Many changes are happening all around. God is shaking anything that can be shaken in this world and in His Kingdom to separate the goats from the sheep.... .to get everyone in proper position for the endtime harvest. This is such a great time to be alive.
When I watched the Olympics, I was reminded of the day in which we live. The relay races were sometimes disappointing for the Americans (both the men's and women's teams dropped the baton in the "TRIALS"), but were a real visual for the Kingdom of God. We each have the baton to carry to finish our course to win the prize. We have taken the baton from the generation before us and have it in hand. I don't want to drop it. I want to carry it all the way to the end for the prize and finish the race God has set before me. God has granted us to be alive in such a time as this. Let's keep our grip on what we have to grip and shake loose what we have to shake loose, run the race, not looking to the left or right, looking straight ahead, a forehead like flint, looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Warfare
Judges 3
"1Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
2Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; "
There are many Christians who don't believe they have warfare to fight or refuse to do warfare or haven't had good teaching about the warfare we, as Christians, encounter. It looks to me by this Scripture in Judges 3 that it's in the plan for all of us to "prove us". God is no respecter of persons. We need to be proved through war. If the Israelites had to do warfare to take their territory, we do too. If they needed to do war to be "proved", to build God's character in them, we need to be proved through war. Or, in other words, we need to be in the furnace to be purified.
The interesting thing is that "the generations of children" had to experience it too. No matter how much parents want to protect their children............the children..........the generations of children have to go through their own warfare for their territory. You can fight warfare "for" many things in their lives, but you can't fight the warfare "for" their territory. You can fight "with" them just as the children of Israel fought "with" each other to help each tribe claim their territory. Your children still have to do battle to conquer their land, their territory. They have to be transformed into the image of Christ as much as we do. The pressure of tribulation, trials, and warfare transform us. It is our choice which way we are transformed. We can go "with" God's purpose or "against" God's purpose.
Remember that this Kingdom living is a "together" thing. We are a Body. One Body. If we warfare "together", it is less painful and less work for each person. The job is done quicker and one person doesn't take the total hit. We must be proved......a vessel meet for the Master's use.
"1Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
2Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; "
There are many Christians who don't believe they have warfare to fight or refuse to do warfare or haven't had good teaching about the warfare we, as Christians, encounter. It looks to me by this Scripture in Judges 3 that it's in the plan for all of us to "prove us". God is no respecter of persons. We need to be proved through war. If the Israelites had to do warfare to take their territory, we do too. If they needed to do war to be "proved", to build God's character in them, we need to be proved through war. Or, in other words, we need to be in the furnace to be purified.
The interesting thing is that "the generations of children" had to experience it too. No matter how much parents want to protect their children............the children..........the generations of children have to go through their own warfare for their territory. You can fight warfare "for" many things in their lives, but you can't fight the warfare "for" their territory. You can fight "with" them just as the children of Israel fought "with" each other to help each tribe claim their territory. Your children still have to do battle to conquer their land, their territory. They have to be transformed into the image of Christ as much as we do. The pressure of tribulation, trials, and warfare transform us. It is our choice which way we are transformed. We can go "with" God's purpose or "against" God's purpose.
Remember that this Kingdom living is a "together" thing. We are a Body. One Body. If we warfare "together", it is less painful and less work for each person. The job is done quicker and one person doesn't take the total hit. We must be proved......a vessel meet for the Master's use.
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