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January 25, 2007
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Reuven
and Mary Lou Doron: "The Weapons of Our Warfare--Repentance, Forgiveness,
and Worship"
 THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
"For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and
rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.' But you were
not willing..." Isaiah 30:15
As was the case with Israel's historic struggles with the Lord God, so it is
today. The determining issues in Israel's survival and endurance are neither her
external enemies nor her military capabilities to confront them. Rather it is
Israel's standing with God that is the primary principle in her past and present
battles. And not only for Israel, but the same principles hold true and form the
foundational reality of everybody's walk with God, and how we interact with
life's challenges and opportunities.
In the Messiah, we were born again into spiritual conflict with the forces of
darkness and into a daily walk in a hostile world. However, we were not left
without means of endurance and victory, and the Bible teaches us about the
weapons our Father appointed for us during this age of warfare and grace. From
the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) to the shield of faith, the
helmet of our salvation and more, the Scriptures instruct us how to defend
ourselves and take the offensive against the enemy. Every Christian ought to be
familiar with these weapons and accustomed to using them, for this is our life
in this world.
Of those weapons, three are with us every moment of every day. And while some
may be called upon at times to directly confront spiritual powers in the Lord's
Name, all of us face the many faceted reality of evil and its ensuing conflicts.
Repentance, forgiveness, and worship/proclamation are the three weapons of our warfare that can most consistently and
reliably keep our feet on the Rock.
REPENTANCE
 "Repent,
and be free to rise as an eagle and soar with the Spirit of the Lord."
Of the great spiritual principles which the Lord introduced into our troubled
world, REPENTANCE is second only to Faith. In almost all of His public messages,
the Lord Jesus made reference to the centrality and power of repentance, and His
entire ministry was introduced by John the Forerunner declaring to Israel,
"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Matthew
3:2
To REPENT means "to RETURN" in the original Hebrew. Returning back to what is
right; to what we, as a human family, used to know to be true. By saying REPENT,
the Lord not only commands us to comply with His plan for our lives, He actually
EMPOWERS us to choose change. Change is possible. Changing our course is
possible. But like an ocean liner in the depth of the sea, turning a huge vessel
takes time, consistent pressure of the rudder, and forward motion.
Repentance is a weapon. If used correctly and often, it cancels out most of the
devil's pressure points. According to Scripture, satan works exclusively through
deception and condemnation. First, he sows deception in our minds, leading a
person, a community, or a nation off the path of truth. After the lie has been
lodged, believed, and practiced, the enemy comes back with a heavy yoke of
condemnation, distancing us from our Heavenly Father through guilt, shame, and
fear. Deception and condemnation therefore work in tandem, producing endless
cycles of death. The only way to break the cycle is through repentance and
confession.
Repent, and get the devil off your back. Repent, and stop the flood of
accusations coming against you. Repent, and liberate your spirit from the heavy
shackles of shame and remorse. Repent, and be free to rise as an eagle and soar
with the Spirit of the Lord. You have been commanded and empowered to repent. It
can be done!
In this life, we recognize that change is gradual. Transformation and
glorification are the final goals of a life-long process. Repentance, however,
is a daily miracle we can all choose while on this glorious journey back home.
Why not start today?
FORGIVENESS
"Forgiveness...causes a
mighty blow against the forces of evil that seek to bind and imprison souls."
Of all the commandments of the Lord, the commandment to forgive has been the
most quoted and more wrestled with than all the rest. While to FORGIVE
demonstrates the very heart and drive of God's intention toward His fallen
children, it is also the most difficult virtue to fulfill on a consistent basis.
Why is that? Why is the greatest commandment the hardest to perform? The reasons
are numerous, and we will address only the most basic of them.
First, we need to realize that our fallen nature is incapable of forgiveness.
The FLESH, that corruptible humanity we all partake of, is instinctively more
prone to harden its heart and seek vengeance than to forgive and release an
offense. Recognizing, crucifying, and denying that fallen nature in us can be
difficult and often requires struggle. In other words, forgiveness is not always
easy.
Secondly, many who confuse forgiveness with trust, hold back forgiving an
offender because they cannot trust them yet. Having been falsely taught, many
believe that forgiveness means that the offending party must be readily accepted
into your circle of trust and treated as a safe friend. The fact is that nothing
can be further from the truth! Jesus Himself, the King of Forgiveness,
"on His
part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men..." John 2:24
Apparently, in the beautiful heart of the Son of God, forgiveness and distrust
existed side-by-side without conflict. While He poured out His life in love's
greatest expression to obtain forgiveness for all of us, He was also very
realistic about the unreliable nature of His fallen brethren and knew how to
draw boundaries. Forgiveness does not constitute automatic trust.
The same is true for us. To forgive means to release from debt; to give up the
rights of vengeance and retribution. Paul said, "Never take your own revenge,
beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" Romans 12:19. Yet, while forgiveness releases
the offender from payback, it doesn't procure instant trust or fellowship. Trust
has to be earned, and fellowship cultivated.
Those who haven't been taught the distinction between forgiveness and trust
often struggle with shame and are battered with guilt. Not able to readily trust
or experience deep fellowship with a forgiven offender, they doubt the reality
of their forgiveness and can enter into condemnation by religious spirits and
legalism, which pervert the Word of the Lord. If you have
truly released your offender from your heart and wish them nothing but God's
will, you have no obligation to live under such treatment.
Be at peace then. It is possible to truly forgive without trust. Reconciliation,
like personal transformation, is gradual, and has to grow through authentic and
tested relationships that build layer upon layer. God forgave us completely and
eternally through the sacrifice of His Son. Yet, though reconciled to God in
Christ, we are daily growing in our fellowship with Him, drawing ever closer and
reaching ever deeper into His heart. The Father shares His true treasures and
secrets only with those whom He can trust. Forgiveness is instant and is by
choice; trust is gradual and is supported by mounting evidence.
Having cleared these obstacles, why is forgiveness so important as a weapon of
warfare? First, because it is the greatest testimony of the Lord's nature and
mission to set the captives free, it causes a mighty blow against the forces of evil
that seek to bind and imprison souls. Secondly, due to the intricacy of our
human nature and tendency to emulate whatever we focus on, our only ticket to
true freedom is by releasing those who offend us. As Craig Hill from Ancient
Paths ministry says, "Our soul is like a camera--whatever it focuses on, it
creates an image of." Whose image do you want to have imprinted on your heart?
Only through forgiveness are we able to free our souls from the troubles that
touch our lives. That is the reason why the Lord's first commandment after His
resurrection had to do with forgiveness. In the upper room, on the resurrection
day of First Fruits, Jesus said, "'Peace be with you;
as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He
breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the
sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any,
they have been retained.'" John 20:21-23
For your own sake, let go of the offense and use the weapon of
forgiveness.
WORSHIP and PROCLAMATION
 "The expansion of His
Kingdom is fundamentally determined by words enforced
through an attitude of worship fused with faith, devotion, and passion."
The third weapon of warfare that is common to all of God's children is worship
and
proclamation. One doesn't have to acquire special training or qualifications to
be a worshiper and to declare the truths of God. On the contrary, the gift of
worship and of declaration is so intrinsic and natural to the human spirit, that
the Scripture testifies that, "From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou
hast established strength, because of Thine adversaries, to make the enemy and
the revengeful cease." Psalm 8:2.
Worship has to do with our attitude--the proclamation with our words. The first
Biblical sighting of the word worship, SHACHA in Hebrew, is found in
Genesis 22:5, where Father Abraham says to His servants to,
"Stay here with the donkey, and I
and the lad will go yonder; and we will WORSHIP and return to you." Abraham's worship on that extraordinary day had nothing to do with singing
or with music. It had everything to do with his sacrificial service and full
obedience to God's command through the agonizing offering of His beloved son
Isaac. Worship is the heart of a person--the proclamation are the words.
Together with an attitude of worship, all ancient cultures recognized the
significance of words. By words, covenants were cut, decrees were set in place,
blessings were pronounced, and judgments laid down. The principality of Islam
understands this. It has expanded across vast territories through a consistent
public proclamation of its doctrines as they are announced daily by loud
speakers from minarets all over the world.
Likewise, the gospel of our Messiah was to spread throughout the earth by words.
The psalmist prophesied, saying, "Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim
good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the
nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples" Psalm 96:2-3. Jesus Himself
commanded us to "...go and proclaim everywhere the
Kingdom of God" Luke 9:60.
The expansion of His Kingdom is fundamentally determined by words enforced
through an attitude of worship fused with faith, devotion, and passion.
Whether in our individual lives or in our nation, the right words are essential.
The words that come out of our mouths and proceed out of our hearts create a
spiritual "climate" that affects our lives and our experience on this earth.
There is a reason why Proverbs 18:21 declares with certainty that
"Death and
life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
And Peter exhorts the first century disciples, saying,
"Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking guile." I Peter 3:10
 Your words are declarations of faith that fall like seeds into the soil of
your life and into your sphere of influence.
What you sow will sprout, grow, and
bear multiplied fruit in your life and in the lives that depend on you, for good
or for evil.
Simple proclamations, when based on God's truths and fused with
genuine faith, can turn a life around. During our own times of deep distress and
brokenness, plain statements from faithful friends saying, "You'll be OK; God's
love is far greater than you think," empowered us time and again with strength
and renewed faith to go on.
Let the Word of God strengthen you which says, "I urge you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your SPIRITUAL SERVICE OF WORSHIP. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect." Romans 12:1-2
By faith and obedience, choose this day to wield these weapons of our warfare--Repentance, Forgiveness, Worship/Proclamation. Let them be your companions
and your constant support as you journey on.
In His grace,
Reuven and Mary Lou Doron
One New Man Call
Email: OneNewManMail@aol.com
"The daily prophetic words that are sent to our 130,000+ subscribers are made possible by the purchase of products like those featured in this email. You may purchase them directly from this email, or visit our online store at http://www.elijahshopper.com."
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NEWSLETTER
