via TJC
'Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. '
Psalms 96:9
At our last few battlefield operations (Gettysburg, Fredericksburg and Chickamauga) one of the Joshua Commission founders has made a bold statement. “If you don’t know that you are in a (spiritual) battle then you are an idiot.” Eloquent, maybe not. Effective and even jarring, you bet. Our mission statement starts with the phrase “The Kingdom is at War” which sounds cool but do you really recognize the spiritual battles that you are in? As a lifelong southern church boy I have to admit that for most of my life I did not. The churches I was in didn’t really talk about it so I’m thankful for the Joshua Commission being so bold and intentional to ensure men like you and me not only understand the battle but are prepared for it.
Recently I was part of a TJC cohort going through the “Every Man a Pure Warrior” training for the first time. The whole thing is about fighting battles with addiction, specifically pornography, but it is really about spiritual warfare. The first weapon for battle it trains on is worship. I had never thought of worship as a weapon before. Worship was always just a way to praise God and get into a good frame of mind for Sunday service or a men's conference. What I learned was that worship of God, in word or song, drives the Enemy of our souls away from us. It is a first line of defense when temptation, in whatever form, comes after us as Kingdom Men.
Daily Battle Order:
Worship God today. Literally do it. Stop right now and read all of Psalm 96 outloud or sing a hymn like Amazing Grace - out loud. Before you start, remind yourself that this is an offensive and a defensive weapon against the Enemy. You are sticking a spear into him, poking him with a sword, shooting him with an arrow (whatever visual works for you). Try making worship your first weapon of choice when you feel an attack, a temptation or even when you have already fallen into a sin. Let us know what you experience by commenting on this DBO! Contact us if you are interested in the Every Man a Warrior training process.
WOW...powerful stuff. I just did what the writer requested and put everything aside and praised God thru Worship by reading Psalm 96 aloud. I feel as if it took an instant burden off my shoulders as I shed tears of joy. Thank you Lord and Praise God.