Hello, everyone! This is a word that was written by my husband, Jeff. We felt led to share it with you all today. I hope that it encourages you greatly! -Angie
Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. | Psalm 144:1
I felt the Lord say today, “Don’t despise the hardness and kickback that you are feeling from the enemy; these trials are training you for ruling and reigning!”
In the sport of boxing, there is great emphasis on personal training, resistance training, and delivering quick boxing blows all the while being light on your feet. However, what puts the best boxers at the top of their game is their quick ability to read and learn the moves and strategies of their opponent. The elite always know their opponent’s limitations and weaknesses. They will then implement certain strategies to gain the upper edge, thus emerging as the victor. So it is in the spirit realm!
Are you in a battle that you have never been in before? Have you been crying out to God to save you and to remove this burden from you? Is it possible that the Lord is training you to look at this situation from a new angle?
ARMY GENERALS
The best Army Generals know that to win a battle, you take the battle to the enemy. They are on the offense, they are aggressive, and most of all, they are well informed. You see, before any battle, there has been much scouting and studying of the enemy’s camp, tactics, and resources. The best Army Generals learn of the enemy’s weaknesses and will then use that to their advantage, often implementing the element of surprise. He cuts off the supply chain, diverts their attention, and disrupts their lines of communication; He takes over key military positions and strategic vantage points, leaving the enemy in confusion and fear of his impending doom. Ultimately, complete surrender or annihilation is the final result.
Whether we like it or not, the enemy of our souls is studying us, watching us, looking for ways to disrupt your spiritual supply chain from your Heavenly Father. This enemy is looking for ways to take over key military positions in your life, such as stealing your peace. This enemy is looking to take over strategic vantage points in your mind so that you will speak words of lack and death rather than words of abundance and life. This enemy is looking to disrupt your lines of communication with our Heavenly Father by placing distractions in front of you to rob you of your time and energy. Before you know it, you start to get tunnel vision, believing, “This day was just like yesterday and the day before, and the day before that.” You settle for surrender; a life of mediocrity begins to look more and more appealing.
The best Army Generals eliminate all distractions; they have trained themselves to be very focused. So it is with us! Do you find yourself getting frustrated and losing your peace? Get focused, find the source, and set up healthy boundaries to preserve your peace. Eliminate toxic people from your life. Are you tempted to let negative words and ‘death talk’ proceed from your mouth? See this as a challenge for yourself to be intentional and speak life! Even if it sounds weird or feels strange at first, be intentional; train yourself to speak life.
The best Army Generals didn’t become the best because they were born to be the best. No! The best Army Generals became the best because they were intentional on becoming the best. In spiritual warfare, the best Generals strengthen themselves in the Lord and also strengthen their weaknesses. They become focused on the goal or task, and eliminate their distractions; they become intentional to take the battle of the enemy, rather than to wait for the battle to come to them. These ones have learned the tactics and strategies of the enemy and have taken the necessary measures to defend themselves accordingly in order to preserve their peace and carry out their God-given assignment.
God has called you to be the best you that you can be. Each one of us has a crucial role to play in the Kingdom of God. As it is written in the Word, “Christ is the head of the body” (Colossians 1:18) and “we are the body” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Each one of us is part of a bigger picture, more grand than we can imagine! Big or small, you are needed to play your part. It is time for us to be Army Generals in the Kingdom of God!
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). If we endure, we will also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:12).