Equipping the Spiritual Warriors

   When young people enlist in the Marines, Their first stop is boot camp. There they receive intensive, basic training geared to carry them across the threshold from civilian to military life. The major purpose of boot camp is to develop the character that will sustain a Marine in the crisis situations of battle.

   This is partially done through gruelling physical disciplines designed to build both muscle and stamina. But even more important are the psychological conditionings necessary to ensure that every Marine believes in the mission of the Marine Corps, develops courage and self-discipline, and is fully prepared to submit to authority and obey commands with no questions asked.

Without the basic training of boot camp, Marines would never win a battle, much less a war.

Spiritual Boot Camp

    Basic training applies equally to Christians who desire to do spiritual warfare. Too many Christians want to get involved in the action without first submitting themselves to the discipline necessary to equip a warrior for battle. To the degree that they do, they leave themselves open to serious personal attack and they run the risk of bringing discredit to the Body of Christ.

   Spiritual warfare should be seen as involving two simultaneous movements: the upward and the outward. Some call it the Godward and the Satanward. In a book that has become a Christian classic, Quiet Talks on Prayer, S.D. Gordon, at around the turn of the last century, pointed out that “prayer concerns three.” It first concerns God to whom we pray, then the person doing the praying, but also the evil one against whom we pray. “The purpose of prayer,” says Gordon, “is not to persuade or influence God, but to join forces with him against the enemy.” Joining with God against Satan is essential in prayer. “The real pitch is not Godward, but Satanward,” Gordon says

   Although our goal in spiritual warfare is to join God in defeating the enemy, we must never forget that we, in ourselves, have no power to defeat him. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). The principle here is that it is extremely dangerous to attempt to move too far outward without first moving far enough upward. Moving upward is the spiritual boot camp, while moving outward is the battle. Just as in the Marines, the battle cannot be won without first going through boot camp.

   I find it helpful to conceptualize what I am saying by using a simple diagram; I have arbitrarily numbered the upward and outward scales from 1 to 10. Although these numbers are very subjective, the best advice I can give in spiritual warfare is at all times to make sure you are scoring higher on the upward scale than on the outward scale.

   This chapter is about the upward side of the diagram, our personal, spiritual basic training. The rest of the book will describe in some detail our battle plan and what it means to move Satan ward. But the sequence cannot be changed. We must look at the Godward side first.

James tells us how a central text for understanding the relationship for the upward to outward is James 4:7,8:

   Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near unto you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.

   In verse 7 “submit to God” is the upward Godward relationship and “resist the devil” is he outward or the Satanward relationship. These verses elaborate on the upward action by setting out three things you must do if you are to successfully resist the devil: (1) submit to God: (2) draw near unto God; and (3) cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. These are the three essentials parts of a spiritual boot camp designed to equip the warriors.

1. Submit To God

   We live in a permissive society where almost everything goes. Many of today’s adult grew up in a dysfunctional family where they never learned what it means to have a loving father, who leads the family, protects and provides for his household, earns the love and respect of his children, and also expects obedience. Not only non-Christians, but even some Christians have a difficult time relating to the commandment “Honour your father and mother” and the biblical admonition, “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right”(Eph. 6:1) Rebellion often seems to be a popular attitude today than loyalty.

  Christians who never willingly submitted to a natural father frequently find it difficult to submit to their heavenly Father. They seek God for love, gentleness, forgiveness and healing but draw back from God’s demand for obedience and commitment. They have never fully come to terms with the concept that “Jesus is Lord.” In first-century society when the New Testament was written, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that a lord was to be obeyed without question. Christians who are not ready to obey unconditionally are no more ready for spiritual warfare than Marines who are not ready to obey their commanding officers.

   The bible uses some very strong language when it deals with obedience. How do we know that we know God? “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments”

(1John 2:3). The New Testament does not allow the false separation of loving God on the one hand and submitting to Him as master on the other, which many believers wish today might be true. It clearly says,” For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1John 5:3).

Submitting to God is the first lesson of the spiritual boot camp.

2.  Draw Near to God

   Drawing near to God is the second lesson. This has to do with our personal prayer life. Prayer in general is a broad subject with many extremely important facets. But none is more important for a Christian who desires to do effective spiritual warfare than personal prayer.

     Why is personal prayer more important?

   Our personal prayer life is the principal barometer used to measure the quality of relationship to God. I agree with John Wimber when he says, “intimacy with God in prayer is a primary goal of the Christian life” Jesus provides our example. The world knew that Jesus was authentic because Jesus did only what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19). Wimber asks, “Why is our goal intimacy with God?” His perceptive answer is that only in sustaining a close relationship with the Father “do we experience forgiveness, renewal, and power for righteous living. Only in an intimate relationship with God can we hear His voice, know His will, understand His Heart.”

   Like it or not, drawing near to God requires time. If we are motivated to pray, the first most important act of self-discipline for implementation is to set aside blocks of clock time. Once you budget the time, a kind of spiritual Parkinson’s Law comes into play and the player tends to expand to fill the time available. Those who do not carve out time, particularly those who rationalize their reluctance to do so by claiming “I pray without ceasing,” usually end up praying very little.

   One reason some do not dedicate much time to prayer is that they do not enjoy it. My daughter Ruth hated to wash dishes when she was at home. I was amused to observe through the years that by far the most urgent and critical demand on her time invariably came immediately after we finished dinner. Since she hated to wash dishes, there was always some higher priority demand on her time.

   Many Christians have the same attitude toward personal prayer. There always seems to be something more urgent to do. Time for prayer is scare because other activities have higher priority. Some even make the statement that “Prayer is hard work.” I have a difficult time understanding this if the essence of prayer truly is a relationship of intimacy with the Father. It would be like me saying, “Spending time with my wife, Doris, is hard work,” I would never say that for two reasons. First, it is not hard work, it is pure joy. Secondly, if I did say it, she will take it as an insult, and I wouldn’t blame her. Could it be that God might take such an attitude as an insult also?

Enjoying Prayer. How can personal prayer become more enjoyable?

   I plan on writing more about personal prayer in another book in this series on prayer, but because developing strong personal prayer habits is so essential to preparing spiritual warriors for battle, I will briefly mention five principles that help a great deal if you want to enjoy prayer more:

   The place. Find a comfortable, peaceful place as your habitual place of prayer. Having a pleasant familiar environment will bring you more quickly and naturally into an attitude of prayer. To help you relax, take a cup of coffee or a glass of juice with you. There is nothing wrong with feeling good while you are praying.The time. I agree with Larry Lea that a reasonable long- range goal for a daily prayer time is one hour. I also understand that for many this will be a lifelong goal that may never be reached on a regular basis. If you are starting from scratch, use short range goals and plan to increase the time gradually. If this sounds quite demanding to you, try starting with five (5) minutes, then increase it to ten (10). In my opinion, 5 minutes every day is much more valuable than 15 minutes every 3 days, even though I will consider either clearly inadequate for strategic-level spiritual warfare.The attitude. Concentrate on making your prayer time a personal relationship with God. I like what Pastor John Bisagno says: “Prayer is a conversation, a union, an intermingling of two personalities. God speaks to me and I speak to Him.” For many of us, it will take some efforts and experience to allow this to happen because we are not used to hearing from God. Bisagno says, “Waiting on God is not a mere abstract passing of time. It is a definite spiritual exercise during which, after having spoken to God, He in turn, speaks to you.” Few things will make prayer more enjoyable than hearing God speak to you. Some experienced pray-er even take notes on what He says and call it “journaling.”The format. I strongly suggest using the Lord’s Prayer as daily format for the entire prayer time. This advice has been frequently given since the time of Martin Luther, but the present day manual recommends most is the Larry Lea’s “Could you Not Tarry One Hour” ( Creation House).The quality. Experience shows that the quality of prayer usually follow the quantity, not vice versa. As you develop a personal prayer life, do not be over concerned with over sleepiness or daydreaming. Quality will come over time. I once heard Mike Bickel say that if you set aside 60 minutes for prayer you may begin by getting 5 good minutes. But then the 5 becomes 10, the 10 becomes 20 and the quality time increases.

Enjoying prayer is a sure sign that you are receiving good preparation for warfare.

   Fasting. From time to time, when Jesus’ disciples ran into trouble trying to cast out a demon, Jesus had to instruct them that certain kinds come only through prayer and fasting (see Matt. 17:21). Just as it is necessary for us to draw near unto God through prayer, it is also necessary for us to draw near through fasting. Learning how to fast is part of spiritual boot camp.

   Many who read this will be experienced, practicing fasters. This short section is not for you, but for those who are wondering how to begin. Although there are many different kinds of fasts, the most common, and the one I recommend for starting, is to abstain from food not from drinks, for a given period of time. So far as drink is concerned, all agree that water is basic. Some add coffee or tea, some add fruit juices. All also agree that something like milk shake goes too far, and is not in the spirit of fasting. Whatever, the fast involves an intentional practice of self denial, and this spiritual discipline has been known through the centuries as a means of opening ourselves to God and drawing closer to Him.

   I think fasting should be practiced both on regular basis and also on occasionally as needed or as agreed. I myself am just a beginner, so I have decided to discipline myself not to eat anything between Tuesday supper and Wednesday noon. This I have found is not hard to do. The hardest part was to decide to do it. This is my regular fast, and it has taken any reticence about fasting away from me. On this basis, on the occasional, longer fasts are much easier. A while ago, for example, I was invited to a retreat where we were to pray and fast all day long, and because of the habit I had developed I had no problem at all.

   Sometimes we don’t encourage other members of the Body of Christ to fast because we recall Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees that they sinned by making a public display of fasting (see Matt. 6:16-18). Just because we should fast in secret does not mean, in my opinion, that we should keep fasting in secret or not encourage others to do it by our example. That is why I share my present fasting habits in print here. We need to talk about fasting more and do it more.

   To the degree that the fasting becomes more of a norm in our day-to-day Christian life as individuals and congregations, we will become more effective in spiritual warfare.

Drawing near to God through prayer and fasting is the second important lesson of spiritual boot camp.

3. Cleanse Your Hands and Purify Your Hearts.

   In the instruction for submitting to God, Jesus says, “cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jas. 4:8). Cleansing the hands refers to what you do, and purifying your hearts is what you think or feel. Put together, it is the call to holiness, and holiness includes both attitude the action.

   Developing holiness is essential for a spiritual warrior. Unfortunately, various aspect of holiness have been so blown out of biblical proportion in recent times that holiness has become not a blessing for spiritual warfare as God intends it, but a barrier to effective spiritual warfare. This is an important enough aspect of spiritual boot camp training that I feel it needs considerable attention. The Lord gives you the grace to be a Warrior indeed. Amen.

Major contributions from The Book : Warfare Prayer (C. Peter Wagnyou).

God bless you.

Walking in Humility in an Age of Anger

"The most humbling thing one can do is to look upon how Jesus responded to suffering and mistreatment. His whole life was ordered around the attribute of meekness. It was his greatest pursuit. From the moment He was born the Father was contemplating His own humility in the person of His Son. Love would be openly displayed as Jesus went lower and lower. Anyone who truly looks upon the man Christ Jesus and His meekness will be left staring at the great mystery. How can One so strong be so tender as He stoops so low? Looking upon Jesus is the great sanctifier to areas of pride and anger in the human heart." - Allen Hood

Intercessors Arise

 Dear intercessors,

It doesn't take long to realize that anger and fear is being stirred up on a worldwide scale. Just look at the news. We are hearing things that a few years ago would be totally censored but are now broadcasted on prime time TV across the nations. Rage is increasing at an alarming rate. The new norm is hateful, angry, devilish speech that is increasing in the media, on facebook, and filling everything. And we, the Church, can often get caught up right in the middle of it all. It’s so easy to jump into the devil’s playground and get stirred up by all that is happening. Watching the news can lead us to angry speech, discouragement, fear and anxiety.

All this anxiety and fear harms our physical bodies and causes us to make really bad choices. For example, heart pumping efficiency was tested by doctors in Coral Gables, Florida and the findings were alarming. Eighteen men with coronary artery disease were tested with nine healthy controls. They had a physical stress test, mental stress tests, pictures were taken of their heart, x-rays, etc. In every case, anger was the most potent and dangerous to their heart. It reduced the amount of blood pumped to body tissues more than anything else (Spokesman-Review, July 29, 1993, p. D3).

The reality is that we are living in an anger-infested world that is not getting better. No leader can solve the problems that are before us. We need to ask ourselves:

"What are we as Christians supposed to do in light of the increasing darkness that is encroaching in the nations? How can we stay on God’s side right in the midst of it all when riots, fear, murder, and violence is raging?" 

We must realize that this is a fantastic time for the global Church to shine. It’s a training time for all of us, and it will only get more intense as we move towards the Lord’s return to earth. We are in a season of preparation, and we must learn now and learn quickly. The devil wants us to react with ungodly responses, anger and hatred. But God is right now raising up a mature Church, one that shines and moves in supernatural power like in the book of Acts. He is training us to relate in kindness and love. This is how He is bringing in His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is opposite of what we see happening before our eyes. And this is our hope and joy.

In the midst of all of this hate, God has a marvelous plan to beautify our lives. He delights to impart His beauty to everyone who embraces humility. Let’s remember the humility of Jesus. He even declared himself as meek (Matthew 11:29). Meekness and humility are the foundation of who He is and what He does and blesses forever. He wants us to take His yoke and learn from Him for He is gentle and lowly in heart and we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29). Humility attracts His favor, His power, and His blessings. God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). We read in Psalm 149:4 and 1 Peter 3:4: 

“The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble…”

"He is after the “hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle spirit.”

The Lord is raising up a victorious end-time Church right in the midst of great social hostility (Matthew 24:10). And this is where love and humility will grow the fastest and the deepest. God is teaching us to bridle our tongue and watch our speech. He is working our muscles of love. But we must prepare ourselves and realize that many will be offended, multitudes will grow cold in love, and lawlessness will abound (Matthew 24:10-12).

If we can align ourself with God, with His viewpoint, and see what He is doing, then we can walk humbly and confidently through the days of turmoil we are living in. God is sovereign and He is in control. He is the only one who can fix the problems in any nation. They are too great for one man except for the man Christ Jesus. The global problems will not go away but will only increase. But there is a way we can be confident in Jesus and be connected with His strength. Let’s remember that Jesus is the most beautiful person and His government is forever established on meekness (Matthew 5:5). He will establish truth, humility, and righteous across the earth when He returns.

“Gird your sword upon your thigh, O Mighty One… And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness” (Psalm 45:3-4).

The Bride of Christ will be prepared in mature love and humility when Jesus returns (Revelation 19:7-8). God will teach His Church to treat one another with the dignity of humility and love.

How Shall We Then Live?

I remember a series of lectures and a book written by Francis Schaeffer many years ago called “How Shall We Then Live?” What he was saying back then, is right now in front of us. We must ask ourselves, “How shall we live as we draw closer to the Lord’s return? How can we each mature as the Bride of Christ and as the Church corporately?” The following are some ways:

1. Start with loving your family and then move further -Make a conscious effort to love your husband, wife, children, mother, etc. Look at small ways you can show love. Listen to them, give them time, be gentle, repent quickly, etc.
   
   
   “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger”
2. Show little acts of kindness -Love your co-workers and friends in a deeper way. Look to their interests. Compliment someone, give a small gift of appreciation, pray for your friends. There are so many ways….
   
   
   “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
3. Watch your speech - Come in the opposite spirit. The devil hates it. You win when you love in the midst of hate. God is preparing you. It's hard not to enter into the fight, especially the political fight, but you win if you respond like Jesus.
   
   
   “A gentle answer turns away wrath (anger), but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable…" (Proverb 15:1-2, NAS).
4. Ask God to help you to walk in humility every day - We need His grace and must choose to walk in humility.
   
   
   “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
5. Be a peacemaker - Seek to bring peace into situations. Don’t stoke the flames of fiery arguments. Put biblical convictions above your political opinions and arguments.
   
   
   “Blessed are the peacemaker, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9).
6. Walk in unity with other believers - Respect and value the dignity of people who have different views than your own. 
   
   
   “… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).
7. Study the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle in Matthew 5-7 - It is the lithmus test to living godly in the end times. Especially study the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. Pray for these qualities in your life.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:5-6).

1. Ask God to help you grow in your prayer life and in seeking Him - We must be intimately connected to Him in order to respond rightly in angry situations.
   
   
   "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me (Proverbs 8:17).

In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles were in Boston to play a typical baseball game. But what happened was anything but ordinary. The Orioles' John McGraw got in a fight with the Boston third baseman. Soon both teams were joined in the fight. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. The fight among the fans went from bad to worse. Then someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. That fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well (Daily Bread, August 13, 1992).

This is just one example of the incredible harm, anger and hatred brings on the earth. Now is the time for the Church to arise, bringing in God's power, truth and righteousness on a global scale. It's time for the Church to learn the secret power of humility in an age of anger.

My Prayer

"Jesus, you are teaching me to fight a new kind of war, not with bullets and angry outbursts, but with kindness and loving words. You are teaching me a new kind of wisdom that outsmarts the devil, one that brings your Kingdom down to earth and imparts to me the joy of the Spirit in a radically painful world. You are showing me the way of life and grace in the midst of hopelessness and suffering. You are showing me the way of the Kingdom, a way to supernaturally touch the pain of humanity. Help me to breathe Your life, truth and righteousness into my family, friends and workplace instead of negative or ungodly speech. Help me Jesus. I need You to bridle my tongue. I need Your grace to make it a reality in my life situations. Help me to be like You when You walked this earth. No more anger, no more fear - but hope, righteousness, and peace. In Jesus' name, amen."

“The revelation of His glory includes seeing One so high (transcendence) who went so low (condescension) to bring us so near (redemption) because we are so dear (Bride). The Most High God went so low because of such great desire to partner with us. Jesus wants adoration and gratitude based partnership with Him at the deepest level imaginable. We are awestruck by His power, overwhelmed by His humility, and made confident by His love.” - Mike Bickle

Don't miss the FREE Intercessors Arise upcoming prayer webinar called: How to Connect with God and Write Life-Changing Prayers - SECURE YOUR SEAT HERE!

Pasted from: Crosswalk.com

God bless you.

When even Fishes went to Church

   The word of God is so sweet and powerful that even nature is attracted by its power. Once upon a time there was a service at a Gennesaret seashore church. Jesus was the preacher.  His pulpit was a hired canoe belonging to a discouraged fisherman who was ready to fold up for bad business.  The man had "toiled all the night," it was reported, without a single fish.  He had the resources – good nets and a boat.  He had the strength and the experience.  He know the right time and place to do that business.  He toiled in the night in the deep sea.  He was not a lazy man who did nothing but wait to blame his failures on fate.  He worked had.  Yet, for all his labours at the right time in the right places with the right tools, he had the wrong results.

            When Jesus asked for his boat, he had no hesitation to loan out for free the unfortunate business boat.  In that boat he had known so much failure that if anyone thought he found a use for it, he was not going to hesitate for the fellow to try out his 'luck,' in case the boat would have other better uses.

           

That was the boat which became Jesus' pulpit during His sermon to the Gennesaret seashore congregation.  That failed boat was going to be very useful in the Master's hand.  In His hand, it became the instrument or avenue for a great miracle.  As Jesus preached, all the fishes which had fled even the high sea while Peter was on duty, began to draw close in their droves to hear the gospel.  They were all around the boat; they were everywhere under the waters, they were listening as Jesus preached.

           

Naturally, fishes – especially fishes of their category – usually stayed in the deep waters.  But today the Master of the whole universe was having church for once in their territory.  He was having church for once on water, not on land, and all the fishes had to troop down to church that day to hear their Creator's voice 'live' – a rare life-time priviledge.  The word of God is a powerful attractive force.

            After the sermon, the Lord was going to show appreciation to the despairing fisherman who had loaned Him his failed boat.  The fishes were to help the Master pay that debt.  So, while the men hurried home after church that day, the fishes remained behind to settle the Master's outstanding bills, sacrificially; with their very lives if need be.

           

Jesus then said to the depressed and nearly bankrupt fisherman: "Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught."  That was too ambitious and too sweet to be true.  Peter protested: "Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing."  In other words, "You are no fisherman.  We know these waters too well to know that this is no place and no time to expect any fish, let alone a draught.  We've already been through all those routes and can tell You that there is no business there."  But he had to check himself and add: "Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net."  And he did.  And to his lifetime surprise, it was as the Master had said. "The inclosed  a great multitude of fishes" so much so that their nets began to break.  The fishes had come to Church that day.

         

  If even fishes would go to church, how much more you? If fishes would travel so far to an unusual shore, from their far away places in the high sea, only to hear the Master preach, what about you?

            The word of God is a powerful force which attracts success and victory.  Success is drawn to follow God's word.  "Goodness and mercy shall follow me" (Psalm 23:6).

            Has your boat failed? Try letting the Master have it, and your empty boat shall come back to you brimming over with more blessings than an eternal night of toil may ever yield.  One cast of the net at the Master's direction will always be more fruitful that a lifetime to toil with the 'right' tools, in the 'right' places at the 'right' time, without the Master's guidance.

            Even fishes will come to church when the master has your boat.  As you do God's work, the fishes will come looking for you.  You may no more have to spend sleepless nights to toil chasing them about in vain.  Thank God, even fishes love to hear the word of God. What about you friend?

God bless you.