Make War

July 10, 2018

From the teaching The Kingdom Manifesto: The Military

Greetings! It's a beautiful morning and as I think about the title of Brother Marcus's teaching, it reminds me of a song I used to listen to back in the day. The songs opens with an excerpt from a pastor's sermon about how we need to stop whining and complaining about why we are this way or that way and that if we want to change we need to make war against those things. Personally, I've learned over the past two years just how to do that. Before, I was just flapping in the wind with no direction; only a sense that I needed to get closer to God and read my Bible more. In all honesty, ever since I resigned from my last position to stay home and raise our child, I've allowed myself to become more relaxed in more ways than one. That sense of accountability kind of went to the wayside once I stopped working outside the home. My husband has one of the most laid back personalities of anyone I know and is really a peaceful soul, which is something that I have learned to love. If you're thinking, "how is that a quality that one needs to learn to love?", let me explain. Once I noticed my problem, I remember blaming my husband for not helping me in the accountability department because in my mind I needed some external motivation and it was his job to provide it. That caused lots of internal strife and it was one of those issues that YeHoVaH began to work with me on last year. I reached out for prayer and He used a Sister to minister to me and it literally changed our lives. Accountability to Him is ultimately MY job and while having accountability in the proper framework is crucial, we cannot force that role on anyone. Building off of that, there has been this "Goliath" in my life for as long as I can remember and He has shifted my attention to it. It is one of those things that's like trying to hold onto slime. Victory always seems to slip through my hands in this area, but I know that it is near Halleluyah!! I just have to make my battle plan and continue to make war!

It's more than simply making war, but how do I go about this. I had to enquire of Father to make the way plain as to how He wanted me to address this and He has. In the teaching, one thing that was just emanating from Marcus was his confidence in YeHoVaH and the boldness coming forth. I'm so glad that this is one of the things that I want to be contagious, because that was contagious! We have to be bold in and sure of the one we serve! Ephesians 3 explains that we have access to the Father in boldness and confidence through our Lord Yeshua and He desires to strengthen us with might through His Spirit in our inner man and one of the end goals is that He dwells in our hearts through faith. When His dwelling is in the hearts of men, men become more like Him. If we want Him to dwell with us, just like in the wilderness in Exodus 19, we have to sanctify ourselves and get ready, get prepared for Him. We need to be ready to receive His instructions. We need to give heed to what He already delivered to us through His written Word, but it doesn't end there. We need to be ready to hear that personal word that's tailor made for you and me and war against those detrimental things our flesh holds dear.

So, it's time to set aside the excuses and the murmuring and complaining. It's time to get busy making war as a soldier in YeHoVaH's military. If there are things He's told us to let go because they are inviting spirits of defeat and distraction, then we must let it go. Sometimes a lot of the complaining we do is because we want to straddle the fence and hold onto things we've been warned about while simultaneously trying to accomplish His will. It just won't work that way and it will delay us and frustrate us. How many of us have time to be delayed and frustrated in this walk? In my best English, "Ain't nobody got time for that!" So don't make time for it! Rebuke the enemy and your flesh trying to get you on the detour route. Remember the example that Yeshua provided, total submission to His Father is heaven. That's our goal as well and for many, it's a scary thing because of what it means - sacrifice. We first have to be honest about what we really want and not lie to ourselves. Do we really want this? Are we able to drink of the cup that He drank of and be baptized with the baptism He was baptized with? (Matthew 20:22) That's a hard question, but we should at least be working towards that. Some don't even want to be bothered with all of that; a comfortable life is the goal. Many of us don't even have the heart at this moment, but don't be discouraged because as long as we have breath and the chance to repent and get on board with our Father, things can always turn around! I am guilty of this in this very moment. I have been conditioned and worked most of my life to make my life comfortable and have avoided anything that in my mind causes discomfort. Following Yeshua causes a paradigm shift and now things that were not important to me are becoming more and more real and valuable. I repent for chasing after the things of this world and being distracted by them, but today is a new day! Like I stated earlier, I have to get my battle plan together and that is an actual physical pen to paper plan on what YeHoVaH has revealed to me needs changing and the daily declaration and sweat equity to get after it! If you are no longer comfortable living below His standard and your potential to be all you can be for Him, then make your battle plan TODAY or as soon as possible. Pursue it like you've pursued those things in the world that seem so important to you; apply that dedication that you've improperly applied to worldly things. If we want to see breakthroughs, we have to submit to Him and get ready to fight for what we are called to be and remember that He is more than happy to cover us in that endeavor.