The Battle Belongs to the Lord – Part 2

Michael continues: Our prayer needs to be, “God don't take sides, just take over ... take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee”. The spiritual battles underlie all secular and earthly battles. Though we live in the physical, fleshly and carnal world, this world is not our home; we're just a-passing through. We're not winning the physical battle. However, the spiritual battle is in God's hand. The battle plan is the Lord's and the final victory is in His hands. Our times are similar to when Jesus came to minister to the house of Israel. Jesus was diametrically opposed to the Pharisees, the religious leadership of His day. He did not come to minister to the religious leaders who thought they were self-righteous. He came to heal those who knew they were sick, broken, and living in sin. He came to deliver the prostitutes, the poor, the sinners, the sick and the down and out.  Repentance, turning from sin and to the Savior, is the first step in receiving Christ. God often gives us opportunities that we think are curses. The darker the night, the brighter the light shines. You have to pick your battles judiciously, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness from on high – Ephesians 6:12. We need to understand the spiritual enemy and the spiritual weapons of our warfare. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but spiritual to the pulling down of spiritual strongholds

Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exaulteth itself against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Like Abraham's brother Lot, when you're living next to Sodom, it's easy to allow the doctrines of Sodom to influence your attitudes and beliefs. However, 1 Peter 3:9 says, “Recompense no man evil for evil but repay with a blessing.” Accordingly, turn from evil and seek good. Seek to make peace for the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and the Lord is attentive to their prayer. When we see evil in another person, the response of a man of God is to pray for him and for God's grace and mercy to deliver him from evil.  Pray for them who persecute you and despitefully use you, for great is your reward in heaven. God has called us to be a royal priesthood. A priest's calling is to pray to God on behalf of the people and to intercede for them, standing in the gap. This is evangelism, to reflect Christ's nature, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved – John 3:17.  Like Moses who prayed on behalf of sinful Israel for God not to destroy them for their wickedness, we need to plead for God's mercy upon this land to which He has called us to minister.  

Romans 12:14 “ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

God has called us to stand in the gap in our place on the wall ... our family, our marriage, our workplace, our neighborhood, our community, our state, and our nation. Our prayer is, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” We're not defined by what we're against but rather we’re defined by what we stand for ... stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world – 1 John 4:4. Therefore be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good – Romans 12:21.  God has called us to be salt and light ... to call them out of darkness and into his marvelous light.  In the midst off the darkness of this fallen world ... Give 'em Heaven!!!

Your brother in Christ, Michael