The
Twelfth Hour
Once the decision is made to train for the fight and become a fully
empowered Warrior in the Army of God, many will ask, “How do I avail myself of
this information now that I accept the reality of Spiritual Warfare and the need
for the Armor of God?” This final
chapter will answer this question and encourage any reader wishing to become
truly empowered by God’s Word and promises, and become so blessed.
Now
that you have a better understanding of the Armor of the Christian Warrior and
God’s promises concerning the Armor itself, I ask you now to look within your
heart and answer the following questions.
Have
you felt a void in your life? Have
you been searching for something to give meaning to your life?
Could it be something is missing from your life, a commitment never made,
or fulfilled? Are you willing to
take on the task of inner revelation and development?
Do
you recognize the need to awaken the Warrior within and join the ranks of the
fully empowered Christian Warriors?
Are
you ready to look within to that hurt area of your character which you want to
finally take claim of, find the brokenness within that needs the healing touch
of another Warrior, and take control of your life by turning it over to God?
Be
aware that the battle is at hand and the rally cry has gone out.
What is your response? Will
you answer the call to arms for your own sake . . . for all our sakes, FOR
GOD’S SAKE?!
The
challenge is now before you. Are
you willing to take a stand under the authority of the King?
Are you willing to really put your faith in God and learn what He would
have you do? These two questions
will find you in one of two most likely spiritual dispositions: 1) You have
never accepted Christ as your personal redeemer and feel the call of the Holy
Spirit in your life to bring you to God . 2)
You are a believer in Christ, but have never experienced the empowerment
of the Holy Spirit or trained to face the reality of Spiritual Warfare.
. ..
The following
section addresses the needs of the reader be they a faithful yet unempowered
Christian, or those yet searching for answers in their life. Some readers
believe this to be the most powerful content of the book.
In
the fall of 1962, a great resurgence of interest in the power of the Holy Spirit
was begun when Pope John XXIII’s called for a “New Pentecost.”
By the mid 70s, this movement was acknowledged widely within the Catholic
Church, and came to be known as the Charismatic or Pentecostal movement. Whole books have been written about the basis for the
“Baptism of the Spirit,” and I encourage those questioning this as a
legitimate teaching of the Bible to search out one of these books and
prayerfully study it, or God’s Word, concerning this empowerment.
If
you are a Christian whose life has been, well, shall we say “mundane,”
without the presence of God being felt, it may be that you have not understood
what living a life of faith is all about. Perhaps
you have not recognized the reality of the Powers and Principalities at work
around you because you have been asleep in your faith or exercise of God’s
authority. What I have found to be the case is that many Christians deny
any empowerment beyond the act of confession and redemption of their sins, as
above. The fact is that before
Jesus physically ascended into heaven, He had promised to send the Holy Spirit
of God to his disciples to be with them and empower them until His return.
This new baptism has been referred to as: “The infilling of the
Spirit,” the “Baptism of Fire,” or the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit.”
Whatever you may call it, this is the means by which believers become
empowered by the full blessing of the Holy Spirit.
. .. For those never encountering this information before, a full view
of the scriptures pertinent to the Power of the Spirit followed by particular
prayers of encouragement and empowerment are contained in the text.
Once
we become empowered by the Holy Spirit, to the outward world, we become larger
than life. This becomes apparent
for two primary reasons. First, because we start expressing values not commonly found
adhered to in society today; consequently, this alone sets us apart.
Secondly, our experiences show themselves to be miraculous at times.
This should not come as any surprise, as we are protected by the Armor of
God. Remember what the scripture
says about God’s Warriors, but the people that do know their God shall
be strong, and do exploits. Dan.
11:32. We are transformed when
we accept a commission under Jesus. The old ways are put away and the new ways
become like a breath of fresh air. Excitement
follows an active Warrior. Read any fairy tale and you will see that it is
typically the hero who is the only one doing the exciting stuff.
. ..
God
Bless you and welcome to the fray. No
better comrades can a man have in life than the ones who would join him in a
fight!
We
need not search far to find the Powers and Principalities against which we
struggle. In many various ways,
they have taken control of powerful positions in our society and the world. Some
of the greatest oppression in our country today comes from the system of
bureaucrats who relish exercising their power or “authority” while
forgetting whom they are appointed by and work for.
Many of our representatives and public officials are more interested in
pleasing special interest groups and lining their own pockets, rather than in
enacting and enforcing truly liberating legislation or operating under the Godly
principles this country was founded upon. It
is easy to find out what is being done on the local and regional levels within
our political system. This is a
good arena to take a stand and make your voice heard.
As
an example of how a Christian Warrior may apply the Word in daily affairs, I
would like to share with you a story shared with me by a brother Warrior in
Christ, Barry Smyth. Barry has had
to confront “Evil in High Places” many times.
This is one of many stories which I can relate which shows how “the
system” often retaliates against the private citizen, and how one Christian
Warrior has found a way to combat it.
With
the permission of Barry Smythe, a detailed letter is enclosed documenting how he
derived protection with the use of scriptures while at the hand of unjust
jailers. . ..
I
can relate with Barry and I tell you this.
I have seen the injustice of our system firsthand.
I am a law abiding and God-fearing man.
I know how the forces of evil will marshal against a child of God.
It was not until I started to take a stand for my God given rights,
rights that are supposed to be recognized and respected in America, that I
became intimately aware of how far this country has departed from adhering to
the principles of God. I have been
arrested more than once for professing my Christian beliefs.
In none of these incidents were other people or property involved.
On more than one occasion, the “authorities” went beyond their legal
authority to harass and make an example of me.
I sympathize with Barry and all others “made object lessons of” by
our “legal” and corrupt system.
Several
experiences of my own are related in which spiritual forces were evidently at
work. An autobiographical insert makes up the Epilogue, in which I present
the many incidents in my life directly aligned by the hand of God. . ..
Remember
that you are not a puppet in the hands of God.
He will not force you to act against your will, nor will he take your
free will from you. His desire is
that you be a willing suppliant. Put
God’s will first, and be prepared for the amazing to occur.
Once you begin to experience the Holy Spirit taking part in your life in
this way, you will better understand this little poem:
I
asked for Strength . . .
And
God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I
asked for Wisdom . . .
And
God gave me Problems to solve.
I
asked for Prosperity . . .
And
God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I
asked for Courage . . .
And
God gave me Danger to overcome.
I
asked for Love . . .
And
God gave me Troubled people to help.
I
asked for Favors . . .
And
God gave me Opportunities.
I
received nothing I wanted
I
received everything I needed
(author
unknown)
When
we listen to the voice of God within us, and are obedient, many times surprising
results will immediately come to our attention.
. .. what follows is a striking story of how God may use us in the most
unexpected ways. . ..
Do
all the good you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all
the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you ever can.
You
see, we can never be sure whose life we may affect with our concern and care.
Prayerfully petitioning God for guidance and discerning His will is a
sure fire way to live the ordinary life in an unordinary way.
I could have filled this book with stories relevant to every piece of the
Armor of God, as well as lessons I have learned about the character development
of the Warrior within. What is more
profound and certainly more personal is for you to open your life to the
instruction of God, and have your own experiences in developing your Warrior
character, and polishing and proofing your own Armor of God.
I hope you make the decision to join the ranks of the Lord, for surely we
are in the 12th Hour.
To
this end, I hope God had a message for you in this book, and I pray for your
revelation, growth, empowerment, and protection in the Masters hand.
I
entreat and invite any reading this material online to contact me with questions
you may have, and better yet. . . order the entire text! The electronic
version is a downloadable PDF file with all pictures in vivid color, and costs
about $6. What a deal!
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