Category Archives: Warfare

The Terminator

17 Sunday Apr 2016

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IMG_0189In this life, we face trials and tribulations. Have you ever felt like a big red target is painted on your back? Have you felt as if every possible weapon from hell was launched in your direction?

Today I want you to take a moment to consider why. I also want you to contemplate the possibility that the enemy can see your future.  He can see the destiny that God had in mind for you from the very beginning as you were being formed in your mother’s womb.

Not only do you have great potential to impact the Kingdom of God, but you have the opportunity to influence many other is your life positively to complete their divine destinies as well.

Ponder this question; is it possible that the relentless attacks against you are an effort to terminate your assignment?

In the world of entertainment, we see plots and themes play out before our eyes in movies and TV shows, which are not always realistic, but they are entertaining. One of those topics is time travel.  I remember years ago watching Michael J Fox play a character in the movies “Back to the Future”.  In this movie, he travels back in time to when his parents met.

There was another movie franchise, which also used time travel in its theme, called “The Terminator”. I didn’t actually watch these movies, but I did see some of the episodes when they made a TV show out of it and I know the basic story line.

I looked up the contents of the movie on Wikipedia so I could have the details correct. In this analogy, I want you to consider the young girl’s character, Sarah Conner.  In the first movie, which was released in 1984, she is a young single girl just living her life, when suddenly that reality is interrupted because a seemingly unstoppable cyborg assassin comes back from the year 2029, and is programmed to kill Sarah.  He is called the Terminator, and while he is a powerful machine, he appears to be human.

The reason Sarah is a target is because the child she will eventually give birth to is very important. In the future, there is an artificial intelligence defense network called Skynet who initiates a nuclear holocaust.  Sarah’s future son John is so important, because he is the one who leads the human group called the Resistance, who will eventually stop Skynet and its army of machines.

In the first of the five movies in this franchise, The Resistance sent back through time travel one of its best soldiers to help protect Sarah, which he does, but he loses his own life in the process. 1

In the second movie in the series, John, Sarah’s son is 10 years old. A second terminator, which is even more advanced and powerful than the original, was sent back from the future to try to kill Sarah’s son John.  A version of the original Terminator cyborg was reprogramed and sent back to protect Sarah and her son since the original human soldier was killed. 2

Without going into any more detail let me just say there are five movies in the franchise that show relentless efforts to destroy Sarah and her son John. Why?  Because these creatures come from the future and in the future, there is a clear understanding of how important these individuals are.

It wasn’t Sarah that saved the world; it was her son. Her son would never have existed without Sarah! He would never have existed had she not fought relentless battles to stay alive and then keep her son alive.

In the other movie series I mentioned earlier, “Back to the Future”, Michael J Fox’s character goes back in time and accidentally interrupts his mom meeting his dad. Which would mean in this new future, he didn’t exist.  He had to go back again and make that first kiss between his parents happen or everything changed.

If in this fictional movie one missed kiss made all the difference, how much more in real life does one missed opportunity cost? What is at stake if you do not complete your assignments?

Don’t tell me you don’t have assignments….we all have assignments. I may not have a Billy Graham or a Smith Wigglesworth assignment, but I do have a Rhonda Barnes assignment and all assignments are important! The question is will we say yes or will we allow our assignments to be terminated?

I want to consider a couple examples from Scripture. Let’s start in the Old Testament with the life of Moses. If you read the story of his life beginning in Exodus chapter 2, you will find that the king of Egypt directed that all Hebrew boys be killed.  Moses’ mother hid him for a few months, but when she knew she could not hide him any longer she put him in a basket in the Nile in hopes that Pharaoh’s daughter would find him and preserve his life.

Moses had a very important destiny to lead God’s children out from slavery and to the Promised Land. We see that his mother had to protect his life just like the fictional character Sarah Conners had to protect John.

Fast forward to the birth of Jesus. We read in Matthew 2:13 that not long after Jesus was born an angel appeared to Joseph and instructed him to flee with the child because Herod was seeking him in order to destroy him.  Do you see a common theme here?

The greater the assignment, the greater the battle!

I have only talked about the battle around their birth, how many attacks and challenges did both Moses and Jesus have to overcome to fulfill their assignments?

I don’t know if it is really like this, but I have seen on TV shows where all the officers gather before their shift and they review the top list of criminals they are looking for. In some cases, there are rewards for the worst of the worst.  They are looking for ways to bring those individuals down to stop the crime they are involved in.

I can just envision a morning meeting in hell similar to that. They target the children of God who have a negative impact on Hell’s agenda!  If we use the analogy of the movie, we are the “Resistance” fighting against “Skynet” whose single goal is to kill steal and destroy!

 Ephesians 6:10-14a NKJV

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (strategies) of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.   Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand….

When I say that the enemy comes with relentless attacks, those battles can come in many forms. It may be physical, financial, relational or many other examples.  If you are there, I want to encourage you today.  I previously stated, “The greater the assignment, the greater the battle, but you must also realize that the greater the battle the greater the victory!

Realize that these attacks from the enemy are strategic to stop you. You are not alone!  Let these battles make you more determined to find out what it is that the devil is so afraid of!  LIFT UP YOUR HEAD!  IF GOD IS FOR YOU, WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU?  YOU’VE GOT THIS!!!! 

I hope you find some encouragement if you have had that target on you, to realize that there is a good reason. Hell is fighting you so hard, because you are important and the enemy realizes that!

One last thing I want to leave you with is a reminder of the equipment that is available to you for your battle. You can read about the armor of God in Ephesians 6.  Every piece of the armor is important, but I will only focus on a few at this time.  In a recent post, I shared about the helmet of salvation.  It is an essential piece of equipment to protect our minds….this is CRITICAL because many of the enemy attacks start in the mind.

I also want to point out your breastplate of righteousness. To illustrate the power of this protection I want you to visualize it as a bulletproof vest.  This piece of armor is meant to protect your heart and we put it on as we choose to live a life set apart for God.  Do you know why it is so important to protect your heart?

Obviously, your heartbeat is critical for life, but I want you to also think of it a different way. The things that hurt our heart can be the very things that take us out.  These attacks can come in the form of disappointment from unmet expectations.  They can also come in the form of offense and slander.  At times people say very hurtful things or sometimes our perception of actions can be all wrong but the result still hurts our heart.

That is why it is so important to have your helmet on to protect your mind and your breastplate in place to protect your heart. If while wearing a bulletproof vest, someone were to shoot me point blank, do you know what would happen?  It would knock me down, it would likely knock the breath out of me, it would definitely leave a significant bruise and it might break some ribs, but….I WOULD STILL LIVE!

There are times that the enemy assault might knock you down, knock the breath out of you, leave some bruises, or break your ribs, but HE CANNOT KEEP YOU DOWN IF YOU DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO! 

This is the place where you choose your response. Will you be pitiful, or will you be powerful?  The battle may feel horrible, and I am not making light of anyone’s pain, but you can choose to keep pressing forward regardless of the assault.

The last piece of armor I want to highlight is the shield of faith.

Ephesians 6:14-16 NKJV

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

Notice how verse 16 reads in the Amplified Bible.

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. 

IMG_0157I want you to view your shield of faith like this image.  More than just a forward shield, but as a covering. Our Shield of Faith is the piece of armor that I think we often struggle with.  We need to ask the Lord to strengthen our faith. This will allow us to have our breastplate on to protect our life, and also our shield in place to quench ALL the fiery darts of the evil one!

 

In closing, I want to leave you with these five statements. I hope you will say these to yourself often.

  1. I am important to God and to His kingdom.
  2. I have a destiny and I have assignments to complete.
  3. When the enemy assaults me relentlessly, I will recognize his strategies are to make me stop, give up, detour, or lose momentum, and I will not allow his tactics to prevail!
  4. I will keep my armor in place, which will provide me with everything I need to be successful against the wiles of the devil. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME WILL PROSPER!
  5. I will seek God’s help to strengthen my faith so I can find a place to be shielded from the enemy assaults.

 

 

 

  1. The Terminator. 2016, in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terminator
  2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 2016 in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_2:_Judgment_Day

 

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View from the Dam – Perspective is Everything!

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Encouragement, Perspective, Warfare

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The vision I am about to share about the view from the dam, was a total perspective shift for me. I realized that where the enemy is attacking is the very place God was about to move! Have you been going through a time of discouragement or disillusionment?  Have you been under major enemy attack?  Do you feel like you have cried enough tears to fill a bucket?  Then keep on reading this excerpt from my book, Road to Transformation.

If you see a glass with some water in it, would you say it is half-full or half-empty? Both are actually true, but it’s your personal perspective which drives your unique response. Some people tend to see the big picture; others focus on the details. Maybe you have heard it described as the forest and the trees. Some people see the forest but miss the trees; others see the trees and miss the forest.

Spiritual perception is critical, especially in the times we are currently living in. One thing that can greatly affect your perspective is spiritual warfare or enemy attack. To explain this concept, I would like to share a vision the Lord gave me.

The first part of the vision happened during a Sunday morning service at our church. I was on the platform singing with the praise team. The line in the song that we kept singing said, “Something’s moving, something’s changing…” I saw a picture of a huge grey cinderblock wall. It was a close-up view, which did not allow me to see the top, or the sides. I could see the mortar between the blocks and what I thought were small cracks forming in the mortar.

I began to pray about a shift I felt this represented in the Spirit, while worship continued. It is difficult to articulate, because it was a quick picture in my mind, but what I felt in my Spirit was huge. At this point in the service, our Pastor came to the platform and began to declare to the congregation that there was a shift happening in the spirit realm. It was great confirmation for what I had just experienced. After service, I described to my Pastor what I had seen. He told me that he felt there was more to come, and he would pray with me for God to reveal the rest of the vision.

That evening our congregation was invited to attend a special service at a sister church. The minister preached a message that greatly impacted me. When considering all the great examples of faith listed in Hebrews 11, I had never contemplated what is said about Joseph in verse 22.

“By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.”

Hebrews 11:22 (NIV)

He provided instruction to his family that they were to take his bones with them when they went to the Promised Land. The minister said that Joseph’s bones represented vision and he shared three lessons from Joseph’s bones: 1) God always comes through on His Word. If He said it, it will happen! 2) A promise delayed is not a promise destroyed or denied. 3) Once you catch a glimpse of the Promised Land, you will never be content to live in Egypt! This message was to encourage those who were ready to give up on their vision.

At this season in my life, I had experienced situations which were full of disappointments, disillusionments, and enemy attack, which had made it extremely difficult to remain focused on vision or destiny. I was encouraged by the reminder that a delayed promise did not mean it had been destroyed or denied, but it still brought many tears. After crying the rest of that service and the hour long trip home, before going to bed, I prayed, “Lord if You really save my tears in a bottle, have You switched to a bucket yet?”

The next morning, I arose early as usual, to have my personal devotion time with the Lord. I began to write in my journal about what had happened the previous day. I described the vision I had seen on the platform and the highlights of the message from the evening service. I wrote that I was aware the previous day’s activities were a setup from God to help me change my perspective and focus on the destiny again. However, the reality was that my circumstances had not changed, and I could not understand how my current life was to intersect with the life I once thought I was called to live. I wrote that I felt the lines were blurred and I could not clearly see or define what God’s actual promise versus my own hopes and dreams were!

I continued writing about my prayer from the previous night, “Lord if You really save my tears in a bottle, have You switched to a bucket yet?” At that moment, the vision that began the preceding day continued! Instantly I was standing in front of that cinderblock wall. This time I saw the whole wall, but it was so huge, I still could not see over it or around it. It felt like such a dry and desolate place.

Then I noticed the mortar was turning a darker grey color in between the blocks resulting from moisture. Suddenly, I was taken up high and was now looking down at the wall from an aerial view. I discovered that it was not simply a wall, but it was actually a dam! Behind the dam’s wall was an enormous amount of water, which I knew was a direct result of every tear, prayer, praise, and sacrifice. It was more than a bottle or a bucket. The dam was full and pressing against the wall.

I saw myself in the water. Even though I am naturally a very strong swimmer, I was fighting with every ounce of energy to keep my head above the water. I realized that with every stroke and with every kick the water was rising higher and higher, and the force and the capacity of that river was getting greater and greater. Then I saw an empty life raft floating behind me, and I heard the Lord say to me, “This is not a passive thing! You are not to be in that raft floating aimlessly waiting for the breakthrough! This fight is purposeful!”

The view from the dam in this vision was a total perspective shift for me. I realized that where the enemy is attacking is the very place God was about to move if I would just keep fighting! Unfortunately, this is where many quit; right before the breakthrough.

We have a real enemy, and his number one goal is to kill, steal, and destroy God’s children. If we are in opposition to the enemy’s plan, we will be in a battle as long as we are on this earth. It is very easy to allow the battle to become our focus, but God allowed me to see in this vision what was happening as a result of the battle.

My perspective changed instantly when I realized that every stroke and kick in my fight was causing the water to rise higher and higher. Additionally, the higher level was the increasing force and capacity of the river! Greater meaning came from the fact that the Lord pointed out that my battle in the water was not just a mode of survival during a storm, but a purposeful fight.

The contrast between a wall and a dam is significant. A cinderblock wall gives the idea of a dead end or an obstacle. A dam however, obstructs and controls the flow of water while creating a reservoir. A dam is a great source of power when its floodgates are opened. The greater the reservoir, the greater the power when it is released.

The enemy intends to obstruct and control the flow of God’s power, but what he fails to realize is with every obstruction the reservoir is enlarging. The larger the capacity, the greater the power when released! The greater the battle… the greater the breakthrough! Be encouraged today!

Unleashing the Potential of the Cross – A 90-Day Journey (Part 3)

11 Friday Sep 2015

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11800202_886003528102473_5943722319461091719_nThis series began with the inspiration and purpose for the 90-Day journey of prayer and communion that we recently experienced. In part two, I shared that I had insight from each month of this journey that I feel relates to the seasons we experience in our Christian walk.

In the last post, I discussed the first-month season of relationship building and intimacy with God. This is so critical. It is the foundation that will ground you through every other season you will face. David was the example that we considered and we will continue to see how examples from his life will relate to the next season we will study.

We began to feel a shift in the atmosphere during the second month of the 90-Day journey of prayer and communion. I feel this directly related to the fact that our enemy, Satan, was not happy with this commitment to pray and he certainly did not like our newfound understanding of the power of the cross.

Warfare became very intense for many. Have you heard the saying, “New level, new devil?” I don’t know about you, but when there is an intensity in warfare that hits my life, I view it as a positive. That means I am really close to something precious that the enemy does not want me to have.

I recently saw this post on Facebook.

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Times of intense warfare is when many miss their blessing – miss their destiny – miss their breakthrough…..when the warfare gets intense they listen to that lie of the devil that says, “If you will just stop praying, stop worshipping, stop giving, the battle will stop!”

NO! The greatest battle will often come before your greatest victory!

David was not afraid of the giant Goliath, although other trained soldiers with greater stature than he cowered in fear. I like the way David responded to Saul when he argued that he was not equipped to fight Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 NASU

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”

The intensity of this battle or the size of the enemy did not intimidated David. This is what he said to Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:45-46 NASU

“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 armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.”

Where did David’s confidence come from? He gained his assurance during his season of intimacy! His strong relationship with God developed his faith that He would provide, empower, and intervene. His confidence grew through each private victory in battle, first with the lion, then with the bear. God was faithful.

If David had this kind of confidence, we should have more! We live on this side of the cross….where all power and authority is available to us to defeat every power and every principality through the blood and the name of Jesus.

During the 90-Day journey, we kept music playing at the church during those designated prayer times each day. One song that often played was an encouragement to not be moved by the winds or the waves during a storm. We should keep our eyes on Him, for He is all we need. This is what we must do during times of intense warfare, keep our eyes on Him, and stay in close proximity to the power available through the cross.

During seasons of warfare, you should also remember that the enemy has many different strategies, and one key tactic is to wear out the saints. There is a big difference in stepping into the ring to fight a world championship and stepping into the ring of an underground cage fight.

There are times that the enemy will taunt us to jump in that cage fight ring…..in this place his plan is just to wear us out and beat us up so we are not in our position for the real territory taking battle we are called to!

Sometimes you have to strap on your armor, get your shield of faith and your sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and just STAND until the commander gives you the order to engage! (Ephesians 6:10-17)

When the enemy tries to get you distracted this way, just declare, “I’m not stepping in that ring!” Warfare seasons are a reality for a child of God. When those times come remember what the Bible tells us:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”  2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV