The Kingdom Is At War

via TJC

…the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. - Matthew 11:12

Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

Many of us would rather there be no war. We only want a peaceable Kingdom where fellowship, love, and a good meal are present. Tragically, we prefer to ignore the war. This leads to generations of males defaulting into lives of fantasy and poor fruit. Whether we acknowledge it or not, The Kingdom IS at war.

From a natural standpoint, I’ve been involved with military war games and battle planning. Adding in the multitude of war movies viewed conditioned me to consider warfare as one-dimensional. This natural view hindered my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Thank God He is my friend and has loved me through my engagements with my supernatural enemy.

We cannot engage ‘principalities and powers’ with physical strength alone. If we do, we fall directly into the enemy’s trap. Our weapons are found in divine self-sacrificial love, the willingness to put aside our own desires and seek first His Kingdom. Secondly, as Jesus displayed, we must have an answer to the enemy’s broadsides. When these assaults come to our minds, can we answer, “It is written…”

And we can only be engaged in this war after we acknowledge there IS a war.

If not awakened to this war, males end their days with regrets written on their tombstones. Broken families and shattered childhoods simply replicate the failures of many males. God’s Kingdom is at war daily. Our enemies know it is a truceless war.  Unfortunately, far too many males do not.

TJC attempts to awaken males to the truth: The Kingdom is at war. To avert our eyes from the battles will cripple a man’s legacy. The effects of this war are seen in the physical world but are fought in the spiritual realm. We are not meant to be passive observers but active, tender warriors. We will look at how to train for this type of warfare in another DBO. But for now, we establish our engagement by repenting of ignoring that The Kingdom is at war and understanding we have a real, deadly enemy; an enemy who seeks to neutralize men, shatter women and continue to cripple generations of children.

Daily Battle Order—The Kingdom is at war. Let us cease to pretend otherwise. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see where you have disengaged from this war. If you have attempted to ignore this war or abandoned your post, be a quick repenter. Jesus tells us not to ‘think that He came to bring peace on the earth.’ He brought a sword. Start by choosing to be a man of God, preparing to address the whispers of your enemy violently.