God's SWAT Warriors Part Two E-Book

Riaan Engelbrecht

• Herausgeber: Riaan Engelbrecht
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

In America, you have the SWAT unit. A SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team is a law enforcement unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. So, why are we talking about SWAT? Because in the Body of Christ, we also need to become disciples of God warriors who are trained in spiritual warfare and tactics). We need to know how this spiritual warfare works, what are our weapons and we must know how to use them. We are called to be warriors of discernment, of knowing the tactics of the enemy, of adopting God’s strategy in spiritual warfare and employing God’s weapons of warfare. God is calling for a remnant to take up “arms”, meaning walking in their spiritual authority to set the captives free, bind up the broken-hearted and proclaim the wonderful news of Christ that still sets free and redeems. Believers have been empowered to be part of the end-time remnant of SWAT warriors by the Spirit and Word of God. We have been granted authority by Jesus! So all disciples are called to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the Gospel. We can bring light and liberty to those walking in darkness. As disciples, we have all been called and sent out in the Lord's stead to do His work.

Leseprobe

Also by the same author:

Perilous Times Series Volumes 1- 10

In Pursuit of God Series Volumes 1 -14

The Holy Spirit Series Volumes 1 - 3

The Disciple of God Series Volumes 1 - 5 (Vol 2 Part A and B)

Deliverance Volumes 1 – 3 (Vol 1 Part A and B)

Crossroads to Freedom Volumes 1-4

The Kingdom of God Series Volumes 1- 4

The Prophetic Series Volumes 1-6

Table of Contents

Title Page

God's SWAT Warriors Part Two (End-Time Remnant)

Not by mighty, but by the Spirit of God

The all-conquering Lion of Judah

No weapon formed against us shall prosper

The Light as our weapon

Preparation and training are vital

Weapons of indignation

Armour of God: Helmet of Salvation

Armour of God: Guard the Heart

Armour of God: Breastplate of Righteousness

Armour of God: Wielding the Sword of the Spirit

Armour of God: Shoes fitted to share the Gospel

Armour of God: Belt of Truth

Armour of God: Offensive and Defensive Strategies

Amour of God: Shield of Faith

City of God’s peace and victory amidst the storms

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Also By Riaan Engelbrecht

About the Author

God’s SWAT Warriors Part Two

This is a distributed edition from Avishua Ministries.

The author’s intellectual property rights are protected by international Copyright law. You are licensed to use this digital copy strictly for your personal enjoyment only: it must not be redistributed or offered for sale in any form.

Scriptures quotes from the New Kings James Bible, Amplified, and the New International Version.

For more free study material and audio visit http://avishuaministries.wixsite.com/avishua

Table of Contents

Not by mighty, but by the Spirit of God

The all-conquering Lion of Judah

No weapon formed against us shall prosper

The Light as our weapon

Preparation and training are vital

Weapons of indignation

Armour of God: Helmet of Salvation

Armour of God: Guard the Heart

Armour of God: Breastplate of Righteousness

Armour of God: Wielding the Sword of the Spirit

Armour of God: Shoes fitted to share the Gospel

Armour of God: Belt of Truth

Armour of God: Offensive and Defensive Strategies

Armour of God: Shield of Faith

City of God’s peace and victory amidst the storms

Not by mighty, but by the Spirit of God

2 Corinthians 10 says, “3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”

We do not wage war as the world does. We have to remember this is a spiritual war, not one of flesh and blood. Our weapons are never carnal. We do not fight evil with evil, and neither do we use physical force to achieve anything. We fight an unseen enemy (unless God allows you see in the spiritual realm). We will achieve nothing by taking up physical arms, for we are called to be warriors of the spiritual, fighting a spiritual war against a spiritual enemy. For this enemy seeks to destroy and kill everything that has breath. Our task is great, for the deception upon the earth is of such magnitude that millions if not billions of people are engulfed by lies.

Zechariah 4:6 says: “"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: `Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” After the Jewish people experienced exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia allowed thousands of them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel, governor of Jerusalem. At the time, Zechariah, a prophet and priest of Israel, received several visions from the Lord. In one of those visions, God delivered this key message that it not by might but by the Spirit of the Lord.

In this period of Israel’s history, the prophets Zechariah and Haggai were both ministering. While Haggai encouraged the returned Jewish exiles in their work of rebuilding the temple, Zechariah urged them to repent of sin and renew their covenant with God. Spiritual renewal would be essential to their survival and worship of God once the temple was rebuilt. The word for might in Zechariah 4:6 is often translated as “army,” “force,” “ability,” or “efficiency” and is associated with human resources. It also relates to financial means and can be connected with wealth. The term power implies purposeful force, firm resolve, dynamic strength, and resoluteness. Not by might nor by power—not by their own abilities, plentiful resources, or fierce determination—would God’s people build the temple and send God’s light into the world. Only by the Spirit of the Lord would their work and worship become a light broadcasting into all the earth (Acts 1:8; John 16:7–15).

Just so, we cannot build God’s Kingdom on earth or fulfil the Great Commission by our might, therefore, trusting in our ability, strength, wisdom and knowledge. Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel were not to trust in financial resources or military prowess, but in the mighty power of God’s Spirit working through them. God had made a similar promise to those who remained faithful to Him in Hosea’s day. It says in “Hosea 1:7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen.”

Zerubbabel was encouraged that he not need be discouraged by human limitations or afraid of earthly obstacles, and neither should present-day Christians (Romans 8:31; Haggai 2:5; Isaiah 41:10). When God calls us to a purpose, His Spirit fills and equips us to complete it (Acts 2:17–18; John 3:34; Ephesians 1:18–20). 2 Corinthians 12:10 says, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” We read in “Hebrews 11: 32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Still today, we are encouraged to fulfil God’s work not by human might or power, but by the guidance and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit poured into our lives like the oil that fuelled Zechariah’s lampstand. We cannot build God’s Kingdom through force, or by using physical weapons. Today, too many ministries are built on the strength and wisdom of man, and not the strength and wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 3 says, “11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

If we build by God’s grace, knowledge, counsel and might, it shall survive, thrive and flourish. Anything else shall collapse, for indeed many are the plans of man but only God’s plan shall prevail (Proverbs 19:21). This is also connects with the Lord’s teaching of building on the right foundation of Acts 7, lest our efforts by flesh and imagination are swept away by the tides and the storms of the world and the devil.

Jesus came to earth to establish the eternal Kingdom of heaven in the hearts of mankind. He did not come to set up a physical kingdom, or to start a religion. Matthew 4:23 says for example, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” Jesus came to show the way to the Kingdom, which is spiritual and will forever remain untouched or untainted by a corrupted world of sin. The Zealots in the time of Jesus believed otherwise. They saw in Jesus a potential conquering hero, who would overthrow the Roman Empire. The Zealots were a political movement which sought to incite the people of Judea to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy Land by force of arms. This is not the way of the Kingdom, for as Paul said in Romans 14:17 that the “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

The philosophy of the Zealot movement after all was simple: there was only one God, and Israel was to serve him alone; the Torah and other writings of the Bible were the only guides to righteous living; and serving the emperor in any way, whether in worship, slavery, or paying taxes, was apostasy against God. Josephus, who knew the Zealots, described their passion for freedom as unconquerable because they would serve no one but God. Violent resistance was considered a God-ordained responsibility since they believed God was on their side, and they knew that they would triumph in the end. This led to their reputation for incredible bravery and tolerance for suffering. They were committed to the Scriptures' promise of a coming anointed one who would be a great military leader and king, like David of times past.

One of the disciples was Simon the Zealot (Mark 3:18). Jesus often needed to correct his audience's interpretation of his message as political rather than spiritual (John 6:15; John 18:36; Acts 1:6), and on several occasions, he urged those who experienced his power not to report the miracles, possibly to prevent such misinterpretation (Matthew 12:16; Mark 1:44). Jesus' message in the Beatitudes proved that He did not come to be a conquering military king and that He would rather come as a suffering Messiah (Isaiah 53:1-10) whose kingdom demanded a lifestyle of loving one's enemies, forgiving transgressors (Matthew 5:21-24,), and being peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Jesus came to show true peace comes from forgiveness of sins rather than from military conquest.

It is because we are no longer as the church solely reliant on God’s Spirit to lead us in truth and by the strength of God to fulfil the Great Commission or to live out the greatest commandments we have become a people being influenced by the world. The church after all has brought in every so-called social science and cultural study to mess with the ways and the will of God. We have added worldly culture, ideas, thoughts, teachings and philosophies to the Church and the believers’ life, thus it has taken precedence over the Word of God. Thus, the Bible is no longer sought as the only and true wisdom of God, but the wisdom of this age and scholars have been added to our Christian understanding and perceptions. It has crept into our Church, our evangelism and our missiology that you can barely call what we are doing Christian anymore. Psychology, anthropology (theory of evolution) and sociology for example have become primary influences in the Church.

All the activity in our church and the activity thus of the believer must be based solely upon the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is because we have added so many ingredients to the Church that we are now struggling to walk in the very truth of God, for our theology, our doctrines and spiritual ways are influenced by the carnal, the devilish and by the worldly thinkers. Because we have as a church move more in the natural than the supernatural, trusting in the physical than the spiritual, the church has chosen opinion above truth, and we have chosen man-made ideas, agendas and programmes to trump the leading of God. 

Just as Jesus is the only way to salvation, just so there is no other Gospel. Yet these days we get all kinds of gospels. This includes the gospel of social justice and culture, where many churches left off preaching the cross of Christ and replaced it with “doing good to their fellow man.” It is thus more about the rights of mankind at the expense of God’s perfect will. This is because we are trying to promote church in our strength, and by such strength, we have abandoned the purity of the Gospel. It is sad that social concerns have replaced the finished work of Christ who died and rose again to save sinners, and the gospel of God saving us from sin was almost entirely neglected. We are now more concerned about society and how we fit into society than what God says of man in His Word. We are thus more concerned about pleasing man than pleasing God. Social issues such as abortions and same-sex marriages are now driving the church instead of the Great Commission. Thus social issues impacting man has become more important and relevant than what the Word of God says and what God calls us to do according to His will.

The Church must remain true to the Gospel and remain true to God to be an influence in this world. We can only do so when we are a people who serve not by our might or strength, but the strength of God. Otherwise, we betray God and become powerless (which is happening more often). A church is never called to change with the times or adapt to society. God is still the same today and tomorrow. Our quest for relevance may cause us to forget that Christ lays claim to every aspect of our lives, and not just popular political issues. An obsession with relevance means that man ultimately shapes the gospel instead of what the Holy Spirit is saying.

The dangerous gospel of interfaith dialogue and acceptance is a result of the church operating by its wisdom and strength. This goes to the heart of challenging Jesus’ statement that He is the only way, truth and life. The Church is not called to embrace and incorporate various cultures and religions. While we are called to preach the Great Commission to all nations, we must be careful that under the guise of tolerance, love, and some would even say, evangelism, we do not allow ourselves to be persuaded, influenced or manipulated by any other culture of religion. God’s Kingdom on earth through the Church must remain untainted, and not saturated with anything else that is not pure and holy. This is the time for us to remember the words of Jesus to His disciples: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

In Numbers 13, scouts are sent into the Promised Land. It says the following when the scouts returned:  "28 But the people who dwell there are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, there we saw the sons of Anak [of great stature and courage]. 29 Amalek dwells in the land of the South (the Negeb); the Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along by the side of the Jordan [River]. 30 Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it. 31 But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are. 32 So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."

The problem was all the scouts, except for Caleb, viewed the threat in physical light. Physically [flesh and blood] they realised that the enemy is stronger and thus lost courage and heart. Because they wanted to battle in flesh and blood instead of the spiritual (Ephesians 6), fear overcame them. Caleb, however, kept his eye on God, and thus, the physical threat was not greater than his mighty supernatural God.

This is the same problem that Saul had when he faced Goliath. He wanted to overcome the threat by means of a physical fight. Goliath was stronger than Saul, so a physical fight would have been disastrous. David, who slew Goliath, was like Caleb for he kept His eye on God and that the fight is really a supernatural one. ”1 Samuel 17: 45 Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

Saul wanted to equip David with physical armour, but David eventually took it off because it would only slow him down. David didn’t need physical armour, but spiritual armour, for the only way he was going to defeat Goliath was first to overcome the threat in the spiritual and then in the natural. So he kept his eyes upon God and then slew the giant. Indeed, our fight is not against flesh and blood, but it is supernatural. It is not about our own physical attributes, but our spiritual resolve and fortification. There are some who are still confused if we are to somehow “put” on this armour every day, such as making a prophetic action of wearing your helmet. No, you “put” on the armour by walking in truth, righteousness, faith, and wielding the Sword, trusting in God’s redemption plan by the Blood and fulfilling the Great Commission.

We need to realise our greatest weapon is God!  We will never be victorious if we want to fight any battle by our might and strength or by our own plans. Consider 1 Samuel 14, and the life of Gideon, David and Samson to name a few, where God brings about victory in the most peculiar, strange, mysterious and awesome ways. Why? Because when it comes to deliverance, to hope, to victory and to battle then God alone will take the glory and not man! We can never taste and see victory unless God dictates the battle until the spirit of the Lord steps in and until we step back and allow God almighty to step onto the battlefield! We often still try to fight the battles in the natural, yet this is a spiritual war. We are still trying to come up with all kinds of ideas, campaigns and plots to defeat the enemy. And this implies to our personal battles as well.

It is time to fix our eyes upon the Lord, and trust Him, and listen to Him! He is not a man that He needs to battle in the natural. Is this not the same God who sent one angel to slay 185 000 men of the Assyrian army? Is this not the Lord who crushed Egypt with 10 plagues before destroying so many in the Red Sea? Is He not God? Yet we fear. Yet we doubt. Let us rather wage war according to 2 Corinthians 10 and Ephesians 6 and trust in Psalms 23 and 91! Who do we truly think He is? He is God. He is YHVH. The Great I AM. He is the End. He is the Beginning. Read Job 40 and 41 which addresses those who wish to accuse the Lord. Yet we might the same mistakes as Israel – we make allegiances and treaties, trying to win the favour of the world to come to our aid. Israel sought an alliance with Egypt and was punished.

In 1 Samuel 14 we find Jonathan (the son of Saul) and a young bearer rout the Philistines. It reads: “One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. Let us then focus on verse 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” 8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.

Then we read in verse 15: “Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.” Glory to God! Now, let us remember that Jonathan and the armour bearer could have waited for Saul and the army, but we need to remember according to 1 Samuel 13 most of the army did not have weapons. Two men brave and bold and fearless stood up against the enemy. Two men struck down 20 Philistines. Why? Because God had sent PANIC in the army. You see, it was not the might of the Israel army that defeated the enemy. It was the might of the Lord. It was not the might, the skill or any treaty that won battle, but God had struck panic in the midst of the enemy. Yes even the ground shook with His power!

Remember Gideon. He led 300 men to victory. In Judges 6 the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon doubted the Lord, for he said “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Gideon made a key mistake. He trusted in his own strength. In verse 16 of the same chapter, the Lord said: The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” With ONLY trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside, Gideon defeated the mighty army of the Midianites! Why? Was it because Gideon was a great leader? No! God HAD ALREADY GIVEN THE ENEMY INTO THEIR HANDS AS THEY HAD GIVEN THE ENEMY INTO THE HANDS OF JONATHAN. With only a small stone David slew Goliath, because David never placed his faith and trust in his own ability. GOD HAD ALREADY GIVEN THE ENEMY INTO THE HANDS OF DAVID.

In Judges 11 we read: 19 “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Let us pass through your country to our own place.’ 20 Sihon, however, did not trust Israelto pass through his territory. He mustered all his troops and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21 “Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and his whole army into Israel’s hands, and they defeated them. YES, GOD GAVE SIHON INTO THE HANDS OF ISRAEL!

In Exodus 17, the Israelites won the battle against the Amalekites simply because Moses help his arms upright on the hill! Was victory secure because of Moses’ strength? No, the prophet obeyed God and supernaturally and by God’s will and plan He slew the army. Such a simple action but this is sometimes all that is required, such as marching around a city! We will never see victory until God has given the enemy into our hands. And this will only happen when we trust Him, listen to Him, follow Him, praise Him, worship Him, obey Him and follow Him as the only true King! Yes, Joshua listened to God and marched 13 times around Jericho and then the city fell because GOD HAD GIVEN THE CITY INTO THE HANDS OF JOSHUA!

When Joshua came to Jericho, his heart must have sunk because this was a secure city! How were they to defeat such an enemy? And so we read in “Joshua 5: 13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” The battle belongs to God! Joshua marched as the Lord instructed, and the walls fell. Joshua never had to fear because God is in control and His will shall be done.

In Isaiah 36 and 37, we read how Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. The King of Assyria mocked God and put pressure on Hezekiah, king of Juda, to bow before him. Hezekiah was facing a mighty opponent and a mighty battle because Assyria at the time had swept all before them. How easily for Hezekiah to bow to pressure and to fear! He could have looked at the circumstances and the physical evidence, which would have led to a moral defeat. Lo and behold, Hezekiah received a word from Isaiah and was reminded that the battle belongs to God, no matter the army that faced him.

Just like when Elijah faced an army of 850 false prophets, just so Hezekiah faced great dangers, but they didn’t need to fear, for God is with those who stand with Him. The battle belongs to God! Praise the Lord! He is always greater and His might is always more powerful. We do not have to fear, for the Lord is with us, why then shall we fear? In Judges 15 we read the following of Samson when he was attacked by the Philistines: “14 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.” YOU SEE, IT WAS NOT BY HIS STRENGTH ALONE, FOR IT WAS BY THE MIGHT AND POWER OF THE SPIRIT!

We cannot make the constant mistake of placing our hope in ourselves, in this world, in politics, in money or in our strength in the hope of seeing victory. God deals with the supernatural, with the extraordinary, and He shall give victory when we listen, when we bow down and obey Him. But truly we need to listen for the time when come when the Lord says the enemy has been given into your hands! There is no reason to fear, there is no reason to be anxious, for the Lord is indeed the Lord of the battle. And how the Lord reminds us He is the only and true master of any battle, no matter what kind of battle, no matter what kind of struggle we face, no matter the obstacles hindering us or the circumstances that threaten to surround us. We may face the battles of the mind, or the battles of the physical, or the battles of the spiritual, but the battle that wages is never greater or distant from the hand of God. Indeed, is the hand of the Lord too short to save or deliver? Isaiah 59 says, “1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.”

Praise the Lord, for the battle belongs to God, even when Daniel was facing death when in the pit of lions! David’s faith and the power of God stirred the king of Babylon to believe in the Lord Almighty. Just as the Israelites passed safely through the Red Sea, Daniel passed safely through this trial, and just as the pursuing Egyptians were consumed by the flooding waters, just so those who falsely accused Daniel were crushed when the lions fell upon them. The Red Sea enfolded upon the Egyptian and the lions enfolded upon Daniels’ enemy! Talk about the power of God! Praise the Lord, for no weapon forged against us shall prosper. Indeed, the battle belongs to God, and we never have to fear! God has a plan and a purpose, and that plan and purpose shall prevail.

We may face the battles of the mind, or the battles of the physical, or the battles of the spiritual, but the battle that wages is never greater or distant from the hand of God. Indeed, is the hand of the Lord too short to save or deliver? There are countless of tales of how the battle belongs to God and how we do not have to fear, so take heart, be full of joy, for God is with us. He slays the mighty, He brings low the lofty, and He brings kings to their knees and shakes empires until it is mere dust. What a God we serve.

Job struggled in the wake of Satan’s torments, but the Scriptures illustrate how the Lord is always the Lord of the battle. Job had never to fear, he just had to remain close to God, and in the end, the victory was secure! Indeed, we serve a mighty God! Satan tried to steal Job’s hope and love and life, and Job could have easily drifted away from the Lord. But no matter the schemes and plots of the enemy, no one is greater than God and for this reason, we do not have to fear or be anxious!

For those who wait and trust in the Lord, such as Job, will be victorious for our battle is not in our might or power, but by the Spirit of God. It speaks of overcoming seven times in the letters to the seven churches, because for those who trust and hold firm to God never have to fear or be doubtful for all our battles – no matter who or what wages such battles against us – belong to the Almighty.

When we are sick, we can have hope – for sickness is a battle, but God is Lord of all battles. When we face financial struggles, we can have hope – for poverty and troubled times is a battle, but God is Lord of all battles. When we face uncertain times, seasons of adversary, of pain or illness fear not, for these are battles says the Lord and such battles belong to Him. Jesus is the Name above all names, and all and every battle belongs unto God. There is no battle that is beyond the control of God. There is no challenge that is greater than God. Goliath thought he would destroy David and the army of Israel. But he forgot that David served the Almighty, and so David did not fear. He trusted in God and God alone. Victory was secure and true, because the battle belongs to God.

In 2 Kings 6, the King of Aram amassed an army to destroy Elijah. Did Elijah fear? Of course not, why should he! Even that battle, like all our battles belongs to God. In Isaiah 36 and 37, we read how Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 

When we are sick, tired, down or depressed, remember, this is a battle and so lift up the battle to God. God is our banner, our hope and our refuge. Take heart, for God is with His children!  The problem is we forget God is Lord of all battles. Not man. Not the devil. Not the world. So the outcome and the solution and the answer always but always rests with God.  The devil is not greater than God. Neither is any sickness, government, person or thought or institution. For this reason, we do not have to fear – God is in control! Praise Him. So bring every battle unto God. Bring every challenge unto the Lord of Hosts. Fear not, but be brave and bold in Jesus. In God, we have victory, but victory is secure for those who stand in Christ.

Acts 15 says, “32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.” And also in the same chapter: “40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” To strengthen implies moving from a state of weakness to a state of strength. And I believe the church is finding itself in a state of weakness. The church can only be strong when it abides in the strength of God, thus move in the power of the Holy Spirit. It can only be strong when moving in the conviction and assurance of the Gospel, in faith, in hope and in trust, which is only possible when surrendered, yielded and submitted completely and utterly to God. The church has become weak not because God is weak but because the church has moved from a place of strength and into a place of doubt, fear and uncertainty.

It has gradually and subsequently moved out of the position of operating in the Spirit to operate more in the flesh (Matthew 26:41: watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak); from a position of grace to a position of legalism; and from a position of truth to a position of deception. 

Romans 8:26 declares that the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. Paul also wrote in “Colossians 1: 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

The Church can only be strong when operating in the manifested strength of God, thus the inner working of the Spirit and the resurrected power of God. Weakness is a result of man’s endeavours and efforts, driven by the Self thus the own spirit, which seeks to transplant the work of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, this is when man seeks to become ruler of the harvest instead of worshipping and serving the Lord of the Harvest!

The church has become weakened because of division driven by man-made agendas, programmes, ideas, traditions and religion. It has become weakened by the growth of false doctrines, prophecies, and fables pretending to be the truth. It has become weakened because men have become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and they having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3). The church has become weak because it has allowed for doctrines of demons to slip in (1 Timothy 4:1),

Yes, the church has become weakened because of the dreamers that defile the flesh, reject authority, who are spots at the love feasts, clouds without water, raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame and thus wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever (Book of Jude). Paul wrote in “2 Timothy 4:17: But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” We read in Luke 43 of Jesus: “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”

Jesus and Paul needed to be strengthened, and more than ever I believe the Church needs to be strengthened and this can only happen when we preach and teach the truth, thus edifying, uplifting, encouraging and exhorting in the power of God. This is a time for real, authentic, genuine and sincere prophetic and apostolic guidance, and for Church to be strengthened in the fear and faith of God again. This is a time for the Church to arise from her slumber and to be strengthened to arise from the coma to become the bearer of Christ's light and truth. It is time for the Church to move again in the power, wisdom, counsel, might and knowledge of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11).

Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:16 as a prayer “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” Jesus said to Simon, also known as Peter, in “Luke 22: 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Simon would betray Jesus three times, but he was restored in ministry when the resurrected Jesus met him on the shore. And the mandate to Peter was to strengthen his brethren.

Indeed, I believe this is a critical time to strengthen the brethren as worshippers in spirit and truth. This is a critical time to counter the darkness with the true light of God, to continue uplifting, so that the Church may know the reality of Isaiah 40 which says: “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.” In such a revelation of God and His might and glory, truly the following shall manifest: “31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

May the Church be strengthened in the power of God, thus in the Holy Spirit as in the days of Pentecost. For then we church shall burn again with revival fire, be convicted in pursuit, be pursuing righteousness and be truly seeking God’s Kingdom above all. Our weapons are not carnal, it is spiritual for we are called to be royal priesthood serving a mighty and awesome supernatural. And with this God, all things are possible!

The all-conquering Lion of Judah

As warriors of God’s army, we have to realise we serve an all-conquering King of kings. We serve a mighty God who can never lose or be defeated. The devil tried to overthrow the Lord and found himself cast down. Nebacanezzer, king of Babylon, also discovered there is none like God, for our Lord is mighty, all-powerful and He shall reign forever. We need to adopt that mindset and realise we fight on the right side with a commander of immense power and glory!

Yes, we fight with the Lion of Judah. Often, when we think of Jesus one of the images that come to mind is the lamb. After all, when John the Baptist was about to baptize Jesus, he declared him the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). When you think of a lamb you think of tenderness, gentleness, and I would add even submissiveness. Jesus had to come as the lamb to die on the cross for our sins, but since His ascension, He is the Lion of Judah.

Of this mighty King we read in “Revelation 19: 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. The descendants of these sons formed the twelve tribes of Israel. A reference to the tribe of Judah is a reference to the human or natural lineage of Christ. You can read the genealogy in Matthew 1. Jesus was a descendant of Judah which also included David, and Solomon, eventually making its way down to Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. 1 Kings 9 says, “4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.” David from the tribe of Judah sat on the throne as king of Israel, just so Jesus will sit on the eternal throne ruling over all creation.

Read what it says in “Genesis 49: 8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.” This is a prophetic utterance of the rule and reign of Jesus, for indeed as promised the scepter shall not depart from Judah, meaning Jesus rules forever.