Speak To The Troops

Today’s Bible readings are Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20, Luke 9:28-50, Psalm 73:1-28, & Proverbs 12:10

Deuteronomy 20:1-4

“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, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! ² When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. ³ He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. ⁴ For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’

We are in the midst of a great culture war. Things are changing so very rapidly that it is hard to believe that the things that are happening are actually happening, but they are. Marriage is being forcefully redefined. Perceptions about sexuality are changing. Evolution is being taught as if it were a truth. Things that have been honored for generations are now being dishonored by vast multitudes. Christians values & morals have been so watered down that what we have left are only a sad representation of what once made us shine. Many people shout that we are a more progressive culture today. I agree with that. The problem is that we progressing in a direction that will lead to destruction.

Many people think, & some even say, that the Christian community has lost the culture war. Government has become corrupt & out of control. In many places it protects the interests of “special groups” while violating the interests of faith-based individuals. When we, in the faith-based community, try to speak out or stand for our convictions, we are isolated & labeled.

It doesn’t seem like there is anything that we can do to change the course that our nation is on.  It seems as though we are the minority. We are up against an enemy that is stronger than us. We are up against an enemy that out numbers us. We are up against an enemy that has more money than us. It has infiltrated our school systems. It has corrupted our leaders. They are shouting their victory cry &, in many cases, we are waving our white flags.

I take such comfort in what God spoke to Moses. He makes a promise to His people. His promises never change. He told them to have the priest come before them & rally the troops before they go into battle. The priest was to remind the people that even though their enemy was greater & better resourced, that they had the Living God on their side. He was to remind the people that God would go before them & clear the path. God would make a way!

I sense a very great & strong prompting that it is time to call God’s people together. It is time t to go to battle. In the past we have tried other measures to get the results that we desire. They have not worked. God is speaking prophetically to His body today to those who will listen. It is time to go to battle.

I first remind want to remind you that we do not wage war through worldly standards & methods. Our weapons are different.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

³ We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ⁴ We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

I sense that the Spirit is calling the body to a place of intercession. This is a place where we lift our hands toward heaven & tune our ears to His heart. This is the place where we begin to cry out for those things that He cries out for. This is the place where we begin to hunger & thirst for those things that He hungers & thirst for. It is a place where we are moved to pray for those around us, even those that we don’t like or agree with. I think that many have become so discouraged by the way things are that they have forgotten that prayer & a Holy God can change anything!

Why was it that God wanted the priest to rally the people? I believe it was because God knew that Israel would never fight the fight they didn’t think they could win. God knew that the moral of the people would waver. The greatest defeats are not those battles that we fight & appear to lose, but rather, the ones that we run from because we are to afraid.

I want to encourage you this morning that God still fights for His people – BUT HE REQUIRES THEM TO PRAY.

You are a warrior that does battle through prayer. You are an unstoppable force as you pray in the Spirit. You change this world by praying His kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

What is it in your life that has you to the point of giving up? Is it:

1.      Marriage struggles

2.      Financial stress

3.      Housing issues

4.      Emotional strain

5.      Family situations

Maybe it is time for you to do something different. Maybe it is time to go to battle in prayer.

Pastor Richard Schlotter