but never want to show up for class, do the homework, or take the test associated with the lesson that we are suppose to be learning, but this year was a year that we would have to put up or shut up. In my spirit I heard an echoing of, “Prepare For War!” It was chilling to my core, but I understood that although the promises of God are yea and Amen they are not without their battles and test. Not without circumstances that stretch us and make us have to sit up and pay attention, hit our knees all the more, or hold on trusting God a little while longer. But the questions are can one pass a test or win a war without preparation? The answer is emphatically NO! You have to study, to pass a test and you have to train to win a war.
Every year I begin my year by fasting to ask God for guidance direction and instruction, and to release control to Him. I begin towards the end of the year to look to God and prepare myself to fast and pray. This year was no different, but two days before my fast began, I began to be challenged and unrest seemed to plague my close relationships. I found that I was not alone. It seemed that people I knew were experiencing unexpected challenges that took them out of their element and provided great distractions, in some cases invoked fear and upset and even pitted family members against one another. In my quiet time the Lord spoke and said the enemy knows what your purpose is and knows if you ever get to it that you will be more dangerous, so instead of even allowing you to get a foot in the door he is trying to block the entrance way. But the beauty of having relationship with God is hearing His voice and knowing how and when to respond. Instead of running in the opposite direction, the press was now on and I became more determine to seek God. It required me to hit my belly (not my knees) and to pull on the word in me; it required me to search the word for more strength and to praise and worship my way to a place of peace. Just as a boxer puts in a mouth piece and tightens his gloves and they smear his face with grease to prevent cuts in the battle, so we have to apply the armor of God and gird ourselves up through time spent in the presence of God.
This year is not for the faint in heart and the weak in spirit. It is time to prepare for kingdom business by way of conflict. But the major benefit is that if we do the work, if we prepare sufficiently, if we trust God in all that we do, we know that we will win, and that the victory is assured us, because Jesus secured our victory on the cross. We have the victory, we only have to catch up to it, but it requires us to be ready for combat. In God we are strong, through God’s word we are more than conquers, through God’s spirit we possess strategies that would other wise elude us. It is time to enter into our briefing time with God and let Him lay out the strategies that will afford us a winning campaign. It is truly time to turn the pressure into praise, the test into a testimony. It is time to Prepare For War!
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