Called to be Warriors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egw65U99qjU

Revival Anthem ~ Rend Collective

 

Benaiah… went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian… And David put him in charge of his bodyguard. ~ 2 Samuel 23:20-21, 23 NIV

 

Mark Batterson's In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day tells the story of a man who saw possibilities—not problems—when faced with challenges. Instead of running from (and likely being eaten by) a lion, Benaiah chased it into a pit and killed it! Rather than cowering when facing a huge Egyptian, Benaiah fought and killed the Egyptian with his own spear. Those are two instances where "normal" people would have run away or cowered. We weren't called to be normal. We're called to be Christ-like: MORE THAN CONQUERORS, OVERCOMERS, VICTORS, and HIS!

 

In this season of many unknowns, don't forget who you are and to Whom you belong. Bought, but not a slave. Chosen to be a child of inheritance. As a co-heir with Christ, we have access to His power and authority. With His power and authority, God calls things that are not as though they were and calls dry bones to live. Through Jesus, He enables us to share in His power, so that we will shine His light into the lives of many and bring Him glory.

 

But the devil doesn't want God getting glory, which is why he's working overtime to keep you defeated, full of fear, and down for the count! But like Benaiah, we're called for greater things. We've not been given a spirit of a coward, but of a warrior! We don't seek a fight, but we won’t back down when the lion roars or the giants threaten. As Priscilla Shirer says in Fervent,

Aren’t you in the least bit curious what the devil is trying to keep you from experiencing? In Exodus 14, when Moses and the Israelites were hemmed in by the Red Sea and the Egyptians, God said, “Do not fear!” In other words, don’t wallow in it. Don’t choose it. Don’t make friends with it. Don’t entertain it or engage it. If they did, they’d risk not sticking around long enough to experience God’s miracle.

 

Don't ever give up - but be encouraged. When the challenges arise, know that you've been strengthened to stand your ground, and to chase and kill the lions in your path. Remember, oh child of the Most High God, you are a warrior!

©Heather Potts 2020

For Victory!

When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God…is with you! … Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them.  For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory! ~ Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NLT

There is certainly a battle raging against us and we are DEFINITELY in the thick of it. Praise God for His Spirit and His faithful servants He sends to remind us that He is faithful—He was faithful with us and others in the past and He will be faithful now and in the future.

32. Brad has had 32 interviews since God changed our “plans.” And 14 of them have been since we came, in obedience, to Wisconsin. Unfortunately, as of this devotional, all but 2 have been “no.” But our hope doesn’t lie in the numbers—not the number of days since we’ve arrived in Wisconsin, or the number of dollars we have left in our bank account, or even the number of applications filled out. Our hope lies in the Lord and in His promises.

The details and days have weighed upon us. And the enemy has tried to keep us under his thumb. But in my prayer time, when I felt “heavy,” God reminded me that I am the Victor and not the victim. And in His presence, I cried out, “I will remember!”

It’s not just our family. The enemy is hard at work to destroy all who are called forth in and for God’s great purpose. If, like us, you are in the thick of it, just remember, you are the Victor (not the victim). He calls us forth—not for vacation, but for battle, for war, for victory!

“…Train even your weaklings to be warriors…And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!” ~ Joel 3:10-11 NIV

©Heather Potts 2017

Yet Stand

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT

Has this ever happened to you: you’re exhausted from lack of sleep over many nights, you have more month left than you have money, and your kids chose today to throw themselves on the floor in tantrums because they kept you up all night and then decided not to nap. And just when you thought the worst was behind you, someone says something that you’d normally blow off but happened to hit you the wrong way at the wrong time…  That was me the other day. God bless my husband! He knows me so well and when he saw the storm brewing in me, he gently helped me to see the situation without the emotional interference.

The enemy knows that if he can wound us the right way at the right time—after several lashings—he’ll win because we’ll quit. I didn’t quit, but exhaustion was really making it a challenge to think clearly. The enemy was taking full advantage of it, plaguing my mind, “Don’t they know what you’ve been through?! How dare they treat you like that!” But as soon as I entered my Father’s presence, He said, “You are not the victim anymore.” And He’s right! I am not the victim! I am the victor and I have the victory!

The enemy does not want to give up territory and he will keep coming after us until we show him time and time again that we will not relent. But as the scripture says, we must be on guard, watchful, awake, aware. The enemy is always looking for an opening. When we let our guard down, be certain he’ll use that opportunity to his full advantage. Therefore, cast aside the victim mentality, remembering always that you have the victory. Declare to the enemy, “I will yet stand!”

©Heather Potts 2016