" And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."2 Kings 6:15-17

The same is true for believers today. We do not see the invisible military dynamics in the heavenlies above us, as we wage our spiritual war here on earth, and often haven't a clue of just how the Lord is surrounding us with his angelic protection. Brothers & Sisters, if there was ever a time in history to grab hold of this one truth – “do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those against us" -- it is now! DO NOT FEAR!

"And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night."Exodus 14:19-20

“Pillar of cloud”.In English it has been rendered, “pillar of defense”. The term is a direct reference from the Exodus of Israel from Egypt when they were led out of slavery and protected by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.[Exodus 13:21]. The pillar both led (directed and guided) and protected the children of Israel from the Egyptian army…providing both leadership and protection. We believe that through the prayers of the saints, and because of the Lord’s faithfulness to us, that we are being guided and protected and it is under the providential care of our God. We have often reminded our spiritual community of the constant reality of the spiritual war in which we are engaged. And as the earthly conflict here has escalated, we also suspect that many of you are under attacks of various kinds. Just as God watches over Israel, He continues to watch over us now, and His angelic host are still protecting every believer as His Spirit guides us through the barrage we face from our enemies. Those who stand in faith are not afraid. Why should we fear if God is with us; who can be against us? Brothers & Sisters, stand strong and have courage knowing the Lord is watching over and protecting you – but more than that, He wants to lead you to victory over every spiritual battle you have to face today. KNOW YOU ARE LED AND PROTECTED!

"Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten."2Ch 20:17,21-22

Most of us worship God when things are going well. And while worship can and should be a daily joyful exercise, and also an expression of praise for the Lord's victories, remember that worship has also been commissioned by God's people as one of the weapons in our spiritual arsenal. So we can learn something from Jehoshaphat. He assigned worshipers to lead the armies into battle -- and Israel crushed her enemies! Worship brought forth the victory in the midst of battle! Brothers & Sisters, in the midst of your spiritual battle, learn the power of praise and the weaponry of worship, to disarm principalities and powers in heavenly places. When fears, doubt, discouragement, and despair threaten to overwhelm you -- try warring with worship. Learn to praise Him in the midst of the battle...and soon enough you'll be praising Him even more, for the victory! LEARN TO DEPLOY A VICTORIOUS BATTLE STRATEGY!

"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"Psalm 118:6

Truth be told, there aren't too many safe places in this world anymore, are there? However, there is one very safe place we have found, and it's the very safest place there is. You may have heard of it -- it’s called "God's perfect will". We should all be striving to make our home there for the rest of our earthly days. We may be afraid to go to those places or do those things that God may be calling us today. It could be to share you’re your God-given talents in some far away land, and it could be across the street to help a neighbor. Whatever the case may be, it's easy to get wrapped up in other people's fear, anxiety and criticism. But we have a choice. We can either give in to those fears or stand for the Lord and choose what has called us to do. Brothers & Sisters, let's submit all our fears to the Lord today and choose the latter. I want to live in the will of God, don’t you? He will not leave our side when we step forward to do great things for Him! DO YOU HAVE A SAFE PLACE?

"When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. Then he said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. "And the leaders of Succoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?"Judges 8:4-6 ; "And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!"Judges 6:12

"Exhausted but still in pursuit..." Well, now we know why the angel of God addressed Gideon the way he did. With his small three hundred man army he had just decimated the army of Midian -- but the victory wasn’t complete, and so the Jewish general and his small, exhausted, hungry, band were determined to cross the Jordan and take care of 15,000 additional Midanite enemies and their leaders, Zebah and Zalmunna. Once chosen and appointed to his task, Gideon didn't settle for the slaughter of 120,000 Midianites. He might have reasoned that, having driven the remaining enemy force across the Jordan River, a natural barrier, Israel was now safe. After all, he and his men were exhausted and hungry. But this victory was insufficient, especially because the Midianite leaders were still alive. Instead, Gideon continued to press on, refusing to settle until the job was completely done. His refusal to allow serious physical discomfort to compromise his objective is apparently one of the things that qualified Gideon as a "mighty man" of God. No settling into a comfort zone for him. Brothers & Sisters, are you moving toward victory, but exhausted and hungry? Be careful now. Comfort could be your greatest enemy. And your so-called friends may not be standing there to give you a hand, but rather, watching skeptically from the sidelines to see whether or not you'll make it through your "heroic effort". Now is not the time for self-pity, fleshly resentment, or mediocrity. "The comfort zone is for those who are exempt from pain but denied progress; protected from failure but held in the grip of mediocrity." Keep your focus and spiritual passion for victory, and finish the job appointed you -- because God has too much invested to settle for mediocrity! OUTNUMBERED, EXHAUSTED, BUT STILL IN PUSUIT!

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."Daniel 12:3

Brothers & Sisters, perhaps God will place someone in your path today because He wants you to be a light so that his or her life might be turned around! With the greatest harvest fast approaching, each of us is called to the mission field – the one right outside our door! BE A GLIMMER OF HOPE!

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested (Hebrew word len-a-sot, to try) Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."Genesis 22:1 ; "Then Jesus lifted up [His] eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test (Hebrew word, lenasot, to try) him, for He Himself knew what He would do."John 6:5-6 ; "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (nisayon (noun form of lenasot)), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."James 1:2-4

The testing of Abraham's faith was repeated by God throughout the patriarch's entire life. The tests grew greater as his life advanced, and through every one, whether Abraham passed or not, God proved Himself to be his friend over and over again. Every test or "trial" involved a serious challenge or threat in which Abraham had to trust that the LORD knew what He was doing, asking, or requiring, and that His goodness and faithfulness were unquestionably reliable. This type of testing or trying of faith is displayed throughout the Scriptures. In an entirely different setting Jesus asked His disciple Philip a question, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" The purpose of the question was simply to try Philip's faith. James, the Lord's brother, speaks of the "testing of our faith", as well. Though we often think of this testing in negative terms, James exhorts us to "count it all joy", never mind that it's virtually certain there will be little pleasure in the experience of any trial. The fact is that trials function as experiments, and experiences, which serve to prove and improve our faith. In the Hebrew New Testament the word for "trial" is "ni-sa-yon", which also happens to be the word for "experience" and "experiment". So the trials we experience are literally, experiments upon our faith. And while it is clear that God Himself does not tempt us, we also know that He allows our faith to be proven by experience, and experimentally verified. Faith is not based on experience; it is based on revelation from God. But it's genuineness is tested by experience. And it ought to be growing through every trial, producing a deeper comprehension of God's faithfulness. Brothers & Sisters, your faith is being proved to be genuine through testing and trial; experimentally and experientially, just as was the faith of Abraham, Philip, and every true saint of the Lord. For while faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen -- it will be proven in, by, and through the very hard experiences and realities of your life. This is not accidental but very much in the plans and purposes of the Lord. EXPERIENCE IT!