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Mission Statement
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LIFE-STYLE SPIRITUAL WARFARE We are not called to be fighters in God’s kingdom; we are called to be warriors. A fighter is someone who goes into a battle, into the ring, fights the fight, then goes home. A warrior is a person who is always on duty. There is no end to the “fight” because he is always geared, always ready, always on guard. A warrior in God’s kingdom doesn’t put his spiritual armor on every day because he never takes it off. He just straightens it a little in the morning or after a skirmish. Practically speaking, how can we become a true warrior when our bodies become tired? Our minds become overloaded, resulting in fuzzy thinking and the slow processing of information. The answer is found in 2 Chronicles 14. Vs. 1 sets the stage. Abijah died, making his son the person with the authority and responsibility over the people. In the previous chapter we see that Abijah had modeled for his son how to win at war. He knew and believed God’s promises. He was willing to fight for those promises and the honor of God ‘s name. And he followed through till the job was complete. He also called on the Lord when surrounded by the enemy. Most parents hope that their children will go beyond them, do better than they did, and learn from their mistakes. Asa did precisely that as we shall see by the 21 things he modeled for us. 1. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. Vs. 2. He obviously knew the Word of God and followed it’s commandments. 2. He removed the altars of the foreign gods. Vs 3. He did not let it stand and call it “celebrating our differences.” He knew what was OK even though it came from another culture and was simply a different way of doing things and what was false worship to a pagan god. He also did not dismiss the foreign god by saying, “Oh but it’s only human to worship something you can see.” He called a sin a sin, then did something about it. 3. He not only tore down the altars on which they sacrificed, he removed the high places. This means he made those places inhospitable for false worship to be done there. Vs. 3. He got rid of the temptation. 4. He broke down the pillars, the structure that enabled that worship to take place. The tradition. Vs. 3 5. He cut down even the temporary and portable means of false worship (wooden images). He wasn’t interested in transition conveniences. Neither was he interested in the weaning-away-from process. Get rid of it ! Be done with it! Now! He was building for the future by clearing out and doing it right the first time. Vs. 3 6. He evangelized. He spoke truth to the people. Once he cleaned out, he filled the empty space up. So he told the people to seek the Lord, knowing that if they did, they’d have their own power encounter with Him and wouldn’t miss those false altars and gods at all. Vs. 4. 7. He discipled. It’s not enough to encounter God; to get “saved.” That’s just a starting point. They needed to find out what the law and the commandments were so they could follow them! We don’t want just a visitation of the Lord; we want a habitation! That just doesn’t come without observing His ways, laws and commandments. Vs. 4. 8. He took care of cleaning out his own life, his immediate surroundings, he then, and only then, moved out. He took out the beam in his own eye before he took on the sins of those “others” who are “out there.” Vs. 5. 9. Once the cleaning was accomplished, he didn’t sit back on his laurels. He built on the foundations he’d established and fortified those truths and the people God had given him. He protected and provided security to those under his care and he was not idle with his time or talent. Vs. 6-7a 10. Though he’d worked very hard and had, I’m sure, much opposition to his reforms, he gave all the credit to the Lord. In his mind, all he’d done and all the people had done was to seek God and God had done the rest. V. 7b 11. He raised up a mighty army with men who were more than just capable, they were “mighty men of valor.” When we disciple others, part of our job is to train them, provide teachers and resources so they can become better warriors than us (there is no record that Asa was a mighty man of valor). He knew that he couldn’t do everything alone but that he needed people of strength around him. Vs. 8. 12. Asa wasn’t afraid to put his men or himself to the test, to engage the enemy - even when the odds were not in his favor. He didn’t go looking for a fight but when it came to him, he didn’t back down. Vs. 9-10a. 13. Asa took what he knew to do, how he’d been trained and stepped out. Vs. 10. 14. At the same time, he called on the Lord with confidence. He affirmed that, even though the odds were a million to 380,000, those figures were nothing for God. Vs. 11 15. He rested on the Lord. Vs. 11 16. He went out to battle in the name of the Lord. John 14:12-13 “…in My name…” John 15:16 “…in My name…” John 16:23,24 “…in My name…” Mark 16:17 “in My name…” Vs. 11 17. He was concerned about the reputation of God, not his own. “Do not let man prevail against You!” Vs. 11. This is reminiscent of Moses and Abraham. 18. He let God do what only God could do and did only what he could do. He let God do His thing with the enemy. His thing was to pursue them. Vs. 12-13. 19. He took advantage of the victory to gain what God provided by plundering the enemy. Vs. 13. 20. While the going was good, the anointing for this kind of work was there, he dealt with other trouble spots. He took advantage of what God was doing and how He was working through him. They weren’t just satisfied with a little victory; they went for the whole enchilada. Vs. 14. 21. After defeating the enemy that had come against them, taking care of surrounding trouble spots, they then attacked that which had fed the enemy army, that which had given them resources, energy and power! They took the things of the world and used them for God’s purposes. Proverbs 13:22 “The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” Vs. 15. Unfortunately, Asa did not always follow his own example. Years later, he turned to Syria for help instead of to the Lord. When reprimanded, he did not repent but became angry and sinned grievously against the Lord, His messenger and the people. When God tried to show him that he was not walking the way he had been, Asa sought help from doctors instead of God. Nevertheless, the model for lifestyle spiritual warfare is provided for us by his earlier example: Get rid of everything that is not of God. Every idol, every thought pattern, every supporting structure. Look out for others and help them grow and receive whatever they need too because there will come a time when you’ll need an army around you to back you up. Grow in faith. Allow it to be put to the test. Rest on Him. Use His name. Be concerned for the things of God and His reputation. (This requires giving up your own.) Don’t try to do what only God can do. But do do what you are supposed to. Take advantage of His grace and provision. Spread the victory around. Then, while you’re in the place of victory, go after the things that have fed the enemy within. Finally, stay with the program. Don’t let pride, anger (hurt) and power undo what you’ve worked so hard for. Be teachable, humble, and continue to call upon the Lord and walk in His ways!!
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