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“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15
And that's how the fight started…


"Neighborhood Watch - Battle Night!"

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I remember several years ago attending church and as I drove up we would watch the drug dealers openly selling their drugs. Our church sat on the corner. So on one side of the corner was God's people (army) and the other side was Satan's (army). At times it seemed there were more attendees to their side than the church. Our Prayer Service was held every Friday night. One Friday night our Pastor announced that God had directed him to take the Prayer Service outside on the corner. We always opened with praise, then prayer, and then a message. So the Battle was on.

And then the fight started…

Each Friday for several weeks, we Praised, they sold, we Prayed, they sold, Pastor Preached, they sold. Then slowly their attendees slacked up. Then with my own eyes I watched Satan began to slowly flee. The drug dealers took their business two blocks away. We praised and I watched them peep from the corner that they fled to. We Prayed, they began to scatter. Pastor Preached and two came back and sat on a porch across the street. We Praised, they sat. We Prayed, three came and sat. Pastor Preached and extended an invitation and two surrendered and accepted the invitation. One joined our army and eventually became a deacon. The corner was reclaimed to the Lord!
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We are in a Battle and have been enlisted to serve in God's army!

Have you ever sung the hymn, “I'm On the Battlefield for my Lord”? If so, was it just a song or is it a song of declaration of your commitment? The declaration says: [I am on the battlefield for my Lord. I'm on the battlefield for my Lord, and I PROMISED Him that I would SERVE Him 'til I die; I'm on the battlefield for my Lord.] Hmmm….

When the walls were rebuilt Nehemiah appointed the residents to act as guards and keep a regular watch, some at their assigned post and some to watch in front of and near their own houses. [The Battle - Part I "The Wall is Down!"]
“…and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem , every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.” Nehemiah 7:3

Neighborhood watch is a good concept in watching out to protect our neighborhoods from the physical approaches of the enemy but what about the spiritual? As with our church the corner was manned with God's army of soldiers. And as in Nehemiah's time there weren't many willing to volunteer.

  “The leaders of the people were living in Jerusalem , the holy city. A tenth of the people from the other towns of Judah and Benjamin were chosen by sacred lots to live there, too, while the rest stayed where they were. And the people commended everyone who volunteered to resettle in Jerusalem .” Nehemiah 11:1-2

The Life Application Bible stated the reason many did not volunteer is because of the stigma associated with being a Jew (Holy Roller, Bible Totter, It don't take all that, Religious Fanatic), the cost of time and money (Overtime pay, missing my favorite program-Scandal etc.), and because of the proximity of living in Jerusalem caused for stricter obedience to God's Word. In other words, you can't stand as a soldier fighting the enemy and joining him at the same time. Hmmm... “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:4

Did not the Lord hear you sing? [I left my friends and kindred bound for the Promised Land, the grace of God upon me, the Bible in my hands. In distant lands I trod, crying sinner come to God; I'm on the battlefield for my Lord.]

As we (the church) stood on that corner, we did not battle Satan [the Enemy] and the physical bodies he occupied, Ephesians 6:12 with carnal weapons. We did not call the police and take up our weapons of guns to kill and remove them off the corner, 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. In this battle when you shoot one man of flesh the demon moves to the next. Instead we followed Christ Battle Plan and fought the battle for their souls. Matthew 11:12 We recognized:

I [WE] was alone and idle, I [WE] was a sinner too. I [WE] heard a voice from heaven say there is work to do. I [WE] took the Master's hand, and I [WE] joined the Christian band; I'm [WE'RE] on the battlefield for my[OUR] Lord.

What was it that caused the Enemy to flee and two of his demons to be cast out, allowing for two souls to surrender to the Lord's army? It was God's weapons of warfare, Prayer, Praise, and the Preaching of the Gospel.

So what about you today? Know also that opposition will come and it may be from a not so obvious person or place. When we stood on the corner it was the Christian neighbors, members of other churches, that complained about “The Noise” we were making for which we all benefited from in the end.

Have you ever done a Prayer Walk? Simply walking your neighborhood and praying, (and you don't have pray out loud). What about jogging and while listening to your iPod sing praises with a purpose to tear down the enemy's walls. Why not pray, ask God what is it that He wants you to do, and receive His direction. He's already working and we do not want to mess up His plan. Joshua 6:1-5 Nor do we want the Enemy to tear you apart by being out there on our own without God's blessings. His direction may be as simple as walking and Praying, jogging and Praising, Preaching (by sharing the gospel) and the Enemy will flee and souls will be saved!

God says, "______________ (insert your name) Where are you today? Are you serving on the post I assigned you to? Remember I chose you, you didn't choose Me."

Remember God heard you sing: [Now when I met my Savior, I met Him with a smile, He healed my wounded spirit, and owned me as Hs child. Around the throne of grace, He appoints my soul a place; I'm on the battlefield for my Lord.]

Today's Prayer

Meditate on this song that is calling the Army of God to rise, [Break Every Chain] by Tasha Cobbs
Mobile devices click here, [Break Every Chain]

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