Welcome to Give Him 15. Ceci and I are trying to slow down a little this last week of the year. To help with this, I’ve asked some of the prophetic voices I draw from occasionally on the posts to fill in. If you listen regularly you’ll know the names, even if you haven’t seen their faces before, and you’ll be very blessed by these posts. Enjoy! And I’ll see you next week.
Contending for Victory Over the Real Pandemic
I believe we have entered into a season of Great Contending on the earth today. Contending for lives, lands, and our very future!
As we entered into this season of the pandemic, the Lord reminded me of the story in Matthew 8 where He commanded His disciples to get in the boat and cross over to the other side. If you remember, in this story it says that in the middle of this journey, in the middle of the lake, a furious storm arose. I’m sure the disciples could’ve wondered, where in Jesus’ word to us did He speak about such a terrible storm? He never mentioned it, He just commanded that it was time to cross over! However, the storm was so bad that these seasoned fishermen ran to Jesus who was in the boat asleep, woke Him and cried out, “Don’t you see, don’t you care that we are going to die!?” Jesus did care, it’s just that He also knew what He had already decreed!
Jesus was unfazed, He awoke, arose and rebuked the winds and waves as if He were speaking to a person - because this was not any ordinary storm, this was a demonic storm! You see, Jesus was getting ready to deal with a territorial, controlling spirit in the land of the Gadarenes on the other side of the lake. I think that spirit understood the threat and stirred up a demonic storm to try and intimidate the disciples, to cause them to turn and retreat.
However, Jesus spoke with authority and dealt with the storm. But at the same time, He was not happy with His disciples; He rebuked them saying, ‘Why are you afraid and where is your faith?’ In other words, Jesus was saying, I commanded you to cross over and I didn’t leave you or change My mind. You didn’t need to wake Me up; you needed to wake yourself up to our mission and your authority to fulfill it.
I believe that is where we are today. God is speaking to his Ekklesia and saying, “I’ve called you to cross over, now use your authority to deal with every demonic storm and subdue every territorial, controlling spirit you encounter! Don’t be intimidated by this demonic storm. No, cross over, break the grip of the enemy, loose the people and set the land free as you’ve been called to do!
In 2020, as the whole world was drafted into this battle with a virus we have come to know as Covid 19, I heard the Lord saying, “This is not just a natural foe but a demonic storm!” And its strategy could be summed up in 3 crucial attacks:
…FEAR, FATIGUE & FATALISM.
Fear
The assignment of fear, panic, pandemonium, chaos, and intimidation in this season is real and is more than just the effect of the circumstances we are facing. Fear is a spiritual assignment formed by the enemy to try and get the church to withdraw and retreat from the battlefield. The purpose of the attack of fear is always control. Fear is also very contagious, like an epidemic. But do you know what is even more contagious? Faith. So stop listening to fear. It’s time to get around some people of faith!
The enemy’s plan behind this pandemic, both naturally and spiritually, is a full-on assault of the antichrist spirit to bring to pass an antichrist agenda. The enemy’s efforts have been focused on trying to get the church to back up, when we are called to advance. We do not fight with natural weapons, but we do fight! When we use them purposely and rightfully we are destined to win!
In praying about the word for the New Year of 2021, I felt led to do something I’d never done before. I felt the Lord ask me to look at the Strong’s Concordance numbers in Hebrew and Greek corresponding to the number “2021.” What I found was compelling.
The Hebrew word corresponding to the Strong’s number 2021 is the word, hotsen, and its meaning is “to be sharp and strong, as a weapon of war; like a chariot advancing.” And Strong’s number 2021 in Greek is the word, epicheireo, which means “to take in hand, to undertake, or put the hand to.” I believe God is speaking to the church that this is a time we must be strong and sharp and fearlessly put the spiritual weapons of war in our hands!
Fatigue
The assignment of fatigue is sent to wear us down and wear us out so the enemy can take us out! The book of Hebrews tells us that when we are running, we can’t afford to let our hands or our heads hang down, or allow our legs to be weak! It’s time to catch your breath and get ready to run some more! Get ready to run to the battle! We can’t afford to be passive or fatigued in the battle. Scripture is clear that the joy of the Lord is our strength and implores us to be strong and courageous and not afraid or dismayed. Joshua was instructed 4 times in the beginning of the book of Joshua, only be strong and courageous. God’s promise was that he would bring them into their land and they would possess it. They would fight, and God would fight for them! The Lord of Hosts would bring them victory as the Captain of the Angel Armies! They would possess their promised land!
The word for possess in Hebrew is yaresh, and it means to possess by dispossessing or driving out the previous inhabitants. In other words, receive your inheritance of promise by being a contender that drives out every pretender! It’s not a time to be discouraged (robbed of courage) or disheartened (robbed of heart for the battle) or to be weary in doing what is right or required. Keep praising, keep praying, keep fasting, keep prophesying, keep giving, keep living right!
Fatalism
The ploy of fatalism is to try to get us to accept the inevitability of the enemy’s triumph; to release a wave of hopelessness against us. However, the truth is that our God revels in impossibilities and impossible odds!
Don’t give in or give up in the face of overwhelming forces!
Remember Moses with Pharaoh’s army hot on his trail as he stood in front of the Red Sea!
Remember David facing Goliath!
Remember Gideon’s victory!
Remember Elisha’s decree, “More are they with us than they that are with them!”
And remember, in Esther’s day, it looked like it was too late and that the schemes of the enemy had been enacted and codified into law. But she made an appeal to the king and said “If I perish, I perish; I believe I have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” And because of her faith, a major, divine reversal took place for the people of God; Haman and his 10 sons were hung on the very gallows they prepared for Mordecai and Esther. It’s time for the Esther church to arise and make an appeal to heaven!
Fatalism wants to convince you that it’s over before you get started. It whispers, even in a prophetic sense, saying “don’t you know that it’s the end times? It’s too late, the antichrist will arise, this has been prophesied and there is nothing you can do about it.”
However, that has never been God’s word to his people. He said He will have a glorious church without spot or wrinkle before He returns, and that we are called to occupy till He comes. He said if his people will pray and turn, then He will hear from Heaven and heal the land! The Ekklesia is always the determining factor!
Jesus said that He will build His Ekklesia and they would be given the keys to the Kingdom; they would have the power to prevail against the gates of hell and open up the gates of heaven. Daniel declared that there would be a time when it felt like the enemy was prevailing or winning; but then a decree would come from the Ancient of Days that would loose favor on the Saints of the Most High so they could take the kingdom.
This is not a time to shrink back, kick back, or give up, but to advance God’s kingdom in the earth. Let’s contend for God’s purposes in the earth as overcomers filled with faith, power, and passion to welcome the King of Glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord strong in battle, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords!
Don’t run away. It’s time to cross over and defeat fear, fatigue, and fatalism. Run to the battle!
Pray with me:
Lord, we pray that we will not shrink back or be controlled because of fear or intimidation! We ask for strength to battle at the gates to see the victory. And for hope to cause us to engage and understand our role as the Ekklesia - to see the battle shift and healing come to our land.
Our decree:
We decree that the Ekklesia will be bold and courageous, ready to run to the battle! We speak strength into every weary warrior and joy in the battle! We decree that our God will fight for us and the God of peace will soon crush satan underneath our feet! We will cross over! We will speak to every demonic storm, ‘Peace, Be Still!’ And we will take authority over every demonic, controlling spirit the Lord has sent us to conquer!
Today’s post was contributed by Pastor Tom Hamon. Find out more about Tom here or at tomandjanehamon.com.
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