How to Fight and Win
Suffering. Struggle. It can be easy to see ourselves and our efforts in the kingdom as insignificant in the face of devastation as painful and lingering mass shootings.
The massacres of Buffalo and Uvalde reminds us - evil is still present. It's impact, powerful. It's reach, vast. It's carriers like a virus are among us, ready to strike. Ten years after Sandy Hook and still no viable plan of resolution. Living embedded in this cycle of hate can make us all feel very small and the noise of it all sound so loud that we start to tune out the voice of God.
Because we want more than prayer, we want a solution.
I get it.
My question to you is do you know the environment you're operating in?
Our Flesh, His Spirit
We live, eat, sleep, laugh, cry in this flesh. And we see people do horrible, horrible things to each other in the flesh. But is that where their power lies? Is it where your power lies?
The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[chose] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. ~Jeremiah 4-8, New International Version
Although this text is used frequently to instill courage, I rarely hear people discuss it's full context. Yes, the people of Jerusalem were in exile. Yes, Jeremiah was young in age and in nature. But do we know the environment of this text?
This. is. prayer.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying...
Jeremiah may hesitate on the assignment, but he wasn't afraid of God. God came to him because they had been together before.
Intimacy through conversation.
Transparency through revelation.
This was the history between Jeremiah and God. And because it was so, God brought him into his destiny through transformation.
From History to Destiny
If God brings about change through people,
and we are his people,
then why are we talking more to people about change
than we are to the God of Change?
Degrees and pedigrees may assist you in a fight against evil,
but only God can equip you.
What would happen if we spent more time venting to God than our friends?
What if we shared our insecurities with heaven before we post of Facebook?
Transformation happens not in a moment of prayer, but in an environment of prayer.
God uses people to bless people.
Will you trust God to not only love you but equip you?
Fortified for the Fight
Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
Are you grieved by this senseless killing? Me, too. But to grieve is not enough. God desires that we become his fortified cities strategically and divinely positioned to, each in our own way, fight the evil that so easily besets us while protecting those who are vulnerable to it.
But we have to create a conducive environment for God to work in us and in our world.
That only comes through prayer.
This is spiritual warfare. Fight like it. Do what is needed in the spirit so you can win in the flesh. And when you do, you will see God's victory through your small beginnings.
Looking for a solution to the madness?
Change your environment.
This is spiritual warfare. Fight like it. Do what is needed in the spirit so you can win in the flesh. And when you do, you will see God's victory through your small beginnings.
It's time to expand your concept of prayer.
Prayer is as much a part of God's strategic plan as anything else we do, so don't dismiss it's power and purpose. Doing so will keep you limited by the ceiling of your flesh and out of divine victory.
So, kill the noise of the chaos. Vent to heaven about the suffering and the struggle. Create an environment where God can move. Then the accept the assignment from the God Who Trusts You. Change doesn't begin with our flesh, but God will bring the evil we see in the flesh to an end when we are fortified and ready for the fight through prayer.
Thanks for hangin' with me!
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In the meantime, leave a comment about today's blog and know that I am praying that you become courageous enough to fight different.
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