…I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
If you are reading this blog, good for you. You are about to read something that is very important, and you would do well to take heed. After a bit of a hiatus from this blog, being involved in other things, I have a responsibility to now share something. The idea of "Thinking Outside the Box" is to cause us to look at an issue from a totally different perspective, one which heretofore has not been considered.
To the Christian, this offers some thoughts on a subject with which he or she is familiar (hopefully). To the non-believer, I want to respectfully say, "Wake up. Time for a little dose of reality."
Two things happened to me in the last several months which cut into my spirit (in a good way). My heart was pierced because I know these things were from the Lord himself. I do not want to be overly dramatic, or in the view of some, perhaps a bit flighty (not that I really care so much). Born-again believers know that Yahweh (whom most people call "God", so that is what He will be referred to going forward) speaks to us in a quiet, still voice. Yes, we can imagine things, or think God spoke, when we just want him to validate our own desires. However, on those rare (in my case) situations where He does speak, we instantly know beyond a shadow of a doubt.
On October 8th, I could not sleep, and at 3:00 AM I was in prayer. I did not talk a lot, but mostly I cleared my mind and listened. Then, as I began to pray for some situations I said, “Lord, you know I am a man of peace…” God instantly, and unmistakeably, spoke to me and said, “You are NOT a man of peace. You are a WARRIOR.” This was spoken to me, not audibly, but in the Spirit. I immediately knew what He meant. Although I am a compassionate, (relatively) nonviolent man here on Earth, our battle is being done in the Heavenlies. We are pawns, and we are also the prize, in an intergalactic battle between Good and Evil…between our Creator and a wicked imposter, who wants to destroy your soul. I want to describe Satan a little bit. You may think I am weird, “creepy”, writing something that is unnecessary, or dwelling on “sick” thoughts. Well, I can only say that I think this is important. Satan, the devil, is often thought of an evil entity, who would like to glare at us and say, “Ha, Ha, now I am going to take you to Hell! You REFUSED to say the sinners prayer. Time up. You lose.” Well, Satan, and his hordes of demons, who do his bidding, want to:
Pounce on you, then tear you to shreds, savoring every bit of flesh and blood here on Earth, as they slice, dice, and decimate your eternal soul.
Satan comes as an “Angel of Light”. The Renaissance painting at the beginning of this blog tells a wonderful story of God’s deliverance of Rome from a pestilence, as a result of intensive prayer. However, it shows him as ugly, when in fact he will come in the form of beauty, wisdom, celebrity, and money. He will find your vulnerabilities, and capitalize on them, putting you into bondage and a living Hell before you know what has happened. He will put you into HELL ON EARTH, until you only wished you were dead. Do you know that every day we meet people who are in unrelenting mental anguish…EVERY DAY? People who seem to have everything kill themselves! The same demons who want their soul in eternal Hell, have started afflicted them with that Hell, that torture, HERE and NOW…because these people have absolutely no defense. Sadly, they are clueless.
Satan is like “Michael Myers” on the movie Halloween (note the photo on my Facebook page). I am not recommending you watch this movie, and put that garbage into your mind and spirit. But, the truth is, many of you have watched it. Like this “Michael Myers”, who is a tool of Satan doing evil, Christ has his own Michael. He is Michael the Archangel, doing battle in the heavenlies. He always wins, because he has the armor and weapons of God Almighty, who is perfect.
Yes, AMAZING – One of the most mind boggling, fantastic things in the entire universe, so beyond our understanding, is this: God allows Michael and the other angels to move as WE direct. We do not TELL them what to do, as they get their powers from God. Yet, as believers, with His Spirit living within us, we can pray, invoking the name of Jesus Christ –At the very name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Hell shudders, demons tremble, and ultimately, they must flee. Warfare is done in the Heavenlies. No, that is not a figure of speech. The Heavenlies means just that. Right now, in the atmosphere around you, millions of angels and demons are at war, and you help affect the outcome.
Do you think this is silly? Are you too educated for this type of superstition? You will never convince ME. I KNOW of all this from some experiences that I will perhaps elaborate on at another time. There is not enough space or time for me to elaborate on the other time I sensed the Lord speak recently, which was through a dream,
For now…digest this…take it or leave it. But, I hope you take it. I hope you stop and contemplate the eternal consequences, laying aside all your prejudices, pre-conceived ideas, or “important” things that are pressing right now. Ask God to validate all this. Nobody else knows what you are thinking, so if you are so sophisticated that you do not want to consider this silly stuff, stop and realize that honest consideration of the thoughts of others CONSTITUTES and DEFINES intelligence and being educated. The stakes are too high not to think about this. The good news: If you allow Christ to have dominion over your soul, and purpose to serve Him, and ask for His wisdom, you can have the honor and privilege of being a tool, through prayer, in this eternal heavenly warfare that will determine the course of our world for eternity (and don’t worry, we win).
Oh yeah, the “meat grinder”. In World War II, the Marines invaded the Japanese island of Okinawa. The Marine Corps (and Army, who helped just a little) suffered 12,250 deaths and 36,361 wounded. Japanese casualties were estimated to be well in excess of 109,000. Marine rifle companies would charge the enemy and come back with 90 percent casualties. In some cases, the entire company would go out to fight the enemy and never, ever return. They were ALL killed. Yes, this was known as the “meatgrinder”. Too many people walk straight into the meatgrinder every day of their lives, where the Devil chews them up then spits them out. Even Christians stray into the meatgrinder at times, which is so tragic because they already have all the armor and superior weaponry they will ever need. And those faithful knights in service of Christ, those angels, stand ready, awaiting the word of prayer from these saints. Just say the word…the Word of God, prayers offered in reverence to Him, and those angels are authorized to prevail in battle. Just waiting…waiting for prayer WARRIORS, who will be used to usher in the Kingdom of Peace.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
