The Clash of Swords 3-4-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand.” … I hear the clash of swords The thundering of horses and angels at war I hear the blast of the trumpet sound As the armies of kingdoms advance on the ground I hear a loud shout and the cry of command For the King has come and His Kingdom’s at hand Steady my spirit and strengthen my faith Remind me of my calling to prepare the way Your warriors are ready, healed and free Now it’s time to arise and follow Your lead I hear a loud shout and the cry of command For the King has come and His Kingdom’s at hand The battle’s begun and kingdoms are at war Nation against nation, ripped and torn But the battle was won before the first shot rang out Victory is ours and we give out a shout I hear a loud shout and the cry of command For the King has come and His Kingdom’s at hand Yes, Lord. Thank You for these words You’re writing on my heart and stirring in my spirit as I join in this spiritual battle through the watches of the night. Help me understand and grasp the truth of these paradoxes of faith: The Kingdom has come with the first coming of Christ, yet the Kingdom is not yet fully manifested until Your second coming. The Victory of the Cross is won, yet the battle is real as we enforce the Victory of the Cross every day in every decision and encounter of our lives. The enemy of our souls is defeated, yet every day we must allow You to crush him under out feet and conquer him in our minds, taking every thought captive to the obedience of the truth in Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Lord Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). And You freely give us Your peace (John 14:27). But at the same time, You also said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Your peace is not a peace of complacency, passivity, or compromise with evil. Your peace is the peace that comes with the Victory of Your Cross, the Victory of the Kingdom of Light over the kingdom of darkness (1 Peter 2:9). And as Your Word promises: “The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20). In the Spirit, I hear the clash of swords. I hear the cry of Your command. I hear Your call to engage the battle for the battle has begun. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs” (Matthew 24:6-8). These are the birth pangs of the beginning of a great battle. And as in any battle, there will be casualties of war and pain that’s hard to bear, but it is a battle that must be fought and it is a battle that’s already won. “Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; my Rock and my Fortress, my Stronghold and my Deliverer, my Shield in whom I take refuge, who subdues (the enemies of my soul, the spiritual forces of wickedness who comes to steal and kill and destroy) under me” (Psalm 144:1-2). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friends, as I send out this word and prayer this morning, I'm reminded of the words of Winston Churchill in the face of great casualties and pain in the midst of a war being waged both on the ground and in the spirit: "You ask, What is our policy? I will say, “It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.” You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival. ... We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." By the power of the grace of God, Lord let it be so. Let our generation be found faithful in the war we must wage and the battle we must fight as we follow You in the Victory of the Cross. The battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47). God bless you in victory today! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502