Rise up Church!

2 Chronicles 20 : 14 - 17, Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you." NKJV

It's time for the church to array ourselves in the whole armor of God, and then get into our positions in Christ. We must be careful to seek the Lord about this battle that we are fighting, lest we run ahead of God and suffer loss. Since the battle belongs to the Lord, it is imperative that we go to God first, asking Him for instructions, timing, and wisdom. By seeking the Lord and obeying His commands of advancement, we are bringing ourselves into alignment with His authority. This will assure the victory for the kingdom of God and His saints. If it is God's battle, then don't we need to ask God how to win it? Absolutely! Consequently, we need to position ourselves (or get into agreement with) the mind of God about moving forward. 

Why does the Lord repeatedly have to tell us, His people, to position ourselves? It is because we are easily distracted from our mission of fulfilling God's purpose because it takes TIME to see it accomplished. We often grow weary, discouraged, and become distracted while waiting on the timing of God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit has to call us back into position before He can advance us in His plan. After we get into our spiritual position in Christ, we must give the Lord our undivided attention; and then, we are commanded to "stand still." 

When we bring our hearts into submission by choosing to obey the Father's heart, we will need to shut out all distractions and voices from the world. If we turn off the noise and chatter of the world for merely a week, it will amaze us at how much better we can discern and listen to the voice of God. When He tells us to be still, it means that we are allowing outside forces to have an influence in our lives, consequently, we must listen only to His instructions. We are living in very dangerous times; therefore, it is essential for our spiritual well-being that we hear the Lord clearly.

Once these two phases of our preparation (positioning and being still) are carried out, the Lord can show Himself strong on our behalf; and then allow us to secure the victory. We will see with our own eyes the unveiling of His plan to win this spiritual battle... for His glory. This is a clarion call to the children of God: Get into position and heed the voice of God as never before. As you do, you will begin to hear the Holy Spirit give you specific instructions that will equip you to engage in the battle. We must be careful to do ONLY what God has shown us for us to do, lest we invite warfare into our lives unnecessarily.  

If we listen to God and carry out His instructions, then we have gained the victory in the biggest part of the spiritual battle because we are giving the Lord His rightful place in our lives, to oversee and to protect us in His battle. Even though God has called us into battle, we must not take it personally because that is a trap of Satan. We are to keep our hearts and eyes on Jesus, doing what we are told. Stay in step with the Holy Spirit, and He will keep you from the adversary's devices. It's time for the church to rise up and take its position. Like Jesus, we must be about our Father's business. 

Being Led by the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery