"Have I not called you for a time such as this?
Have I not led things to such a point as to have you right here?
To be among those who are called by me who are attentive to my move, who are at the ready, vigilant, humbled and trained?
What has overtaken you that you have suddenly forgotten what I have brought you through and where I have taken you from?"
Your thoughts and emotions and the situations you are going through right now seek to bring you down. But what are these? You have been through much more than these and come through victorious by my strength. The small trials you are going through now are NOTHING compared to what I have brought you through in the past. The enemy seeks to make you think they are bigger than they actually are and he seeks to blind you to the reality of how powerful you truly are! You are one called to destroy the enemy's camp and to take back what he has stolen.
I have taken you through the fire and burned what has been holding you back, so don't let these minor emotions and petty life circumstances dictate what your path should be, for I have called you to be more than a conqueror, I have called you to leave a righteous raging path of fire in your wake!
My warriors are scattered all over the land and this is a call for them to reclaim their identity. The enemy has for too long robbed them of what is most powerful - the realization of who they truly are (Sons and Daughters of the Most High) and thus blinded them of the power they possess. He has stolen the knowledge of who they are, of what their true standing is and how favoured they actually are.
Subconsciously you have played along with this and you have sought to gain your lost identity through all manner of methods, but I am shaking these... I am taking away all that is false and all that is illusionary in your life, I am taking away all that gave you your sense of 'self' for this false self only perpetuates the idea that you could exist anywhere but in Me.
Time to stand
It is a time to stand, for when a warrior is not in battle he is in training and when he is not in training he is standing - at the ready. Be vigilant. Be open. Listen for me and look all around for movement for I want you to pre-emptively act, not react. A season of intense training has finished but you must still discipline yourself and remain ready.
When a warrior is in a time of peace he does not lay down and imagine vainglory or dream of past victories, relishing in the good feelings that they bring. He is in anticipation of what is next. His past victories are a preparation for what is to come, the next wave of battle, the next skirmish and to foil the next move of the enemy.
There is currently a calm but that is ever more reason to stay trained - to be at the ready. It is easy to lose spiritual strength when there is peace for there is no need for constant spiritual exercises. But this is where discipline is most important, in realizing you have the time to sharpen your sword, to tighten your bow and to re-leather your shield. Peace is not a time for complacency, it is a time for scouring the horizon for what is to come, and come it will and I want you to be in a place of strength and readiness when it does.
I want you to face the battle with hardened strength and fortitude, almost in excitement as you scream "Bring it on!!" into the face of the enemy, to strike fear into the heart of what has for so long has robbed YOU through fear. What have I not already brought you through that could stop you now? Has all this been for naught? For you to sulk away when the enemy seeks to keep you downtrodden through emotional manipulation and intimidation? You can laugh in the face of battle, and while in that battle you could be knocked to the ground by the heaviest of blows and lay there laughing as you look up at the sky...
It was once said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but I would say that to you that if you have already died... then you are invincible.
Whoever this is read by, reclaim what the enemy has stolen - take back your identity. You a favoured and mightily powerful child of the Most High God and this is the call for you to be vigilant and to stand ready, for if you are I will be choosing YOU for the next move to come.
Tim Everton is a youth worker who has recently made the south of Adelaide his home after a few years of experiencing the sights and sounds of Melbourne. In his off-time he pursues graphic design, art and enjoys the beach and brewing his next best homemade latte both in equal measure.
Tim Everton's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-everton.html