Time To Go Into Battle

As I was driving home from speaking last night, my car began to act up (as it sometimes does) and the engine light comes on.  In that moment I got a revelation.  See just in the last 12 hours the previous post I was going to write about was about a spirit of expectancy. It has been in the mid-60’s here in Nashville and you can feel fall in the air.  I was thinking how fall reminds me of apples, pumpkins, comfort food and bonfires.  Then something came over me, that it also reminds me of the word - Harvest. God began to show me that what I was writing about was what my spirit was feeling, a spirit of expectancy. So now we go back to the car acting up.  Again revelation happened. In the last 24 hours our marriage has been attacked, our finances have been attacked, delay in work was put off from Friday (today) to Monday, and now the car! I then realized in that moment that I needed to pray, no yell as I was driving back home from speaking last night, that the enemy had better take his hand off!  I began screaming that he had no place here.  That he is to remove his hand on what he is trying to do.  Let me just tell you that joy began to renew in me.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. – John 10:10

No weapon formed against me shall prosper – Isaiah 54:17

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  – II Corinthians 4:18

See I was always one that knew there was a devil; knew that he was out there looking to turn those away or against God.  But I hated giving him credit. When a trial or situation came I always was one that came to a place that said “God knows how much I can handle” or “He trusts me with this much” as though a refining was taking place.  Look at these scriptures:

1 Peter 5:10 - And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Romans 12:12 - Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

This was me.  I knew that God would see me through every trial and circumstance. But some of us, me included, need to realize there is an enemy out there that wants to destroy what God is doing.

When I got home, I was sharing with the hubster about my “prayer time” in the car as I was driving home.  I began sharing with him about a spirit of expectancy and how we need to rebuke “the devour”. That this delay, this setback, is just another place when we begin to say, “enough already God, we need breakthrough” or “God when?” But now it changes. What I believe I’m about to say is not just for me, but hopefully for you too – we no longer need to put setbacks back on God and ask those questions, its exactly what the enemy wants us to do. To mope around and say, “When God? How much longer?” with that we keep our eyes only fixed on Jesus.  Which yes we need to but I believe we need to put our armor on and get ready for war! War over our finances, war over our marriages, war over our families! That there is a devil out there that we need to get mad at, that we need to yell at, that we need show he messed with the wrong person, the wrong family.

Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Wiles are every kind of cunning art, deceit, lie or trickery.  Satan has us fooled. Yes, God is there and we will receive a crown of life, look at James 1:12 again. But as long as we are not rebuking, as long as we are not waging war for what is rightfully ours, we will never put that armor on.

So today I want you to put the armor on and go into battle.  Fight for what is rightfully yours. This is our harvest season and that time is now.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17 (NIV)