Rumors of War, and an armor of glory.

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:4–14

In this passage God is telling what will happen in the last days, but let’s talk about today. In the US Army, there are boot camps the soldiers must go to to prepare them for combat. They must endure hard physical exercises that will test their mind, strength, and all of your abilities. Their body becomes broken down, destroyed and hurt. When they have been broken to the point of quitting, that is when the armor process begins. They get stronger; They build their minds and physique as armor everyday getting the soldiers ready for battle.

When David went before Goliath all he had was a stone and a sling not much to work with. Goliath was bigger and stronger. Scripture says in 1 Samuel chapter seventeen verse four through six: 4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. (121.25 pounds). 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. David had something more, David was called and had power through God. Scripture says in 1 Samuel seventeen verse forty-five: Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord. God moved on David, allowing him to have power. When Pharaoh didn’t listen to the commands of God through Moses, judgment came upon the Egyptians. During the first passover, God took the first-born son of pharaoh. He became angry and hardened his heart. When the Israelites finally received the go-ahead from the pharaoh it was short-lived because the pharaoh sent his army followed Israelites. God split the red sea open, allowing the children of Israel to walk on dry ground. The sea that God moved for the Israelites is the same thing that closed in on the Egyptians, causing the army to die. They were after God’s people and trying to inflict harm upon them. There are consequences when trusting in anyone or thing other than the one true God. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one Lord (Deu 6:4). We are called and have power through God. We’re building our armor. For example: Buddha, the God of the doorknob or whatever God they claim is God. Some put their trust in fully and even commit one hundred percent into a God that can not hear their prayers. Their God can’t talk with them. They can’t feel the presence of their God. I am happy that we not only serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but Scripture also says that he can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities. We can see our God through the works he does. We can hear our God through his word and having a direct line of communication through his spirit. Our God isn’t a dead God or an idol; our is alive and well!

Why is it when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den for praying to his God he lived to tell the story? Daniel chapter six verse twenty-two says, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.” There was power there through the God Daniel had direct communication with. We have the same opportunity to have communion with God. When Samson’s eyes had been gauged out and had come to the end of his story, the will of God for his life. Even though he strayed away Judges, chapter sixteen verse twenty-two says, “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.” So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. (Judges 16:30). Even if you are in the last quarter God can use you to do a mighty work for him. Never stop striving for the goal of Kingdom advancement. These two men had something in common. They had the calling of God which protected them and the power from the most high. They also were in war. We may lose, we may fail, we may get disappointed we may feel like giving up and even stray away from the path, but remember, when you feel this way realize we are not promised tomorrow. Scripture says in James chapter four verse fourteen, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” We are commanded and commissioned in Matthew twenty-eight verse nineteen, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” We have to take every opportunity we can to reach every living soul during our short time here on this earth. What does that old hymn say?

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven’s not my home then lord what will I do

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

We’re in the last of the last days scripture says in Acts chapter two verse seventeen: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Rumors of war, and an armor of glory. On Wednesday, the fifteenth of May I was sitting in the prayer room praying and meditating on the word, and began to have a vision. I saw thousands upon thousands of Angels In heavy armor and I found myself on the front line. I looked across this huge field and saw thousands of ugly, horrible, and evil Warriors that were dressed in heavy armor. I saw myself again but on the frontline with the enemy. God was showing me that there’s a war coming and we’ve been afforded the opportunity to either oppose God or fight alongside of God. Where you find yourself will be your decision. False prophets Are already among us, scripture says in 2 Timothy chapter four verse three, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts.” Galatians chapter one verse eight says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” We can’t play around anymore this is getting real, the only thing keeping us from our victories, blessings, healing and miracles is: ourself. We as a church have been at war with each other. Now more than ever, we must be unified. Genesis 11:5–6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. I know scripture here is discussing the Tower of Babel and how the people were trying to build up a name for themselves but let the principal remain the same. “Because of unity nothing will be restrained from them.” We shouldn’t be saying: They have more than we do or their praise team is better. We shouldn’t worry about someones else’s church. The writer of Romans said it this way in chapter 12 verse 15: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. When we see other churches succeed we shouldn’t catch ourselves tearing them down, but let us say with a resounding shout, “They serve the same God and our working for the same kingdom as we are!”

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:4-14

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 25:1–13

In the first passage the Goodman didn’t know then the thief was going to come and instead of staying watch and being ready he let his guard down. Look what happened: the enemy destroyed his house. We have to build up our homes ready for the the day also we must put on the armor of God. In the second passage the writer is explaining the we must make ourselves ready for the coming of the Lord. We don’t know what hour our lord is coming but he’s coming soon to get his bride, and we have to be ready. Whatever we have to do or whatever we have to get rid of we need to do so because we have to be ready. Scripture says in Matthew chapter five verse thirty, “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Take a few moments to write a few things. I ask, are you ready for judgment? Get a piece of paper and pen. If there is anything hold you back from fulfilling the calling of God on your life, write it down. If there is any sin, or wight as the scripture says we must remove ourselves from the hate, the worrying, the depression, pills, addiction, feelings of inadequacy, or even strife between the churches. We have to set aside pride and arrogance. Write the things that aren’t causing the kingdom to be furthered in your life and ministry. We can not continue to hold things that will prevent us from getting our breakthrough. Things that may cause us to not prepare for the war that is taking place or to lose focus. Declare, “This means war!” Remove things that distract you from your purpose. God will restore something in your life that you may have walked away from. You may even have a new life, a new outlook starting now. Step into the calling of God quickly because there is a war coming, and we must be ready. Look your enemy in the face and tell them I’m a child of God and through him I have the power. As you read and study the word; as you fast, and pray you’re building your armor. The Bible says: “the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” Now that you have to build up your armor. Pick up the sword, the word of God, and charge the enemy. Say, “Enemy I challenge you, you can’t have me, my children, or my power.” If you’re not living for God, don’t have the Holy Ghost, or if you’re not ready to put on your armor on you need to get ready. The Lord is coming for his bride. I don’t know what we have to go through, but we have a war for ourselves. We can’t fight others fights we need to all have one goal, which is to get to heaven.