When listening to a speaker recently, I was quite taken aback when she said that we are no longer on a cruise ship, but God wants us to be on a battleship and in training to engage the enemy to be actually engaged in combat. The days of being comfortable and safe are over. War is inevitable if we are going to live the life God intends for us and to win the victory over Satan we have been called to through strategic warfare.
God is calling us to be part of His army. His army has been commissioned to go to war to defeat Satan and bring in the righteous rule and reign of Jesus. We, as warriors, are called to defend the call of Jesus in the godly authority He has given us and be trained and ready for battle so we can be victorious. When we know the Word of God, we realise Satan can never defeat God's mighty army, as we are victorious through Jesus Christ. He has won the battle on the cross! Let us set our faces towards victory and be immovable, renew our minds and be without sin so Satan has no ability to harm us and stop us achieving our destiny.
We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it! Ephesians 2:10 TPT
What are the key things we need to remember as we change our minds from being with a "cruise ship" mentality to being part of the army of God that is rising in the last days to defeat Satan and to be victorious over those in his dominion?
“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war:
For with you I will break the nation in pieces;
With you I will destroy kingdoms; Jeremiah 51:20 NKJV
1.We must know the Word of God.
God's Word is powerful and is able to do the work of piercing the divisions of our soul and spirit, guide our path, give us victory and protect us from the evil one!
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 15:57
"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."
2. We must know God!
So many people who say they are Christians really do not know the Father, Jesus, His Son Jesus The Christ and the Holy Spirit. This is causing them to have a foundation that is very shaky! It is time for us to be serious about discovering who God really is!
9 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Ephesians 1:19-21
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.1 John 4:4
"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
3. To win we must be dressed for war. (Ephesians 6)
When listening to a speaker recently, I was quite taken aback when she said that we are no longer on a cruise ship, but God wants us to be on a battleship and in training to engage the enemy to be actually engaged in combat. The days of being comfortable and safe are over. War is inevitable if we are going to live the life God intends for us and to win the victory over Satan. What we dress in every day will not only protect us in battle but will allow us to walk in victory in the things God has for us.
10 Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force[i] of his explosive power flowing in and through you.
11 Put on God’s complete set of armour provided for us so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser!12 Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold[n] this dark world in bondage. 13 Because of this, you must wear all the armour that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer, for you are destined for all things and will rise victorious.
14 Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armour that covers your heart. 15 Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll always be ready to share the blessings of peace.
16 In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One! 17–18 Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God.
Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers. 19 And pray also that God’s revelation would be released through me every time I preach the wonderful mystery of the hope-filled gospel. 20 Yes, pray that I may preach the wonderful news of God’s kingdom with bold freedom at every opportunity. Even though I am chained as a prisoner, I am his ambassador. Ephesians 6"10-20.
4. We must be humble
This is essential. By confessing every sin, walking in humility and desiring to serve others and bless others God will lift us up. He is the one that places us in a position of honour.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour. James 4:10 NLT
So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you. James 4:7
5. We must know Satan's strategies
Once we know the strategies Satan uses, we can identify them when we see them and know how to use the weapons God has given us to defeat them. Do not fight Satan using His strategies as Satan will win EVERY time. Stop, seek the blueprint or battle plan from God and walk forward to win victory in every attack.
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9)
6. We must know God's weapons and how to use them.
This flows on from knowing Satan's attacks. God gives us weapons that are spiritual and cause us to be victorious in battle. Do not use human weapons but the spiritual weapons that have been given to us so you can not only be defended from attacks, you can walk in victory in the situations He has given you to walk in.
7 For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defences behind which people hide.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 TPT
7. We must allow God to train us how to fight to win.
As we cannot move from being an infant to an adult overnight, we also cannot just wake up one day and find that we are a mighty warrior. Learning to be in battle and win requires training, going into battle and learning to fight and even being injured along the way. We must train for battle and gain the skills of prayer, praise, worship and listening to the Holy Spirit. God gives us people to train with and to go to battle with.
1 Praise the Lord, who is my rock.
He trains my hands for war
and gives my fingers skill for battle.
2 He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my rescuer.
He is my shield, and I take refuge in him.
He makes the nations submit to me. Psalm 144:1-2
"You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me."
There is only one strong, safe, and secure place for me;
it’s in God alone and I love him!
He’s the one who gives me strength and skill for the battle.
2 He’s my shelter of love and my fortress of faith,
who wraps himself around me as a secure shield.
I hide myself in this one who subdues enemies before me. Psalm 144:1-2
8. We must ask God how we fit into the body of Christ -
We have had Satan divide the church (Ecclesia or His people) into factions. Our understanding of the doctrine of the Bible has caused pride, insecurity and walking independently. God is calling us to stop our fighting and to come together under Jesus. He is calling the body of Christ to be unified and to fight this battle together. Satan hates unity! Thorough unity Satan and his works can be defeated.
15 But instead we will remain strong and always sincere in our love as we express the truth. All our direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead us deeper into him, the anointed Head of his body, the church.
16 For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love. Ephesians 4:15-16
9. We must learn how to not only see in the Spirit but to pray to bring what is in the Spirit into "now".
God may show us in the Spirit, but we may need to travail in prayer until it comes to pass in the physical. After Elisha had defeated the 450 prophets of BAAL on Mt Carmel, he heard in the spirit the sound of rain in the spirit. (1 Kings 18) This rain would bring the three-year drought he had prophesied to a close. What is interesting is that instead of having a meal and drink with the king and celebrating his victory, he proceeded to go to the top of Mt Carmel and prayed (or travailed in prayer - compared to the pains of childbirth) for the rain to come. It took seven trips to look for clouds before he saw a cloud the size of a fist and he warned Ahab and ran beside the chariots to the city. (On this day Elijah prepared an altar, killed 450 false prophets, travailed in prayer for rain and ran and beat the chariots back to the city ... big day for a prophet!!)
This encounter shows us that it is one thing to see things in the Spirit. God is calling His people now only to know God's Word, to understand it but to hear God and bring what God is saying into reality through serious prayer. When God says something, as he is outside time, it has actually happened. We seek God to cause it to happen in the physical, now.
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.”42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees.43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times.44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’”45 In a little while, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.46 Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel. 1 Kings 18:41-46
Now is a time to take off your swimmers, thongs and sunhat and put on the full armour of God. Not only be prepared for battle, jump off the cruise ship and be part of the team on the battleship that engages with the enemy bringing victory in the world. In Romans 8:9 TPT we read; "The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! " As you engage with the enemy and win, the whole universe will celebrate the unveiling of you as a son or daughter of God!