Hand to Hand Combat

Only those in regular hand to hand combat

against Satan and his kingdom,

will constantly see their need of God's power

to accomplish what He has commanded...

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light,

and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins,

and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Act 26:18

The early church had the gifts of the Holy Ghost...

and God EXPECTS us to have them!

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,

and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

 

The gifts of the Holy Ghost accomplish EVERYTHING the Holy Ghost does--

They convict of SIN...

DESTROY the works of the devil...

REVEAL the hearts of sinners and hypocrites...

ADVANCE the kingdom of God...

and EXALT the Lord Jesus Christ and testify of Him!

They are given by GOD HIMSELF to arm you for the conflict...

Because the battle is HOT on every side...

and the WARFARE is Spiritual.

No one can dis-arm you IF you possess these spiritual gifts

and heavenly weapons!

No one can render you defenseless!

Your weapons are mighty!

Being furnished directly from the heavenly armory…

Your spiritual weapons and armor

were MADE to be USED!

Their potency, strength and effectiveness are unsurpassed…

FOR the TASK at HAND!

You MUST:

Subdue. Restrain. Resist.

Withstand. Put to flight. Drive back.

REPROVE...

And to cause your adversary to RETREAT!

 Furthermore…

YOU have GREAT NEED of this heavenly ensemble…

For the Captain of your Salvation…

has placed you on the front lines…

of this raging Spiritual battle...

And HE expects you to FIGHT!!!

Art thou ready, SOLDIER, to quit thyself like a man of WAR?

Art thou endued with power from on high?

Art thou ready to face the enemy?

Hast thou donned the armor of the KING?

Hast thou girded on the SWORD for the fight….?

***Why don't we see more of the spiritual gifts in use today, you ask?

We do not see our need of them.

We do not desire them.

We do not pay the price to obtain them.

GOD is more than willing to give them...ARE YOU willing to pay the price to receive and USE them?

Inspired by: Bro. Micah Armstrong “Gifts of the Holy Ghost”

read his blog here: http://brothermicah.wordpress.com/articles/

We FIGHT!

But thou, O man of God...

...follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called,

and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:11-12

We fight for the truth.

We fight for righteousness, holiness, and purity. We fight for Holy Convictions.

We fight for peace of mind in a crazy world. We fight for love and joy. We fight for our right to pray.

We fight for truth and doctrine. We fight for Revival. We fight for a Move of God.

We fight for our Lord Jesus Christ! We fight for our God!

We fight for the Cause of the Church!

We fight for our children, Grandchildren, and families. We fight for our loved ones. 

We fight to see people saved, healed, delivered, and filled with the Holy Ghost.

We fight for our Churches. We fight for our services.

We fight for the ministry. We fight for the Hope of the Church.

We should PRAY and fight.

We should SING and fight.

We should SHOUT and fight.

We should fight when we are standing.

We should fight when we are sitting.

We should fight when we are flat on our back.

We should fight with our VOICES.

We should fight with a SONG.

Preachers, we should fight with a MESSAGE from GOD!

We should fight with the WORD of GOD.

We should fight with our testimony.

We should fight with our standards.

We should fight with a Prayer Meeting

We should fight by going to Church.

We should fight by having REVIVAL.

We should fight by telling EVERYONE about Jesus.

We fight against sin.

We fight against worldliness. We fight against compromise.

We fight against Heresy. We fight against spiritual deadness & dryness.

We fight against Gossip, bitterness, and strife. We fight against an invasive world system.

We fight against Religion. We fight against a Form of Godliness that denies the power thereof.

We fight against backsliding. We fight against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil.

The Church must "Fight the good fight of faith."

 Paul said at the end of his life, “I fought a good fight”. Do you know what he was saying? He was saying...

“I have never backed up from a scrap! I never left a Church service without fighting for a move of God!

I never went to a city where I did not fight for souls to be saved!

I never once gave up without giving it my very best!”

Folks we may be bruised, scratched, cut, bleeding, and limping, but we must not stop fighting!

“We Fight for TRUTH!” by Bro. Mark Herridge.

SOLDIER of the Cross

SOLDIER of the cross…art thou ready for battle?

Examine thyself…examine thy fruit…

Does thine HEART burn for HIM…

For HIS TRUTH….

And for HIS KINGDOM?

Has thine HEART been purified by the fear of GOD!?

Is thine EYE SINGLE in focus…

Is thine ear INCLINED to HIS VOICE…

Are thine lips circumcised to speak HIS TRUTH…

Have thine fleshly desires been put to death by the power of His Spirit?

Have thine thoughts been purified and purged by the washing of HIS WORD?

Have thou exercised thyself unto holiness, obedience, faith and godliness…

In the secret place of prayer, dost thou delight in the presence of the KING of KINGS?

Is thine HEART fixed upon the eternal Kingdom of God and His Christ?

Art thou ready, SOLDIER, to quit thyself like a man of WAR?

Art thou endued with power from on high?

Art thou ready to face the enemy? Hast thou donned the armor of the KING?

Hast thou girded on the SWORD for the fight….?

NOW…art thou ready to engage and overcome thine adversary?

To enter into dragon’s dens and devils haunts, and fight with thy glistening SWORD of TRUTH…

To cut to the ground and utterly demolish every evil stronghold and refuge of lies that hold captive

countless thousands of eternal souls?

Art thou ready to expose the kingdom of darkness and lay plain the face thereof..

that others may see, and tremble and fear the name of the Living God?

To stand alone, if need be, and defend those that cannot defend themselves?

To vanquish devils, heal the sick, set captives free?

Art thou ready, Soldier of the Cross…to take up thy SWORD and enter the fray?

To use thy most powerful weapon of war to bring LIGHT and TRUTH

to SPLIT the darkness like a garment rent in two?

Art thou ready to give ALL to the cause of CHRIST?

ART THOU READY?

A Distinguished SWORD!

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God: Ephesians 6:17

Imagine with me for a moment, long, long, ago …

an elite garrison of Roman soldiers

intensively trained in the art of war…

They have the best training in the world.

No expense has been spared in supplying the best,

strongest weapons, armor, and shields.

The best SWORDS, made with the finest materials available,

fitted out and prepared for battle unto the death.

Ready to take the victory AT ANY COST.

Now imagine there were found…

among the ranks of those battle ready soldiers…

certain ones who used every opportunity afforded them

to speak thusly to the troops:

"…your sword is weak and untrustworthy…”

“…your battlements are compromised…”

“…your armor and shields are inferior…"

Thus weakening the troops morale and confidence

in their lifesaving tools and weaponry.

What, suppose ye, shall we think of such men ?

Men who take care to sow such unbelief and discord

amongst the soldiers?

Traitors!

Why, however can they be anything else?

Instead of stirring up the troops to ACTION…

and encouraging them on to VICTORY…

They undermine the authority of the CAPTAIN…

(Who was responsible for issuing the armor and weaponry)

and cast doubt and unbelief upon the effectiveness of their arsenal.

What should be done to such fellows as these?

Now, fast forward, down through the ages…

to TODAY!

Behold, the Army of the Living GOD!

Blood-bought…

radically Born-again…

HOLY…

Jesus loving…

CHRISTIANS!

What of those today, who go around telling the Army of GOD…

(or anybody for that matter)

that their SWORD…

the HOLY BIBLE*

is not perfect, inerrant, and trustworthy?

Those who cast doubt on, and undermine …

the AUTHORITY of SCRIPTURE…

Causing others to lose faith

in the PERFECT Word of GOD

preserved for us today.

Would the CAPTAIN of our SALVATION encourage such foolishness

in HIS HOLY ARMY?

NEVER!

Who then, would inspire such activity?

What would you call such men who sow confusion and discord…

attacking the very WORD of GOD…

the SWORD of the SPIRIT?

I would call such individuals…

TRAITORS

and Agents of the DEVIL.

Inspired by – Brother Joe Christopherson



 *God's perfect Word, preserved for English speaking people, the Holy, Authorized King James Bible.

The Ancient War Cry!

Do YOU have it?

Stand and Withstand!

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,

that ye may be able to WITHSTAND in the evil day,

and having done all, TO STAND.

Ephesians 6:13

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:

for we are not ignorant of his DEVICES.

2 Corinthians 2:11

The CAPTAIN of your salvation bids you STAND

You are to stand in OPPOSITION…

to stand in OFFENCE…

and to stand as an OVERCOMER!

You are to OPPOSE the enemy of your SOUL…

To stand against his WILES…

To DEFEAT his METHODS…

And to EXPOSE his LIES.

You are STRATEGICALLY placed in this WAR…

to defend your POSITION…

and your spiritual POSSESSIONS!

Hold fast to what you have…

Fight the good fight of faith, LAY HOLD on ETERNAL LIFE,

whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession

before many witnesses.   1 Timothy 6:12

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;

(for he is faithful that promised;)  Hebrews 10:23

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we,

if we HOLD FAST the CONFIDENCE and the REJOICING of the HOPE

firm unto the end.

Hebrews 3:6

Behold, I come quickly: HOLD that FAST which thou hast,

that no man take thy CROWN.   Revelation 3:11

Wrestle. Strive. Contend. Sweat.

For what you HOPE to gain…

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?

SO RUN, that ye may OBTAIN.   1 Corinthians 9:24

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days:

be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a CROWN of  LIFE.  

Revelation 2:10

That I may know him, and the POWER of his resurrection, and the FELLOWSHIP of his sufferings, being made CONFORMABLE unto his death;

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

Philippians 3:10-11

Therefore Brethren,

We cannot always have a defensive attitude!

There are those times when we need to strike first!

And of some have compassion, making a difference:

And others SAVE with FEAR, PULLING them OUT of the FIRE;

hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jude 1:22-23

And take the BATTLE to the GATES…

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my church;

and the GATES of HELL shall NOT PREVAIL against it.

Matthew 16:18

You have been commissioned by the CAPTAIN of your SALVATION to GO!

Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Luke 10:3

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Matthew 28:19

Behold, I give unto you POWER to tread on serpents and scorpions, and OVER all the POWER of the ENEMY: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Luke 10:19

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.  Luke 24:49

GO!    That ye may put the enemy to flight…

And OVERCOME!

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:

and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth

that Jesus is the Son of God?   1 John 5:4-5

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,

and by the word of their testimony;

and they loved not their lives unto the death.   

Revelation 12:11

And receive all things promised…

…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,

which is in the midst of the paradise of God.  Revelation 2:7

…He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.   Revelation 2:11

…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.   Revelation 2:17

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Revelation 2:26-27

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.   Revelation 3:5

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.  Revelation 3:12

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.   Revelation 3:21

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God,

and he shall be my son.   Revelation 21:7

One day…the battle will be OVER!

When the smoke of battle clears…

Will YOU be left STILL STANDING?

Inspired by "Stand" by Brother Mike Metzger.