Prepare for War!
Monday, August 13, 2012 (6:20 am)
by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions
Isaiah 59:17,19 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Over the past week, the possibility of war in the middle east has grown significantly. Last week, a National Intelligence Report (NIE) detailing Iran's significant progress towards military nuclear capability was delivered to President Obama. Over the weekend, Egypt's Prime Minister Morsi ousted his Defense minister along with the Egyptian Chief of Staff, in a radical shake up of the Egyptian army. The situation in Syria intensifies daily, with the growing possibility for transfer of their chemical weapons to terrorist organizations. Yesterday, it was announced that Israel began testing an SMS system to alert all Israelis of a possible war, (the regional test for our area is this Thursday). Gas masks are being distributed rapidly across the country; we received ours last month. Israel may very soon be at war. Meanwhile, we believers – we've been at war since we came to faith!
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Thus Paul instructed us in Ephesians. We fight against the kingdom of Satan. We fight with spiritual weapons; prayer, the Word of God, faith in His truth and His power– these are not carnal weapons but spiritual. We are seated in the heavenlies with Him [Ephesians 1:20], and in His authority we make our stand. The enemy's weapons are temptations, fiery darts of doubt and disbelief, discouragement, weariness, earthly pleasures. Thus the enemy distracts us from, and disarms us in the battle position. But what soldier goes to war without taking the equipment necessary for war? A soldier on the battlefield without his weapons is useless and helpless, and in great danger. So it is in the spiritual realm. We need to actively take up our spiritual armor and weapons to fight the enemy. And we have this promise — when the enemy comes in — like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall raise up a standard against Him! Are you ready to make your stand in this day?
Now, today, war is a very real threat in the physical realm – but it's already been here for millennia in the spiritual realm. So by all means necessary take up the armor of God today – stand with Him in faith and win your battle, one day at a time — win the battle over your thoughts and your actions. YHVH Tz'vaot, "The LORD of Hosts" is with you, to strengthen, equip, and overcome; and His victory is assured!
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