spiritual war

Destruction of War vs the Glory of God

Quiet cackling was heard in the darkness. Whispering followed, but it was not said in words that could be understood. If any person had been able to hear or perceive the voices uttered in the darkness, a chill may have gone down their spine, even though the words were unclear.

From that darkness Abaddon, the demon of destruction, had been able to breathe into a certain man’s thoughts. The man had often opened his mind to possibilities that intrigued them. And since he was pondering those thoughts more often, they knew eventually their thoughts would become his, as he claimed their sinister plans, as his own.

The demon knew that thoughts of power and dominion filled the man’s mind until he felt he was mad. He was often troubled by these notions and had become weary of trying to keep them at bay, without voicing them aloud. He tried to present somewhat of a smile whenever he was around other dignitaries, yet the voices continued to echo in his mind. He would have to wait…wait for an opportunity to arise so he could continue with his plans.

There were other nations, other leaders, who had had the same thoughts twirling in their minds. This individual, who was consumed with intense, brutal power, hoped that perhaps these other nation would join him to strengthen their forces. And then…then he would deceive even them, and reign supreme.

Lately he noticed that the strength of the once great nation of the “free world” was waning. If this continued, it would not be long before he could show his own power and react to those voices, those thoughts and then he could present his true colors with force. But now, he must wait.

The cackling and screeching grew louder as other minions and spirits around Abaddon joined him in his disturbing strategy. They laughed and gloated, rubbing their hands together, satisfied with what was about to transpire. Not since World War II had they been called to join the ranks of such destruction, but their moment was quickly approaching.

It had been such a delight to stand by past leaders as they encouraged destruction upon many nations. But this would be far superior. Abaddon knew or thought he knew “the time” that awaited him was soon to be his, so he could reign with destructive power. He had tried this before, but it was stopped because of unity of the nations, because of prayer of the saints. But these days were going to be different.

People from the “free world” had grown weak, powerless, and apathetic, as had many nations. Most had stopped caring. Long ago they traded love for lust, caring for power and common sense for control. Their own power-hungry agendas had plagued their hearts and minds. It had become easy to conquer from within. These nations had already been overcome with delusion and fear.

Fear swept the entire world through sickness, plagues, and death. Now fear would rule with war, power, and destruction!

Besides, those who did care were no longer in power amongst the nations. The people of the world had become blinded by their own desires and fear and would be caught off guard. And even if they did decide to unite, it would be too late because no one was listening.

And the saints, if there were many left, were more concerned with their own wellbeing to even notice what was happening. Most no longer listened to the Holy Spirit, took time to pray or even read the Bible. They had become consumed by things, riches, and fame. Those who could be called saints had filled their churches with compromise and judgement. They, too, would be caught off guard.

Abaddon gathered his legion together and announced how he had control of the violent leader. Now he would reign with power and use him until he was destroyed. Not only did he have control of this man, but there were other leaders and countries that had been influenced with the same agenda, and demons had already been assigned to their post, opened to their command. Together they would unite. Together they would destroy the “free world.” Finally, they would be able to spill out their hatred for mankind, in the fashion they had been lusting for.

It had already begun. War was already spilling blood. Destruction was in power.

But…..but…but…

The earth started to shake.

“What is going on?” Abaddon declared in rage. A small imp pulled on his arm, as a frightened child might do to his overbearing parent.

“WHAAAT?” screamed the angry demon.

“We may have a problem,” said the timid imp.

“Go on…” Abaddon seemed annoyed.

“It seems we may have miscalculated the situation,” the imp cowardly wimpered.

“What do you mean….miscalculated?”

“It seems, that there are some praying warriors that walk in authority and power that we may have not anticipated.”

An incredible deep throated growl came up from the belly of Abaddon.

“NOOOOO” he screamed. “NOT AGAIN!”

The demons beside him fell from the torturous anger that was growing in the atmosphere.

The earth shook again, this time with far more power.

The demons looked around with fearful anticipation. They observed a huge wave of water coming towards them. But it wasn’t water like the water that fills the earth. It glimmered with such magnificent and brilliant light that the demons were blinded and confused. The depth of this wave became so heavy that they could not move, and the smell was so sweet that they began to regurgitate.

The water was alive!

The demons screamed one more time as they finally realized: It was God’s Glory!!

Accompanying HIS GLORY was a legion of mighty warring angels, so many that the wave of God’s glory and the angels blended as one.

And His Glory was filling the earth and those warring, praying saints were rejoicing. Their voices reverberated with so much praise that the chambers of hell shook.

The demons screamed as they tried to escape. They were being trampled underfoot by hope, faith, love, and mercy.

The earth shook another time.

And this time the wave of HIS GLORY covered the earth. Anything and everyone in its path were being washed.

Abaddon realized, in anguish, that he had gotten it wrong, AGAIN. His time had not yet come. He growled in defeat as he watched the Glory of God fill the earth. He began screaming in agony as many whom he thought he had in his grip, were affected by that Glory. Others ran in fear, as he and his demons had.

For now, he would have to wait.

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I have no doubt that our prayers change the atmosphere and create miracles.

“He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree. ‘Be unrooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Luke 17:6 (NIV)

“For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.” Psalm 102:16 -17 (NIV)

There are so many more scriptures on prayer. What I want to express is this: the enemy THINKS he has control. But it is God who is in control!!! Pray without ceasing. Do not grow weary. Believe in his goodness. He HAS already overcome the world and WILL answer our prayers.

Be of good cheer. Pray and believe and watch. For God is good. Amen

God Bless

This is War

I hear rumbling in the distance. It is a deep sound that seems to move the earth itself, almost like a drum. The pebbles dance on top of the barren desert floor to the beat of the sound. The stagnant air causes the dirt that is stirred by the sound to fall back to the ground like a puff of smoke.  Lifelessness seems to eerily surround the four individuals who have gathered together in this wasteland. No trees bloom, no birds sing. Only destruction and garbage litter the ground, as if a bomb has sucked any life out of the once beautiful land.

My eyes scan the desert mountains that outline the grey sky and suddenly something catches my eye. I notice what looks like steps leading part way up a small mountainside.  At the top of the steps is a hidden entrance, yet I know it is there. Guarding the entrance stands a lone man. He isn’t just any man. He is covered in armor that is outlined in crimson. He is a warrior.

The rumbling continues. I wonder why the four people who are meeting at the rocks below do not hear the sound. They are talking to each other, laughing. The sound gets louder and then I see where it is coming from. Just above the horizon, on top of a ridge is an army. It isn’t just any army. These aren’t men. These are creatures, evil creatures. I can feel the evil, I can sense the evil. I can almost smell the evil. They have swords in their hands, mallets in their hands, clubs in their hands.  They are stomping harder, eager to wage war. They are shouting. Something invisible is holding them at bay but I can tell as soon as this invisible shield is broken they are going to attack at full force.

A light is shining from the mountainside where the warrior stands, like the reflection of the sun on a mirror. It is getting brighter. Is it the warrior causing the reflection or is it a light that is coming from the entrance?  I am not sure. The four individuals notice the bright beckoning light. They stop talking and begin to walk towards it, curious. Suddenly they hear the roar of the army on the ridge. Their eyes dart toward the ridge where the army is anxiously waiting, then towards the light. 

The warrior is shouting to them, “RUN“!   As soon as they hear those words they notice the army break loose in  full force descending upon them.

“RUN!” yells the warrior again, this time louder and this time with greater urgency.

I  hear myself scream, “RUN!”

“RUN!”

I know I am not there and that perhaps they cannot hear me but I scream as loud as I can none the less.

The four people run towards the steps. Reaching them, they take several at a time, not daring to look behind them, knowing there is safety ahead.

“Run deep into Sanctuary!” the warrior directs them when they reach the entrance. “Go in. I will return.”

Just as they get into the entrance the door slams behind them.  The warrior disappears as the people run deep into Sanctuary. Unknown to them a dragon is released. He is huge. He is smart. The battle has begun.

This is only part of a recent dream I had. It would be too long to write it all out at this time. But there is a battle going on around us that we do not see with our physical eyes.  Still we need to run towards the Lord, run towards “sanctuary”– safety. Safety will not be found in a place, but in a person, the person of Jesus Christ.

If you are a follower of Christ, you must realize that you have an enemy. He is not a person but an entity of extreme evil that would love (oxymoron) to destroy any child of God. In fact he wouldn’t mind destroying anyone, anywhere, anytime.  But on the opposite spectrum we are not to fear. God did not give you a spirit of fear. (I Timothy 1:7) Instead the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us. (Romans 8:11) He has promised to never leave us or forsake us but instead has given us what we need to fight the onslaught of darkness.

This is not a battle against people.
In my dream the enemy was demonic by nature.  I couldn’t really describe what I saw.  But they were not people. Though people may heed to their demands the real enemy behind the evil motives is evil itself – satan and/or his cohorts.

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (KJV)

This battle belongs to the Lord.
When David was going out to fight Goliath he said in 1 Samuel 17:47, “And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (NLT)

Like David, we just trust God and do what he says. King Jehoshaphat did the same thing in 2 Chronicles. He was frighten because a huge army was about to descend upon him. He and his people prayed and called out to the Lord. God answered those prayers. His enemies actually got confused and ended up killing each other. The battle belonged to the Lord.

The Lord is your safety. You can trust in Him.
Sanctuary is a place of refuge, a place of safety.  That is why in my dream the people were told to hide deep in Sanctuary. The Lord is our safety. We can only hide in him.  When the flood waters came down on Noah and his family, he was safe in the ark. It wasn’t that he didn’t go through the storm, but he had listened to the Lord and rode the storm in safety.

How do we do that today?  It is by getting to know the Lord personally, spending time with him and hearing his voice. We hide under the shadows of his wings through prayer, through praise, through knowing his word and through obedience.

The entire chapter of Psalm 91 is filled with verses about hiding in the Lord and finding refuge in him. Verses 1-3 state, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High, will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God and I trust him. He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.” Verse 14 continues, “The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” (NLT)

Is that to say that we will never face battles? On the contrary we will face many, but we can ride the storm with the Lord.  He will give us wisdom how to fight the raging darkness.

When called to fight, know how.
Revelation 12:11 states that “the enemy was defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”  (NLT)

We have already been given victory because of the cross. Christ’s blood is strong.  It frightens our enemy because it has already defeated sin and eternal damnation. God’s word is alive and active and shaper than a double-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12) Paul explains in the book of Ephesians that a believer should put on the whole armor of God, reminding us that the word of the Lord is our sword. Study it and declare it’s promises in your life and in the lives of others.

God is Greater.
Let’s not forget the story of Elisha and his servant. Horses and chariots surrounded their city. His servant was frightened when he saw them and wondered what they were to do. But Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the servant’s eyes. Then the young man saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire from heaven.

We are in a raging invisible war. BUT the Lord has already won!
Remember this: if GOD is for us who can be against us? Romans 8:31b (NLT)

Amen, so be it.