“The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:4-5, The Message Translation“When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain.” 2 Timothy 2:3-7, The Message Translation

These past few weeks have been a time of strange discomfort, stretching and testing of my faith. I have battled in my mind, will and emotions. I had to use my authority over the enemy and I gave God permission to use this “travailing” of some sort within my spirit to draw me closer to Him. I don’t understand it all, but I know that I am not alone in this fight. Many of you have shared with me of your own personal battles. As I sought the Lord and His Word, I made the decision below in my own life and I hope this brings encouragement to you as well.

No matter how we feel or what is going on around us – WE MUST STAY THE COURSE! When the devil is pounding on every weakness and our circumstances appear dim – WE MUST STAY THE COURSE! When it looks like our life is not making a difference and our enemies are triumphing over us – WE MUST STAY THE COURSE! This is not the time to give up. It is a time to remain steadfast and ready to carry out the orders of the Lord. We are in a battle, but WE WIN. We are currently in a storm, but the waves MUST CEASE. We are being pulled and stretched, but with God we can endure ALL things. It’s time to be soldiers for Christ. This comes with a cost, but a soldier understands that we cannot give in to the taunts of the enemy.

It’s time to: Rise up and declare our authority and stand firm in our faith. We must understand that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual rulers of this world. Therefore we must put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, we will be able to stand our ground, and after we have done everything, to stand. Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, we must BE ALERT and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18). Please know that I am praying for each of you daily and I choose to stand with you in faith.

Prayer:
“Lord, I choose to stand when the going gets tough. I will carry out my orders and I will not give up. I cling to the conquering power of my faith in God that will bring the world to its knees. I put on the armor of God this day and declare that WE WIN! I will not back up. I will not give in. I will not bow down to any attacks of the enemy over my spirit, emotions or body. I will be alert and in constant prayer for the will of the Lord to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thank you for endurance and faith to rise up within me this day. I bind the enemy and all his plans and declare that only the plans of the Lord will prosper over me and the saints of God this day and forevermore.” Amen.

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