Women At War E-Book

Delaine Allen

• Herausgeber: RWG Publishing
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Psalm 68:11 says, "The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host" - battle ready armies of women who have been restored to God's original plan and embraced heaven's mandate for their time in history. In Women At War, you will see how your individual purpose fits into God's plan to transform nations and how to posture yourself personally for your divine calling.
 
Every woman is significant! You will learn
• What spiritual warfare is really about
• How to take back your destiny
• How to advance with confidence
 

Leseprobe

Women at War breathes confidence into the hearts of women! We believe this book is strategic in its timing to the mobilizing of women from the sideline to the frontline. We want to thank Delaine for her attention to unlocking doctrinal truths regarding the challenge for women to see themselves powerful in their authority equal to men, and that women must give themselves permission to be a voice for God's kingdom. Not a lesser voice,

but an equal voice!

David and Cathie Harrison

Senior pastors of the R.O.C. Church International

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

––––––––

I enjoyed reading through this cutting edge book that I believe is a prophetic call to women to rise up and take their place in the kingdom of God. Whether we like it or not, women have now been thrust into the frontlines of the battle both naturally and spiritually.

Perfect timing for a resource that is more of a "trumpet" call to women specifically, as well as to men.

Delaine has brought forth incredible revelation to encourage women to see from heavens perspective and to become all that God has called them to be. This is an incredible book for such a time as this, calling out to the women folk to step forward with courage and in their God-given authority to shift nations and influence the world in a record breaking way.

Remi Ogunrinde

Co-founding Apostle, Global Teams Alliance

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

I loved this book! Very few books and teachers can pull off a call to “Rise Up, O Woman,” with as much elegance, thoughtfulness, and wit as Delaine Allen has in her new book, Women at War. For any woman who has struggled with her place, her voice, and her value in ministry or the world, Women at War, will alleviate any confusion as to what God is up to.

It will encourage you to accept your esteemed position and ready yourself for battle in a way for which you are truly equipped. With no rancid bitterness, Delaine pours forth enlightening revelations received from years of questions we all ask, often humorously pointing out the absurdity of what we have turned Christianity into.

Laced throughout her teachings are enlivening personal stories, hers and others, of women who have overcome obstacles which have threatened their worth and call.

Be encouraged, empowered, and elevated as you embark on this journey of freeing your Warrior Woman of God!

Maryann Ehmann, maryannehmann.com

Author of Have I Ever Told You, You’re My Favorite

Magnificent Life and Business Coach, Founder of Create Your Magnificent Life Now

Women At War

Rise Up, Be Restored and Embrace God’s Mandate for Your Life

Delaine Allen

Women At War

Copyright © 2015 Delaine Allen

Contact:

www.lifestreammin.org

[email protected]

[email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owner. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

The views expressed in this book are the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Amplified – Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Call

Chapter 2: Like Father, Like Daughter

Chapter 3: This is War!

Chapter 4: The War for Your Inheritance

Chapter 5: Embracing the Big Picture

Chapter 6: The War for Your Voice

Chapter 7: The Battle at Your Gates

Chapter 8: Clothed with Light

Chapter 9: A Clear Path

Chapter 10: Heaven’s Authority

Chapter 11: Faith to Overcome

Chapter 12: Keep Your Vision

Chapter 13: Restored to Wholeness

Chapter 14: Becoming the Voice of the Lord

Chapter 15: In His Presence

Chapter 16: “Happy” is a Weapon

Chapter 17: Releasing the Light of God

Chapter 18: Advance and Don’t Quit

Bibliography

Resources and Inspirations

Foreword

In December 2013, the Lord took me into a vision in which He brought me into a very large room which I believe to be within the throne room in heaven. In this room, the walls were lined with weapon upon weapon, the likes of which I had never, ever seen before, weapons obviously unfamiliar to me in every respect.  I believe that the Lord has carefully hidden weapons that He now purposes to release to the body of Christ. Those that have an ear let them hear what the Spirit is saying.

I was so excited and encouraged to read Women at War by Delaine Allen.  It not only was revelatory but contains some very real life comments and illustrations that ultimately will propel the Kingdom of God forward in your life. The message is not only clear but compelling and needs to be heard. It will leave you knowing that your life is empowered with the fullness of destiny in you. This is the day and the hour for women within the body to take their rightful place with authority, recognizing that the enemies of heaven’s sole purpose is to keep you weak and ineffective in battle.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (AMP) says it this way: “For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.”

I believe that this book represents a weapon that the Lord desires to release to the body of Christ for such a time as this. Take your rightful place, and now is the time.

Much Love,

Peter Nash

Fresh Oil & Fire Ministries

Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Introduction

A vast array of books has been written on the subject of spiritual warfare...books on intercessory prayer, detailed descriptions of the armor of God, doctrinal studies, teachings on renewing the mind, demonology and casting out demons, and insights into angelic operations in the unseen realm, just to mention a few. I questioned why another book on warfare would be needed. Other authors had covered their subjects with excellence. The answer to this question lies in Jesus’ own directive for us to pray and decree, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Then, coupling that understanding with the apostle Paul’s view of warfare as a confrontation to the stronghold mindsets of culture, a new perspective begins to emerge.

At this very moment, Christians all over the world are learning to connect with the powers of the age to come, intent on demonstrating the heavenly Kingdom’s truth and power in the midst of the current world system. We are on the verge of engaging in a different level of warfare than has been seen in the past. Our victory is assured - in fact it is already won in Christ - yet the confrontations of the future are not for the faint of heart. It’s time for us to see history in the context of God’s plan, and then find our place within that plan.

When our son, Josh, was a small child who had only just learned to talk, he used to sing songs in his car seat while we drove. Everything we passed that made an impression on him – a police siren, a barking dog, construction workers on the job, traffic, people going about their business (and an occasional shout out to the golden arches restaurant), was absorbed into the mix of spontaneous song, complete with sound effects. Similarly, our own lives are intended to be a combination of spontaneous joy-filled responses to the ongoing experiences of God’s goodness, woven into the fabric of His intended purpose for us individually - a wonderful blend of intention and creativity. Each of us is designed to fill a specific place in God’s overall plan.

In our time, we are about to see God do something on a scale that is unprecedented. We who have been looking for a last days’ move of God know that we are at the beginning of a Great Awakening. I personally believe that every manifestation of past great revivals will be included and even greater, but with an added dimension. The flood of God’s glory will be something like the flood in Noah’s day. The heavens were opened, but the deeps also broke up to gush forth over the earth. What that means is that the rains of the Spirit from heaven are only part of this move. The corresponding part is the people of God rising up with intentionality to demonstrate the kingdom of God throughout the earth. Together, these two will create a flood of the glory of God destined to be much, much bigger than we have been able to imagine. And, I believe, more sustained.

We should be inspired to take our place in God’s plan when we zoom out to see the larger picture of His plan for the nations, and our personal life plan within that. We must be inspired! The individual is integral to the whole. We, as one body in Christ, are individually members of one another (Romans 12:5). Roughly half of these members and warriors are women. Women are a current focus in God’s restoration plan in the earth - not because they’re more important than men, but because to this point in history they have not been functioning in full capacity as God’s ministers of reconciliation. The body of Christ has been limping. No more.

It’s a time for change. It’s time to see. It’s time to be healed. It’s time to rejoice. And it’s time to be trained for war. I hope that within these pages you will find fresh vision to inspire, new perspective of sound doctrine to establish you, and passion to ignite your heart. Women of God arise!

Chapter 1The Call

What images scroll across your imagination at the mention of this phrase? Perhaps it’s the movie version of Elizabeth I of England riding a white horse with gleaming silver armor under a beautifully embroidered cape, her long red hair blowing in the wind. Personally, I like that one. Then there’s young Joan of Arc bravely leading her band of soldiers against their invaders, fiery in her conviction of the visions she has seen. I really like that one, too. Such romantic images stir our hearts in part because of their uniqueness.

Throughout history warfare is not typically associated with women. On the contrary, women have had to bear the consequences of wars they had no part in instigating. Women around the world, along with their children, have been helpless victims of invaders and attackers. Women have watched their husbands, fathers, and sons go off to war, hoping against hope to see them return again. Too often, they’ve had to rebuild their lives out of the rubble of shattered dreams. Brutal war is certainly not something we, as women, desire to experience, never mind initiate. Still, there is something deep within our hearts that resonates with a call to action, a compelling desire to rise into a victorious destiny just like Elizabeth I and Joan of Arc. That desire has been planted there by the Lord Himself. We have been called to spiritual battle.

Seeing the Battle

Many different concepts of spiritual warfare abound. Some people see it as casting out demons just like Jesus did when He walked the earth, what we would call deliverance ministry. To others, it means warring in the heavenlies through intercessory prayer to break spiritual blockages and releasing blessings. Some understand warfare as standing steadfast in faith to receive what God has promised in His Word. Most commonly, spiritual warfare is taught and understood as taking control of personal thought patterns to bring them into subjection to the Word of God.

All of these concepts are part of spiritual warfare, but not the whole. Spiritual warfare may include these things, but it’s so much more. If we see our warfare according to its various components we can have a take-it-or-leave it attitude, something like going through a buffet line, “A little of this, but none of that, please.” Without feeling a call to a specialized ministry of deliverance or being able to afford spending several hours a day in intercession, why should we bother with spiritual warfare? Unless of course, we feel like we’re under personal attack from the enemy. Then it’s time to call someone for prayer - quick. Likewise, if warfare only has to do with disciplining our own thought processes, then there’s no great urgency. We can attend to that whenever we get around to it, a mañana. But there is a much bigger picture for us to see.

To understand spiritual warfare scripturally is to see it in the context of a biblical worldview and then taking whatever action is required in relation to that worldview. 2 Corinthians chapter 10 is one passage of Scripture that contains clear reference to spiritual warfare:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

(2 Cor. 10:3-5)

In these verses, the apostle Paul tells that we have been given supernaturally powerful weapons to destroy fortresses, defined as high and lofty speculations, or philosophies that resist the knowledge of God, forcing them into obedience to Christ’s lordship. At first glance, it’s easy to draw the conclusion that we are to exercise control over the thoughts of our own mind. However, that’s not the context in which Paul is speaking. He’s not writing about personal thought control. He’s referring to the confrontation of the gospel of the Kingdom of God, with accompanying works of power, in destroying societal strongholds. These strongholds are prevailing societal mindsets which hold entire people groups under their influence. When these strongholds are broken down, a region or people group can come into light and freedom. Believers walking in Kingdom authority can displace the rule of the demonic powers in a region, or a sphere, of influence. Here we find our foundation and framework for warfare.

These same principles of taking mindsets captive still apply on a personal level which we could define as “ground level warfare.” Without personal victory, our effect in the bigger arena is hampered. But for now, let’s expand our perspective to consider God’s greater purpose, because it’s for that greater purpose that we are each being personally trained.

The One Thing

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”

Stephen Covey

Is there a “one thing”, a key message that explains our reason for even being on this earth? Yes, we all know that Jesus is our “One Thing”, Savior and Lord, and that life and eternity is focused on Him. However, it’s obvious that merely knowing this fact hasn’t brought Christians into the place of functional unity as the body of Christ. We tend to stick with our own. Moving beyond the perspective of our denomination or ministry group to embrace new concepts is very difficult for most people. What we perceive as established truth can ultimately become walls of exclusion that hinder us from moving ahead with God’s agenda.

Christianity is, first and foremost, spiritual. Because we are spiritual people, born of God by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit, knowing God and the ways of the Spirit should be familiar to us. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8) Moving with the flow of the Spirit is the normal way of life for the believer. Somehow though, what is to be normal can seem obscure because it’s beyond the realm of the physical senses. What we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel is obvious, so “normal” spirituality can seem rather difficult to grasp consistently. A different set of skills than what we use to engage the natural world is required in order to become attuned to spiritual things.

For example, the love of God is our normal state of being. Romans 5:5 says that the love of God has been “been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Still, while the attribute of divine love continually exists within our spirits, it’s something that we have to continually renew ourselves to in order to function in. 1 Corinthians 13, commonly known as “the love chapter,” tells us exactly what that love looks like:

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous, love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...

What is already true by the Spirit, but not readily apparent to our natural senses, is spelled out for us on the pages of Scripture so we can be retrained and attuned to something new. Without retraining by the Word, what we see, hear, and experience would tend to dominate our reactions, hindering us from becoming loving people.

Teaching plays an important part in defining Christian life. It can also confine it. Denominations and ministry groups each have their varied emphases. Most of these have been built on specific truths that they have received from God, and those truths often become their parameters rather than springboards. Ministry leaders have conflicting ideas as to what is the most urgent message based on their own calling and assignment: Evangelists proclaim that “it’s all about souls” as they call people to the altar of salvation. Pastors work hard to grow congregations up spiritually to a place of fruitful service so much of their focus is directed within the walls of their church buildings. Some ministries care for the poor and broken people of society, and so they criticize the decadence of worldly possessions. On the other hand, there are those people who teach how everyone can be healed, prosper, and receive all the promises of God.

Christians who aren’t in “the ministry” often don’t relate their lives outside of church functions to any special purpose of God. Family, jobs, and other responsibilities keep them running from morning until night as life slips quickly past them. On the other end of the spectrum are those who, because of what they’ve been taught, feel they must spend all their available time attending services so they can “give the Word first place in their lives”, disassociating themselves from worldly community involvements.

You know as well as I do that Christian culture has controversies over some of the most inane things: whether or not to celebrate Christmas. Can a Christian have a tattoo? What day of the week should we worship? In the not-too-distant past it was about pierced ears, eye makeup, and whether Christians could go to shows (The answer to the last one was, “No!”). You may be rolling your eyes, but these were serious issues. A few years before that, it was about whether women should wear pants to a Sunday school picnic. Picture a lineup of women (including my mother) participating in a sack race, wearing dresses! Sure, it’s amusing now. It wasn’t very amusing when, as a 9-year-old, I returned home from a week at summer church camp covered with mosquito bites. The reason for my torment was that all the little girls were required to wear dresses for 3 services a day, as well as standing in long lines outside the dining hall, because that how Christian girls must dress. In a campground. In the bush. Beside a lake. Common sense would tell you that a campground was no place for Sunday dressing, but practicality wasn’t a foremost consideration. Oh, and don’t let me forget...for the sake of modesty, we couldn’t walk down to the swimming beach in bathing suits with towels wrapped around us. No, we had to use the door-less change house on the beach, the one with the walls full of big knotholes. (But I’m over it – I’m much better now. Really, I am.)

These are old issues and controversies, which is exactly my point. No one cares about these things anymore, so let’s not waste valuable time updating bad habits by focusing on things that don’t matter. How much of Christianity’s energies have been wasted on silly priorities? Stubbornly focusing on meaningless issues, based on the perspective of our religious background, can completely block awareness of the greater things the Holy Spirit is trying to show us. Because of limited human understanding, protective sectarian walls are built around traditions and beliefs, preventing infiltration from any new concepts that fall outside those parameters. Perspectives create certain confinements. Is there a core concept in which we can find unity, a message and rallying cry that binds us together, giving freedom for each person to live out their individual destinies with confidence?

Yes, there is a key message for this season of time that we live in. We find it in the original message that Jesus, Himself preached and demonstrated. That message is: “The kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – heaven demonstrated on earth. It’s time for us to pick up on that same message and carry it out in all the fullness heaven has to offer.

We have more to do in these end times than wait to be caught away into the sky. We have an assignment - to fully demonstrate the Kingdom of God on the earth. The world has never seen anything like that, yet. They may have seen some television ministers, who I will not criticize for doing what they are called to do. The world may be aware of some of the evangelistic campaigns carried on in big stadiums. They may or may not have ever met a Christian who lives the Word and power of God. One thing is for sure, they haven’t yet seen the superiority of the Kingdom of God demonstrated in every sphere of society. That is the future for us to step into now.

When Jesus walked the earth, He began his ministry with the message John the Baptist left off: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) From there, Jesus travelled around the vicinity preaching what He termed, “the gospel of the kingdom,” demonstrating the kingdom by healings and miracles.

Matthew 4:23-25

And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. And the news about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven constantly. He told parables to illustrate what the kingdom of God was like, how it is received, and the power that would work in those who receive it. He made it clear that works of power proved the existence of God’s kingdom.

Matthew 12:28

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus taught that He was going away to “receive a kingdom. (Luke 19:12) After being raised from the dead, He ascended to heaven, now sitting in all authority at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords. He has come into His kingdom. Thanks to His work of redemption, we’ve now been brought into His kingdom with Him.

Colossians 1:13-14

For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Even while physically on this earth, we have joint-seating with Christ in the highest position in the universe (Ephesians 2:6). God hasn’t made us wait for a future age to be granted such a lofty position. He has done it now because He means for us to demonstrate that position now. He intends for us to exercise Kingdom dominion now in this age of sin and earthly trouble. With our feet on the earth, we carry the kingdom within us by the Spirit of God.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness, peace, and joy are kingdom attributes which vibrate within our spirits to the frequency of heaven, evidence of our connection with a heavenly Kingdom. Glorious, powerful, and invincible, they continually remind us that we don’t have to live by the dictates of this world system. Holy Spirit, the pledge of our inheritance, whispers to us of the full inheritance which is just waiting for us to grasp, pulling it into present reality. No longer confined to what we see, hear, taste, or touch, we have a higher quality of life flowing directly from heaven through us by the Holy Spirit, seeking expression. The higher realm, heaven’s realm, always has authority over the lower.

Psalm 103:19

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all.

Signs, wonders, and miracles were Jesus’ expression of the kingdom of heaven. He healed the sick and cast demons out of the oppressed. Many times, with masses of people crowding around Him, He healed every single person there. He raised the dead. At the moment before He called Lazarus out of the tomb He said, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” The life of God, the very nature of the kingdom, has authority over death.

At other times, Jesus did out-of-the-box works of power that defied reason and sometimes even a sense of propriety. Turning water into wine at a wedding feast could be considered ridiculously frivolous. Jesus walked on water. Why? He could just as well have had His disciples wait for Him while He was praying so they could give Him a lift back home. He directed Peter to get their money for the temple tax money from the mouth of a fish instead of taking it from the offering support money. Why didn’t He give Peter a lecture about the responsibility of saving up to pay his temple tax? Jesus fed thousands of people by multiplying a few small loaves and fish. He could have just as well have asked the crowds to bring a bag lunch. Didn’t they think ahead? Didn’t He think ahead? Of course He did. But Jesus wasn’t bound by natural hindrances. Neither are you. These incidents aren’t only to be viewed as miraculous events. They are object lessons, declaring to us that God calls us to exploits beyond reason, things that only His power can accomplish. Demonstrating the power and supply of an unseen realm, Jesus made withdrawals from the invisible kingdom of God, releasing them into the earth. What sort of manifestations will be seen through those who do the “greater works” that Jesus promised? What adventures lie in our futures?

John 14:12

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

While we are destined to rule and reign with Christ in the age to come, we begin now.

Revelation 5:10

And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.

We have been made kings and priests. We reign now – even in the midst of the darkness and evil surrounding us. Now is the time where we demonstrate faithfulness that will be rewarded. Now is when our passion for Christ is demonstrated. It will require more than all the human ability we possess to apprehend what God has given us and to demonstrate it in the face of opposition. We will have to rely heavily on the grace of God.

Romans 5:17

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

By grace and righteousness we are qualified to reign now in this life. Our ruling in kingdom authority encroaches on the rulership that the kingdom of darkness exerts over this planet. Kingdom authority forcibly displaces darkness.

Fulfilling our great call requires certain things. I list three of them here, although I’m sure there are others. First of all, it requires that we have knowledge of our redemption in Christ and our position of authority. We war from the position of being seated in the heavenly places in Christ. There are many excellent resources available that teach about our position in Christ. Such foundational knowledge for a successful Christian life and must be a priority of study for each of us. We will look at that to a certain extent in this volume in order to establish solid footing for spiritual warfare.

Secondly, we need to have a revelation of the things belonging to us in the heavenly places. God calls us to pursue and know what is held in reserve for us.

Colossians 3:1-2

If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Some of these things that are above, such as our spiritual attributes, are clearly presented in the Word of God. These are various aspects of the Divine nature that exist within us by the Holy Spirit, such as are listed in Galatians 5:

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

There’s no need for a person to struggle on and on in the old nature that we had before we were saved. The Spirit gives us the character traits of Christ. Our job is to become familiar with the nature of Christ within us.

There are also powers and gifts available by the Holy Spirit, such as are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-12: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, special faith, the gifts of healings, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of spirits, diversities of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. The Bible tells us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, not just passively acknowledge that they exist and hoping that they may drop in on us someday. Also, we have

been given clear commands to heal the sick, cast out demons, even to raise the dead.

Then, there are also other heavenly things available to us, those things that are so far may be unseen and unheard. We’ve just looked at some of the surprising, out-of-the-box things that Jesus did. There are countless other special things stored in heaven:  secrets, dreams, miracles, inventions, cures, creative art forms, and mighty works that have never been seen on the earth. We have the opportunity to receive by the Spirit things previously unseen and unheard.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12

but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God,

Father God has many great and wonderful things to reveal as we commune with Him in the Spirit. As these things are previously unseen and unheard to humanity and may not even be recorded in the Word of God, the validity of any such manifestations must be judged differently than whether or not it is specifically listed in the Bible. We must ask, “Does this manifestation demonstrate the nature and character of God, as He has revealed Himself in the Scripture?” “Does it show forth Jesus’ dominion and release His authority in the earth?” “Does this result in praise to the glory of God?”

Who would have ever thought that someone would walk on water before Jesus actually did it. Who would have thought of throwing a stick in the water to make an axe head float, as Elisha did? There are plenty more mighty works where those ones came from! Ideas and inventions can also be received by the Spirit. In fact, there has never been an invention that blessed humanity that didn’t come from heaven. Creative ideas are received by the Spirit. Direction for daily life and ministry is received by the Spirit. You won’t find the specifics for your life written out in the pages of the Bible. You will have to develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit so you can discern what He is saying to you regarding your direction in life.

Third, reigning in life requires taking a determined and aggressive stance to possess what has been already been granted to us by God. We have the power and ability to grasp what’s ours in the Spirit and live in it. We also have the power to decree into existence whatever is revealed to us from heaven. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done...” (Matt. 6:10) is a decree rather than a request. We must learn to advance in the face of opposing circumstances and even intentional opposition.  It’s up to each person to make a decision to demonstrate the revelation and direction that the Lord reveals, including moving ahead in calling and ministry.

The time has come for us to live beyond ourselves, not having only a view to what is convenient for us personally. There are vast territories before us to expand into. There are spheres of authority to gain. We are called to be a pervasive influence in these areas. Our ambitions are no longer just about ourselves. Such a great destiny calls us to become healed, whole, spiritually and emotionally strong women.

Proverbs 31:25

Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!

Becoming this whole and strong woman is where personal warfare comes into view. God is healing every wound and restoring our own inheritance for a greater purpose. He means for us to live out His greater purposes stress-free! Stress is not a fruit of the Spirit. Our heavenly Father cares about every little thing in our lives. No care or concern is too small for Him to care about. Don’t be guilted into thinking that you must ignore your own needs and weaknesses for the sake of the call. God has more than enough grace for you personally as well as for your assignment! His glory can restore everything within you, everything seemingly lost and everything you ever should have had along with an overflowing abundance to share with others.

Proverbs 31:20

She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].

You have a destiny to affect nations. Whether you are given a platform of fame or live a quiet life in an unknown place, your influence will be felt. You are known in heaven and your assignment will build God’s kingdom. To understand God’s call to war is to see the world before us with new eyes - to see bigger, to think bigger, our eyes being opened to see our position in history. We are willing to face the reality of the condition of the world that we live in and have the courage to expand kingdom territory in the face of hostile forces.

Today, God is calling his women to action. He’s bringing them from the position of being victims to victors, to become healed and whole, to be trained by Him, and advance His kingdom. He has a special plan that is being unveiled right now; it’s one that I believe thrills His heart. His precious daughters will rise up as a mighty force to take His message and power across the earth in demonstration to transform nations.

Chapter 2:Like Father, Like Daughter

The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.

Exodus 15:3

Yes, the Lord is a warrior. We have known the Lord as our Savior, our Friend who loves us and redeemed us. We have known Him as Creator and God. But the Lord is also a warrior. Psalm 7:11 describes Him as a righteous God who has indignation every day. As long as there is anything or any being that stands in opposition to His good will, the Lord will be a warrior.

Have you heard someone say, “Well, God is in control” as a response to a tragedy? Usually, they say that when they are at a loss for an answer. They don’t know what else to say but feel that they must say something. This “God is in control” comment has become an oral tradition among Christians - something we’ve heard someone else say because they heard it from someone else who heard it from someone else, but no one knows who actually found it in the Bible in the first place (or where it could be found at all!)

While God is the ultimate Judge of all things and the One who is intimately acquainted with everything going on in the universe, He’s not the Great Controller. Not all activities of this earth are His will.  Not everything that has happened in my own life has been His will. Certainly not everything I’ve ever done has been the Lord’s choice for me. Oh, how I know that to be true. God allows each human responsibility for making choices. Evil still runs rampant in this earth, despite the fact that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Since Jesus accomplished what He came to do, there’s some enforcing that needs to take place. God hates evil. He hates oppression, violence, cruelty, rebellion, and every work of the devil to destroy humanity and God’s creation. What Jesus accomplished is to free us from the power of the devil so that we could live in His victory. Now, we have been granted the privilege of taking authority over what defies His divine will and of revealing the glory of the Lord.

Lord of the Armies

In the Bible, God reveals His character through His names. The most frequently used name for God in Scripture is Lord of hosts (Lord Sabaoth), or Lord of armies. He is called, Lord of Armies more than any other name. The term, Lord of hosts, defines Him as the mighty God who summons his hosts to carry out His will. These hosts are battle-ready armies. Angelic armies and even the elements of creation stand ready to assist the earthly warriors that God sends forth to do His will. If the Lord is a warrior, His children are warriors. The Lord is a warrior by nature;. It’s His nature to rise up against evil and destruction. God is the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9) from whom we derive our identities. Like Father, like daughter. Within our spirits, we have the warring nature of our Father to overturn evil and release His glory.

Who hasn’t heard of the bravery of Joan of Arc? When only a teenager, she stirred the emotionally defeated army of France to war against their English occupiers. Joan’s passion rose within her through a series of visions she attributed to being revelations from the Lord. While she was never known to kill anyone herself, she rallied her troops, leading them directly into battle against impossible odds.

Deborah of the Bible is another powerful example of a woman warrior. I know what you’re thinking right now: What? Deborah was a judge and a prophetess, not a warrior! But within the context that we have defined warfare, Deborah was every bit a warrior even if she never picked up sword of spear.

When we enter Deborah’s story in Judges Chapter 4, we find her sitting under a palm tree judging Israel. Already, this is remarkable. The narrative mentions Lappidoth as being her husband, but nothing more is said about him. He was probably a good man, but the spotlight is on Deborah. All Israel came to her for judgement including the heads of the tribes, making her an elder of elders. Deborah didn’t seem to have any qualms about her leadership ability and apparently no one else did, either. Her wisdom was proven and her example stable. She was a voice of righteousness in a generation careless about the ways of the Lord. Israel was being oppressed by their enemies, the intimidating owners of nine hundred iron chariots. Highways were even deserted as people were afraid to travel on the open road. But Deborah was tuned in to the voice of the Lord. When she heard the Word of the Lord, Deborah summoned Barak to take Israel to battle against the oppressors. Barak, whose name means “Thunderbolt” was no coward himself. He is commended in the book of Hebrews as a man of faith. Barak would not go to battle without the voice of the Lord, the prophetess, in his chariot. So Deborah, with no weapon of her own in her hand, went to the battlefield. By her leadership, the Israelites overthrew their oppressors, “ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men.” (Judges 3:29)

Judges 5:6-7

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, and travelers went by roundabout ways. The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, ... a mother in Israel.

Deborah, “a mother in Israel,” was one of the most consistent leaders recorded in Scripture. Unlike some of the judges, she finished well. In fact, not one critical thing is written about her. It’s not being boisterous and a natural-born fighter that makes one a great warrior. A warrior is one who chooses to advance God’s purposes against whatever opposition presents itself. Just as Deborah rose to lead the way in a time of trouble, we are called to be examples and voices of righteousness in the time we live in, women who know their God that “will display strength and take action.” (Dan. 11:32)

Psalm 68:11

The Lord gives the command; the women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host

In this key prophetic Scripture, the Lord commands a great host of women who proclaim the good tidings of the Lord. God purposefully, carefully, chose the wording of this verse. He calls this company of women, a host - a great army. The literal of this verse is actually in the feminine and proclaims a great company of preachers who proclaim the good news of deliverance.[1] Yes, preachers! We are living in a day when this Scripture will be fulfilled in demonstration.

Since the Garden of Eden, women as a singular group have largely been excluded from the authority circle. Jesus’ arrival on the earth scene and the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church indicated a restoration of status and freedom for women. While some things written in the Bible don’t give the impression that women were empowered in function, Christianity made a huge difference to the lives of women in the first couple of centuries. For instance, even the rise of a monastic, celibate lifestyle for devoted women of the ancient church was a statement of liberty. That lifestyle doesn’t appeal to us today as being free and empowering for a woman, but at that time in history women’s choices in life were normally governed by fathers, brothers, and husbands.

Although it may be difficult for modern readers to understand why this [monastic life] is a liberating choice for women, the underlying reality is that the choice was one made by a woman following the direction of her life as a personal response to Christ’s call. The direction was not chosen for her.[2]

Some women, like Perpetua of Carthage[3] who died in the arena of Carthage during the persecution under Roman emperor Septimius Severus, chose martyrdom rather than yielding to the pleading of fathers or husbands to renounce Christ and be restored to their families. Perpetua was born to prosperous and educated family toward the end of the 2nd century and was arrested shortly after the

birth of her son. Her father, being concerned for his reputation in the community, begged her to renounce her faith and save her own life:

Have pity on my old age, my daughter. Have pity on me if you believe I am worthy to be called your father. Pity me if I have brought you up to your prime of life with these hands, and if I have preferred you to all your brothers. Do not make me a laughingstock to others. Have some consideration for your brothers, your mother, your aunt, and most especially your little son, who cannot live once you are gone. Lay aside your pride and do not ruin all of us. None of us will ever speak freely again if anything should happen to you.

Women were involved in the life and ministry of the early church as co-heirs of the grace of God. But eventually, hierarchal order gained strength in the church, and women were again squeezed out of service and influence. In Mystics, Visionaries, and Prophets, Shawn Madigan again writes:

The charismatic origin of ministries for women and for widows was virtually forgotten as their roles became hierarchically controlled. By the middle of the third century, there were already claims that the Gospels provided no precedent for women being teachers or baptizers. This inaccurate claim continued to be made in various forms throughout successive centuries. A favorite argument, already picked up in the Didascalia,[4] asserts that “if it were lawful to be baptized by a woman, our Lord...would have been baptized by Mary...

“By the fourth century the patriarchal ordering of the church in both the East and the West had placed restrictions on the minimal ministries that remained for women. At the same, it was evident that the charismatic nature of the church of Jesus Christ was not to be suppressed by official ministries.[5]

The Lord is no longer allowing women to be left behind and excluded. We have been called forward and are taking our place in God’s army. God’s restoration plan includes fully restoring women to their original position and purpose. God is currently raising and training up armies who have authority to bring about restoration in the earth with the same power by which they themselves have been restored. The Lord would have us armed, trained, and ready for spiritual battle. Not only are we armed with weapons, but He intends to use us as His weapons He intends to use you, yes you, to destroy the strongholds set against the knowledge of God.

Isaiah 41:15

Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; you will thresh the mountains, and pulverize them, and will make the hills like chaff.

As weapons in the hand of the Lord, we will:

Break oppression from others’ lives

Break through hidden strongholds in prayer

Destroy oppressive structures in society