Here are my teaching notes for Bible fellowship tonight. This truly is a life-changing message.

God wants to build you into a heavenly recruit, an elite soldier, a fighting warrior to make us fit for battle so we can be equipped to go into the world and make a true difference for Jesus Christ. Welcome to the war room where God will discuss His heart, His strategies, His weaponry and the battlefield. Are you ready to go through some basic training that will transform you from a babe in Christ into a super-conqueror for Christ on the spiritual battlefield? Are you ready to get in the war God’s way with God’s strength, God’s power, God’s confidence and God’s courage? This is not a physical war with traditional weapons of warfare like guns, tanks, missiles and bombs. This is a spiritual warfare that is being waged in every town, city, state, country and continent on earth for the heart of men, women and children. Eternal destiny is at stake. Eternal rewards are at stake. This is like no war that people have ever seen and it is as real as any battle waged throughout the pages of history. As soldiers our commitment must be unwavering and we should lay down all that we are, pour out all that we have, and give up all that hinders our heart from gaining more and more of God. As soldiers we should affirmatively proclaim in heart, in attitude, in word, in deed, and in body that the glory of God is your singular heart’s desire and to see him exalted, magnified and adored is your driving passion in life. As Eric Ludy has taught, the Code of the Cherubim should be our standard as a soldier: “The most powerful, beautiful and wise creatures created, the Cherubim, do only that which their God beckons-they never turn. They are bound to only do that which their Master is doing. Ezekiel 1:12: ‘And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went’” The soldier’s greatest honor is to do the will of God and glorify His name and from this noble duty, they never waver, turn or forsake. The soldier has a 100 per cent commitment of undying loyalty. The Christian soldier gains his identity, which he now is in the core of his being, in Jesus Christ. We live in our life as a soldier not in Adam, but in Jesus Christ.

         Eric Ludy: God does not hesitate to take short, skinny, frail, uneducated, weak and poor men and make them His point men (generals) in the battle of the ages. In fact, he prefers it, because when such men become mighty, the credit clearly goes straight to God Himself. There is no confusion over who built this man into such a picture of grandeur.

         We must develop a spiritual swagger as a soldier in the absolute confidence and trust of our God that with a holy certainty when we stand up for His holy purpose and cause, He will stand up and fight for us. We are unstoppable, we are unconquerable, and we are untouchable for He is unstoppable, unconquerable, and untouchable. We have grown up with a version of Christianity that cowers before giants of fear, anxiety, worry, sin, circumstance and worldly pressures.  We need the swagger of David who proclaimed:

         Psalm 3:6 (NKJV): I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about.  

Psalm 91

 ¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 ² This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
 ³ For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
 ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
 ⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
 ⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
 ⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you,
      these evils will not touch you.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,

¹⁰ no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
 ¹¹ For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
 ¹² They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
 ¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.
 ¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
 ¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

     But where are the women, where are the men, where are the heroes. where is the Company of the Mighty? We need a greater cause, a greater purpose, a greater battle to fill our lives and capture our hearts. Eric and Leslie Ludy in Wrestling Prayer, A Passionate Communion with God talks about “a call unto your soul, begging you to reconsider your entire vision for why you are on the Earth, and asking you to recalibrate your version of Christianity to the Almighty standard…The vision for God-constructed living is so vast, so endless, and so far beyond the limited picture we have accepted in our modern Christian world these days.”

Eric Ludy: There is such a thing as self-built heroes; and there is such a thing as God-built heroes. Self-built heroes are the glory of humanity. They earn themselves the applause of the Earth, for they have demonstrated that an earthly man or woman can prove valor, worth, and virtue without the aid of God through sheer discipline, human genius, and work ethic. This world esteems self-built heroes above all others. God-built heroes are the glory of God. They earn themselves the applause of heaven, for they prove that the God of the universe is still willing and able to overtake the existence of a childlike believer and demonstrate the very nature, power, might and love of God in and through human skin. This world despises God-built men and women above all others, for they prove in their very manner, life and calling the existence of God Almighty. There is no such thing as a self-built man or woman amongst God’s elite band of Mighties.  

     David had a mighty man in his army called Benaiah and he is a great example of the tenacity, the bravery, the dedication and the devotion of a true soldier.

II Samuel 23:8,20-23 (NLT): ⁸ These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:

²⁰ Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²¹ And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²² Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. ²³ He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

     Benaiah (Hebrew means built by God) was considered one of the most glorious soldiers ever in history of the nation of Israel. He served as the captain of King David’s own bodyguard and was personally responsible for protecting the king’s body from harm. He had to watch everyone and everything. He had to scrutinize every act, every word, every gift and examine every motive for his king had a million enemies in a hostile world. Benaiah had to prove loyal with every thought, and every action for possibly no one else in the kingdom of David had a job more dependent on absolute and unwavering loyalty and purity of allegiance. Benaiah was a man built by God for such a sacred position within the king’s government. Is it possible that such a man or woman could be raised up today in the Body of Christ with such unwavering commitment to their Lord? Is it possible that such a man or woman with rigorous loyalty and meticulous purity again stride unto the stage of life whose heart God can fully trust?

        If you came in for interview to become the captain, the soldier of all soldiers, whom our God as a warrior can trust in the great spiritual battle that is warring in every street, every city, every state, every country and every continent on earth would you pass the Benaiah test of a great brave-hearted soldier? These questions would resound in this intense interview:

      Where do your loyalties lie? Do you serve God for money or what He can give you or for love? Do you have a price tag? Is there a price where your allegiance might be purchased?

       Do you allow ungoverned thoughts to road free inside your mind? Do you entertain anything in your thought life that violates the nature of your God? Are you cowardly in your loyalties to your God when popularity with the world is in question? Or are you willing to be the only one standing with him if everyone else on the planet Earth turns against them?

       Are you willing to endure the heat of standing up for Jesus Christ in the midst of a world that hates him intensely?

       Do you realize the standards of purity and holiness that the royal bodyguard are held to are higher and more stringent than the common man? Would you present everything you have to God without hesitation? Would you do what He tells you do and go where He tells you to go?

      Do you pass the test? Would God hire you to be a royal bodyguard in the Body of Christ?

      God builds His loyalists, His soldiers after the pattern of Benaiah. He trains them to have an inscrutable eye-to watch everyone and everything. To monitor every thought that knocks upon the human mind, to scrutinize every emotion that clangs on the door of the human heart. Every act, every word, every thought, and every motive is observed. For our hearts, like Christ, have a billion enemies in this hostile world and it is our job as a bodyguard of Christ to sniff out these enemies long before they ever reach he inner sanctum of our hearts, our families hearts, our friends hearts and the sacred confidences of the church.

      Imagine if the believers of today were willing to be stretched into such a mold?

      Imagine such a mighty Christianity once again upon the earth!   

 This is the song in every God-built warrior’s heart: Exodus 15:2,3,6.7 (NIV):

² The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him—my father’s God, and I will exalt him!
 ³ The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh^] is his name!

 ⁶ “Your right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O LORD, smashes the enemy.
 ⁷ In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you.

¹¹ “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor,
      performing great wonders?                                                                                                          

¹² You raised your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.

 ¹³ “With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home.

The soldiers motto:

Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV): ²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever would save his life^[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

      We are not useful to the kingdom of God as a soldier in battle if we keep looking back to the things of the world instead of focusing our devotion, our heart, our eyes and our passion like a laser on Him.

Luke 9:61,62 ⁶¹Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord,⁽ but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶²Jesus said to him,⁾ “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

      “Fit” from the Greek means useful, well situated, suitable, well-placed. It was used of those suitable for a place or office. A soldier that is lukewarm, double-minded, halfhearted and partly devoted is not fit for battle.

Lou Engle’s The Call Of The Elijah Revolution:

One of the heart cries of the modern band of holy revolutionaries is for God’s glory to fill the earth…God has deposited a dream that has grabbed hold of their hearts and permanently ruined them for “Christianity as usual.” Energized by the truth that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), they look to God to move in the midst of His people as He did in generations past. Their spirits burn with a vision of Jesus Christ in all his glory. No longer simply content to live by the rules of the “do’s and don’ts,” they so yearn to be close to Him that they freely cast away anything and everything in their lives that keep them from His presence, and abandon themselves completely to Him…They are so overcome by His love and beauty that they want nothing else but to give themselves in holy abandonment to the purposes of God in their generation…While they long for the presence of God, they are sick to death of “religion” with its unholy and worldly spirit that squelches vision, locks people into puny mind sets of small thinking, and tries to confine God in a tiny box of human design. Instead their heart’s desire is to see the God that is more than enough…”Normal” Christianity has always been “extreme”: extreme devotion to the person of Jesus Christ; extreme abandonment of self-will and absolute surrender to the will and purposes of God; extreme love for God that totally consumes one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

       That is an awesome definition of a mighty warrior for God.

We do not fight a visible enemy and therefore ordinary weapons will not suffice in this war.

2 Corinthians 10:3:  For though we walk in flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  

This verse clearly declares that we are in a spiritual war as Christians.

Walk refers to how one orders his or her steps, and is a metaphor for how we live or conduct our life Ray Stedman wisely reminds us that…

God has issued to each of us a bugle call to intelligent combat (our transfer from the power of Satan to God – Col 1:12-14, Acts 26:18, 2Tim 2:3,4 Heb 2:14,15). It is a call to us to be men and women of God, to fight the good fight (1Tim 1:18, 6:12, 1Tim 4:7), to stand fast in the faith, to be strong in the Lord in the midst of the battle, in the midst of this dark and evil world.

Those who ignore this call and the battle that rages around them (and “in” them) are doomed to be casualties. We cannot remain neutral. We must choose sides. We must align ourselves with the forces of God, the forces of good. We must answer the bugle call, we must put on our armor and stand our ground or the battle will roll over us and in our defenseless, bewildered state, the forces of evil will trample us into the dust of the battlefield.

Powerful (mighty, strong) (dunatos from dunamai = referring to power one has by virtue of inherent ability and resources; see study of dunamis) means powerful, able, strong. We have the inherent power, the dunamis of God Almighty in every weapon of warfare. These weapons are powerful because God makes them powerful and they are infused with His power.

Destruction (kathairesis from kathaireo = to take down) means literally a taking down, and so a demolition or destruction results. Obviously Paul uses kathairesis figuratively here to describe the tearing down of knowledge especially that which is anti-God or counter to what is presented by His Word of Truth.

Another use of kathairesis in Scripture…

Exodus 23:24 “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them, and break their sacred pillars in pieces. — Describes the demolition of pagan gods and their worship.

We tear down and demolish the fortresses and strongholds of idolatry in our lives and the lives of others.

Fortresses (ochuroma  akin to ochuroo = to make firm) was used in secular Greek to describe a strong military installation, a bastion, or a fortified place.

Ochuroma is used only here in the NT but is found 32 times in the Septuagint (Greek translation of Old Testament) many of these speaking of literal fortresses or strongholds. Its interesting its first usage describes the prison of Joseph. Paul is saying that strongholds that might seem impenetrable by humanistic or fleshly reasoning, can potentially be demolished by divinely powerful weapons.

     There are strongholds not only in our hearts and minds but strongholds in our communities, our families, our schools, our churches and our countries that we can demolish through the use of the divine weapons given to us by God for the battle. We can literally wreak havoc on Satan’s kingdom and pull down his mighty fortresses by the power of God. In the Gospels, he came as lightening down to the battle as he saw his strongholds being demolished. What an amazing responsibility and what an enormous impact we can have in spiritual warfare. These fortresses don’t need to be remodeled. God doesn’t tell us to capture them, change the locks, and use them for Him. Satan’s fortresses must be torn down.

  So we must learn to recognize how the dark systems of the devil work. But more than that, we must learn the processes of overcoming the systems of the devil not by flesh and blood, not by joining committees, not by political action, not by taking up clubs or assault weapons and attacking a human enemy. No, Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not flesh and blood weapons, not physical weapons, not political weapons. Rather, our weapons are mighty, through God, unto the pulling down of strongholds and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. That is the path to victory!

Don’t kid yourselves. We are in a massive, D-day intensity warfare with God’s arch enemy and his entire kingdom. It is the battle of the kingdom of light versus the kingdom of darkness. There is never a truce. There is never a cease-fire. It is always raging with intensity for the heart of mankind.

     People never realized the intensity of the Civil War until they witnessed first hand the fierce and deadly war in their backyard. James Parker III notes that…

One of the first battles of the Civil War happened near Washington, D. C., on a Sunday afternoon. The two armies lined up for battle, and people came out from downtown Washington, D. C., and set up picnic baskets. It was like a Sunday afternoon soccer match, like a baseball game. They came with their picnic baskets to watch this little battle. And very quickly they realized that it wasn’t just a little Sunday afternoon scrimmage, a little skirmish; it was a major war, a battle to the death where thousands, and scores and scores of thousands of people would give their lives.

Now we have to understand that’s the nature of the battle we’re involved in; we often think that we’re involved in a little Sunday afternoon scrimmage. We live our lives and act our lives and carry on our lives; we prepare our lives as if that’s what we’re facing.

       Now let’s examine the first great key in spiritual warfare which is the first and major battleground everyday is in your thoughts, your mind and ultimately your heart. This is where the spiritual battle begins.

Destroying (kathaireo from kata = down + haireo = to take for oneself) means to cause something or someone to be lowered. To take or bring down (of buildings – Lk12:18) or to bring something down from one point to another.

Figuratively kathaireo speaks of bringing down rulers (Lk 1:52 – overthrowing them, taking away their power) or destroying evil nations (Acts 13:19), evil idols (Acts 19:27) or evil thoughts (2Co 10:4).

TDNT writes that kathaireo has…

four main senses a. “to take down,” b. “to tear down,” c. “to destroy,” and d. “to dethrone.” The LXX uses it in all these senses for various Hebrew equivalents, e.g., taking down the brazen sea, tearing down houses etc., destroying cities, and dethroning rulers.

Speculations (logismos from logizomai)= process of careful study or reasoning and arriving at a conclusion) represents the product of cognition and thus means consideration, reasonings, reflections, calculations. The Greeks used logismos to describe the consideration and thought which preceded and determined one’s conduct.

      In the present context logismos speaks of reasonings that are contrary to or hostile to the truth of God.

Phil Newton notes that speculations refers…

to the calculating, reasoning, and reflecting thoughts of the mind at enmity with God. We get our English term, logical, from this same Greek root word. Man uses his logic against God’s truth. The gospel remains a mystery to him, even foolishness that demands his opposition, or so he thinks. So he calculates the ways that he can dismantle this teaching about God as sovereign Lord, man as a hopeless sinner, and Jesus Christ as the only Savior of men. He tries to throw off any considerations of personal sin and responsibility by blaming others for his own sin problems. He boasts of his own entitlement and rights to every benefit in life. He blames the government or the schools or the churches or the workplace or even his own family for his problems. He’s not to blame – everyone else is – even God!

       We must therefore mark the rebellion of men as it shows itself in their “thoughts” which serve as “strong-holds” in which they are entrenched and fortified, and by means of which they exclude God from their hearts.

      We must tear down, demolish, and dethrone every thought, every reasoning, every reflection, every consideration that opposes the truth of God’s Word and ultimately of God himself.

TAKING CONTROL OF
YOUR THOUGHT LIFE

      The charge for God’s children to take control of their thought life permeates both testaments. We need to hear and heed the warnings for if not we will…

Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

Taking…captive (aichmalotizo from aichme = a spear + halotós = to be taken or conquered) was a military term which mean to take captive as a prisoner or be led away captive.

Thought (noema from noeo = perceive in turn from noús = mind) is literally the result of the activity of the “nous” or mind, that part of man which thinks. Noema means that which is thought (a thought), perceived with the mind (a mental perception), understood, pondered, or considered. Noema – 6x in 6verses – 2Cor 2:11; 3:14; 4:4; 10:5; 11:3; Phil 4:7. NAS = minds(4), schemes(1), thought(1). Note especially 2Co 2:11 where noema describes the “schemes” of the devil. Webster says a scheme is a project; a contrivance; a plan of something to be done; a design.  Scheme is a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end and stresses the calculation of the end in view which in the devil’s case describes his (or his minion’s) plan which is motivated by craftiness and self-interest. Beware! Take up the shield of faith to deflect demonic “fiery missiles” We take captive the schemes and devices of the devil which often appear in our thought life due to the influence and bombardment of the culture we live in.

         If you don’t control your thinking and practice the renewed mind where it is not conformed to this world then you will never get past first base in the spiritual battle as a good soldier for Christ. God can never build you into a heavenly recruit if you do not control your thought life. 

         

            “Warreth” means “to make a military expedition, to do military duty, be on active service and to be engaged in warfare”

       Some believers think they can be a Christian but not have to fight as a soldier but they are deceiving themselves, for all believers are on “the front line” whether they realize it or not. Those Christians who do not realize the intent or intensity of the real spiritual war are essentially “asleep at the post” a dangerous position to be in!

         The point is that a good soldier in active service does not have a 9 to 5 job but is on duty (and needs to be alert) around the clock, “7×24”. All that the soldier is belongs to the military in which he serves. A soldier on active duty is always a soldier.  He can’t call a “time-out” in the middle of battle.  As we have seen in recent wars in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc, even when the soldier is on leave, he is still subject to recall without notice. Whenever he is ordered into dangerous duty, he is expected to put his life on the line without question or hesitation. This picture emphasizes the total commitment necessary in order to be a good soldier.

As Solomon writes

there is no discharge in the time of war (Ecclesiastes 8:8)

How would your “military service” be evaluated?
Are you AWOL?
Are we acting like children playing “toy soldiers”?

Active service calls for rigorous self discipline (1Tim 4:7; 4:8; 4:9; 10 1Tim 4:7; 4:8; 4:9; 4:10;cf Ecc 9:10) and unquestioning obedience (see Jn 14:15, 1Sam 15:22, 23). A good soldier must have a steady intake of the “solid food” of truth who by practice train his or her senses (Heb 5:14) to distinguish between the “good and evil”, between “good” and the “best”, constantly striving to choose the Commander’s priority.

Plummer observes that

Military service implies vigilant, unwearying and organized opposition to a vigilant, unwearying, and organized foe…. Military service is either perpetual warfare or perpetual preparation for it. And just such is the Christian life: it is either a conflict, or a preparation for one. The soldier, so long as he remains in the service, can never say, “I may lay aside my arms and my drill: all enemies are conquered; there will never be another war.” And the Christian, so long as he remains in this world, can never think that he may cease to watch and to pray, because the victory is won, and he will never be tempted any more. It is for this reason that he cannot allow himself to be “entangled in the affairs of this life.” (Plummer, Alfred: 2 Timothy)

C. Garret says

“You cannot be a saint on Sundays and a sinner in the week; you cannot be a saint at church and a sinner in the shop; you can not be a saint in Liverpool and a sinner in London. You cannot serve God and Mammon. You are a soldier everywhere or nowhere, and woe to you if you dishonour your King.”

Albert Barnes writes that…

He “wars a good warfare” who is engaged in a righteous cause; who is faithful to his commander and to his post; who is unslumbering in observing the motions of the enemy, and fearless in courage in meeting them; who never forsakes his standard, and who continues thus faithful till the period of his enlistment has expired, or till death.” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament)

F B Meyer adds that

“It is good to begin, but it is better to keep on steadily to the end. It is much when the young soldier, well equipped for battle, steps out into the early dawn, with the light shining upon his weapons, but it is more important far, if, in the late afternoon, he is found standing in the long thin line, resisting the perpetual onset of the foe. We are told of Daniel, that he “continued” (Dan 1:21–note). This, perhaps, is the greatest tribute to him, that through decades he did not swerve from his loyalty to God, or devotion to the high interests which were committed to his charge. The men that are steadfast in their loyalty to truth, in their prosecution of duty, in their holding the post assigned to them by the providence of God, are those which leave the deepest impression on their contemporaries. It is not the flash of the meteor which the world really wants, but the constant radiance of the fixed star. What though the storm beats in your face, and every effort is made to dislodge you, though it seems as if you were forgotten in that lone post of duty, still stand fast: the whole situation may depend upon your tenacity of purpose, the campaign may be decided by your holding your ground without flinching. If the Master has put you as a light on the cellar stair, never desert that post because it is lonely and distasteful, and because the opportunity of service comes rarely. To be found doing your duty at the unexpected moment, when His footfall is heard along the corridor, will be a reward for years of patient waiting.”

Matthew 28:18,19(a)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go…

We go out into the world with this authority, this power, this commission for we don’t sit on the sidelines or stay in the tent; we must go into the battle with His courage, His strength, His swagger, His weapons and His power.

The following is an excerpt from Ellerslie training and Eric Ludy concerning The Audacious Elements of Heavenly War:

Shield: Not just any shield-but the shield of God Almighty. The preservation, the barricade of the Lord of Battle Himself. When you stand behind this shield you become untouchable.

The Helmet: Not just the cocky attitude of a highly trained CIA operative-but the swagger of invincibility, of guaranteed victory, of assured triumph or what’s known in Scripture simply as “salvation.” It’s the confidence of the twice-born. And when you wear this attitude (this helmet) then you carry the swagger of the Davidic line, and you truly are undefeatable.

The Sword: Not Saul’s sword of the flesh. Not Goliath’s sword of natural power-but God’s Sword of the Spirit. It’s impossible to parry. Nothing in this entire Universe can defend against its striking blow. It cracks the pale of darkness, ushers light into the caverns of illusion and forces all lies to stand naked before the bar of Truth. The precious Sword makes its bearer unstoppable. It’s designed for taking territory-for rescuing the imprisoned, for freeing the oppressed, and for extending the borders of the Kingdom. 

The Life of Prayer: This is not some bb gun that God has given us to try to shoo away raccoons in the night. Prayer is nuclear power, world renovating in is epic strength. When used according to the pattern of Scripture, prayer alters history, alters the natural world, and alters the human soul. The Sword is too heavy for a mere man to carry, but prayer enables is to life it, swing it, and transform the world around us with it. Prayer is the catalyst behind everything Godly taking place in this earth. Fervent prayer is great power for extraordinary deeds.

      Good soldier of Christ you have received your marching orders. Your position on the frontline of battle awaits you. God needs you. The Body of Christ needs you. The kingdom of God needs you. Go forth with your divinely powerful weapons of warfare; go forth with a powerfully renewed mind to God’s truth. Go forth as a warrior of God with the heart of Benaiah. God is your commander and you are unconquerable, untouchable and unstoppable in Him. Live as a soldier by the Code of the Cherubim-you only do what your God beckons and never turn from it. You have a spiritual swagger for God is in you and has built you into a heavenly recruit, an elite soldier, a fighting warrior for His kingdom. You are a God-built hero carrying forth the magnificence of the Gospel and its message of deliverance to your generation. God speed to you soldier and may you fight and stand in battle with tenacity, courage and strength until your Lord comes again in all power and glory to take you home.