Scripture: "So fasten your thoughts fully onto Jesus." (Hebrews 3:1)
Scripture: "And now we are part of His house if we continue courageously to hold firmly to our bold confidence and our victorious hope." (Hebrews 3:6)
Scripture: "For we are sewn together with Christ if we continue unshaken in this confident assurance from the beginning until the end." (Hebrews 3:15)
Scripture: "Now God has offered to us the same promise of entering into His realm of resting in confident faith. So, we must be extremely careful to ensure that we embrace the fullness of that promise and not fail to experience it. For we've heard the good news of deliverance just as they did, yet they didn't join their faith with the Word." (Hebrews 4:1-2)
Scripture: "Their faith fastened onto their promises and pulled them into reality." (Hebrews 11:33)
Scripture: "Although weak, their faith imparted power to make them strong! Faith sparked courage within them and they became mighty warriors in battle, pulling armies from another realm into battle array." (Hebrews 11:34b)
Scripture: "God Almighty declares the Word of the Gospel with power, and the warring women of Zion deliver the message." (Psalm 68:11)
Scripture: "Let God arise and His enemies be scattered." (Psalm 68:1)
Dear Family,
May the grace and peace of the Holy Spirit burst through any and every block to your fully receiving all that God has for you today! The Lord has been really speaking to me these last few days. It seems that the topic of "warring women of Zion is on His mind! For well over a year, He has brought me back over and over to the Scriptures posted above. Easter could not come at a better time. Hebrews 2:15 says that Jesus "embraced death to set free those who live in bondage to the tormenting dread of death." We certainly see many who are terrified of this virus. Fear is as deadly and paralyzing as this illness. Hebrews 3:1 tells us to "fasten our thoughts fully on to Jesus." As I've written several times, if we keep our eyes firmly fixed on what we see in the news, it will be hard to "courageously hold on to bold confidence and victorious hope." (Hebrews 3:6) We're called In Hebrews 4:1 to "rest in confident faith." How do we do that? And how do we "take every thought captive in obedience to Christ?" (2 Corinthians 10:5)
It seems that everything that can be shaken is being shaken. But Scripture tells us that we belong to a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. What do we know? Satan is not equal to God. God is God and Satan is not, never has been and never will be. God does not sleep, He never goes back on His Word, and He never stands in a place of powerlessness. Luke 1:37 says "Nothing is impossible to God." Not even the unbelievable issues in our world right now are too much for our God. But there's something we MUST know. Since the beginning of time, our Father has wanted His children to take dominion on the earth. to rule and reign over the earth, and to bring the profound goodness, peace, love and power of the Kingdom of heaven to earth, to live “on earth as it is in heaven." We will never be able to carry out such an assignment in our own strength. We have to have supernatural grace for a supernatural task! God is willing to give us everything we need. But are we willing to step into that kind of a battle? It's not easy to look at the world today and think that we ordinary folks can make any kind of a real difference. It's also not easy to remember that as bad as things look, we belong to a God who NEVER loses battles! And in the most amazing thing of all, we belong to a God who wants His children to allow Him to fill them, equip them and give them the strategies and weapons for their warfare, and then send them out to fight in His name! What He seems to be highlighting to me right now is incredible examples of women who had astounding faith and were not scared to be warriors in the battles of their day.
"God Almighty declares the Word of the Gospel with power and the warring women of Zion deliver the message." (Psalm 68:11) Think of Joan of Arc, Deborah in Judges 4-5, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila. Think of Ruth and Rahab, Mary, Queen Esther and numerous other women who risked their lives or at the very least their reputations, families and worldly goods for the Kingdom. Were they born with some supernatural courage and insight? Did they come out of the womb with that anointing or was it given in response with their hunger and passion to know, love and serve their Lord? Won't it be incredible to sit with them in heaven and listen to their first-hand accounts? Women of God, this one's for you. It's our call. It's our time. We are the warring women of this generation to who the Kingdom message has been entrusted. God sends out His Word and it accomplishes what He sends it to do. (Isaiah 55:11) Then He watches over His Word to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:12) Can you imagine the kind of faith that was needed for Mother Teresa just to walk out of her safe community into the slums where God was leading her? We all have a measure of faith, but what kind of stretching of that faith had to go on for her to take those steps into the complete unknown?
"Faith-filled women saw their dead children raised in resurrection power. Yet it was faith that enabled others to endure great atrocities." (Hebrews 11:35) This journey has no guarantees. But God promises to be with us and give us everything we need. All we know is that this is not our home. We are meant for heaven, but while we are here, we are children on assignment. I am learning that with everything that presents itself I am to say, 1) Lord, how do you want me to think about this? and 2) What do you want me to do with this? We are in boot camp, and we don't set our Commander's agenda, He does. And we are just to follow it. He declares the Gospel Word with power, and we have the privilege to carry the message.
Simple, right? NO!!!! We have a thousand negative voices, distractions and "to-do's" setting up roadblocks for us. And we have downright enemy forces slinging arrows. How do we stay the course?
1) Keep your focus only on Him. (Hebrews 11:33)
2) Know and use your weapons. (Ephesians 6:11-17)
3) Stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13)
4) Expect God's strategy and power. (Psalm 32:8)
5) Go forth boldly with confident hope. (Ephesians 1:18)
6) In all things give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Don't lose your ultimate vision that our God reigns. There has never been a time when He did not reign. Psalm 2:4 says, "The One enthroned in heaven laughs and mocks their feeble plans, seeing that their day is coming."
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith...Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
What a privilege to be alive at this time. The darker it gets, the more the Lord will light up that darkness with those who show up for active duty! Let's go arm in arm, wherever He leads, joyfully carrying His message of radical love and transformation. And to our wonderful brothers in Christ, we warring women want you along for this wild ride!
All praise, glory and honor to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My love and prayers for each of you. Stay the course!
