YOUR WEDNESDAY MORNING DEVOTION!

THE GOD OF TIMING

PART 13

by Bernie Lutchman

WAR .....(and peace)...!!

A time for war, and a time for peace... Ecclesiastes 3:8b

Peace is not the absence of War! It is my contention that because we are at peace, we can war! What...you say? Well here is the deal. Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) says "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places".

Brothers and sisters, we are in a WAR to the death and if we don't know it, we have lost. It is true that Jesus Christ want the Victory over the grave for us. It is true we can do nothing to earn our way into heaven. It is true that it is only through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ we are saved and brought into adoption as sons and daughters of the King.

But it is also true that while we are alive here on earth, we are into one knockdown, drag-out fight to the end. How we fare in this determines, not our destination (if saved) but the joy in our journey and the volume of our Eternal Reward. If we don't believe there is a battle or ignore the signs, though we may be saved, we have then laid the groundwork for the eventual defeat of our children and grandchildren. 

So how does "Peace" fit in this equation? Just as the Hebrew word for War here actually means "weapons of our warfare"...i.e. for the warrior in us; the Hebrew word for Peace is well known - SHALOM! Except this does not mean phony peace treaties or handshakes with men over land. This Shalom means peace of mind; your wellness; well-being or peace with God!

In light of the True meaning of these words put there by God, the equation boils down to this - ONLY IF YOU HAVE ARE AT PEACE (THE SHALOM OF GOD), WOULD YOU THEN HAVE THE HEALTH AND PRESENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS TO BE THE WARRIOR IN THIS FINAL DAYS WAR WE ARE IN!!!

All of this is contained in this one phrase in Ecclesiastes, believe it or not!

FATHER GOD, IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I CAME TO YOU SEEKING PERFECT PEACE AND REST IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS. FATHER, ABBA, SEND HOLY ANGELS TO WATCH OVER MY FAMILY, FRIENDS AND I AS WE FACE A DAILY ONSLAUGHT FROM AN UNRELENTING ENEMY WHO SEEKS TO KILL, STEAL AND DESTROY THAT VERY PEACE FROM OUR SOULS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY YOU GAVE US TO PREPARE US FOR THIS WAR OF THE AGES, BUT NOT JUST THAT, YOU GAVE US THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE - THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORD OF GOD...THE VERY WORD OF GOD, WHO IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

FATHER GOD, WE LOVE YOU, PRAISE YOU, ADORE YOU, WORSHIP YOU AND GIVE YOU ALL THE GLORY, IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS, AMEN AND AMEN!!!!