Onward, Christian Soldiers!

These past three weeks, I have begun fasting and praying every Monday and I am committed to indefinitely continue every Monday. When in an attitude of fasting and praying, God often speaks to me and my husband.  These past three times after fasting, God has given me three experiences. The first was a series of dreams that showed Heaven.  I won't get into the dreams now (there were many and some were long), except to share the last dream.  I was walking down a winding road in front of a mountain and I was told Jesus was on His way.  I was so excited; I could not wait to see my Savior!  As I looked up, I saw nothing except row upon row of angels, circling the top of the mountain.  The number was uncountable; it was awe-inspiring.  I wish I could draw what I saw, but below is someone else's artwork I found in a Bing search of angel armies.  I chose that picture because the angels in my dream were dressed very similar and holding large swords in front of them. Also, in a different dream earlier (on the same night), I saw similar buildings to the one behind the angel.  The difference was that in my dream, I did not see wings on any of the angels. There were so many angels that I was not able to see Jesus.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Revelation 5:11

I won't get into the dreams Mel and I had last week that 100% confirmed the other's dream, but I will say it was significant and went along with what we have both been praying about. It had to do with a specific false religion that God compared to the false idols of Egypt (in my dream) and being married to Satan (in my husband's dream). That is all I will sayin the subject for now.  

This week, I did not have a dream, but I clearly heard the song, "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" playing in my head.  Maybe it was my own mind, but I have not thought of this song in a while and it matches the theme of the dream I had that I mentioned above.

The message is clear, and I think with all this world has been going through lately (a pandemic, epic fires, unprecedented storms, rebellious uprisings, etc.), you may agree.  Read the lyrics above and really let them sink in, as well as the verses in Ephesians below.  We are in a battle, spiritual, and even physical.  But now is not the time for fear, but I time to pray and put in the whole armor of God.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10-20

Faith, Written by Mel

Faith
Written by my husband, Mel

Hebrews 11:1-10 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a [good] testimony.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.  By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.  By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as [in] a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;  for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.

So often people live their lives in fear of what could happen, or they worry about finances or health problems, however, fear is the opposite of faith. The Lord understands that we are human, and anxiety is common to man, but he desires that we trust him with every aspect of our lives. Fear will empower the enemy in your life. If you live your life in fear, you will never have a breakthrough with God. Fear may even lead to demonic oppression. You must have faith in God that He is able to deliver and heal you to see results.

 Fear also hinders many people from pursuing ministry work, because they feel they can’t accomplish the task. If the prophets and apostles had given into fear, we would not have the scriptures to guide us, and Christianity would never have spread beyond Judea. We must believe that God is bigger and more powerful than our problems, or limitations, to be useful for the kingdom of heaven. Moses had a speech problem and argued with God that he was not able to speak to Pharaoh. God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and allowed his brother Aaron to speak for him. Moses was chosen from birth to be the deliverer for the captive Hebrews, but he felt inadequate for the task. Fortunately, God did not allow Moses to give in to fear, but used him to show forth his power to the entire world. Elijah feared for his life and hid in a cave, but the God of Elijah protected him, and Elijah never saw death because he was taken to heaven in a flaming chariot.

The apostle Paul wrote powerful letters, but he did not impress some in person. However, this did not deter Paul from taking the gospel to many lands. Paul understood that he was a vessel for God’s Spirit to work through. With God, all things are possible; he is looking for humble vessels that he may work through. God is not impressed with your fancy attire, eloquent speech, or theological degrees. God is looking for common people, full of faith, which he may work through. Peter, James, and John were uneducated fishermen, however Christ chose them to be his Apostles, and to turn the world upside down. If you will put your faith and trust in God, he will use you to minister into the lives of others.

Why do we so often worry about life’s problems? Does not God promise to meet our needs if we seek after him? Does not the Lord feed the birds, and clothe the lilies of the field? If we will replace fear and anxiety, with faith and thankfulness, we will know the peace and provision of the Father. If you live with a defeated attitude, you will not be useful to the kingdom of God. Faith will open the door to many blessings from God, including healings, deliverance, ministry, peace of mind, as well as many answered prayers.      

(Matthew 6:25-34) " Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.

Mark 11:23-24 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [them,] and you will have [them.]