WAR HORSE
Zechariah 10:3”My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the male goats; For the LORD of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah, And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.”
Above is the anchor scripture and theme for the seminar - WAR HORSE!
Extract of my sermons preached at the LEADERSHIP SEMINAR – AIC(Abide in Christ) FIRE CAMP- hosted by us on zoom from May 6-8, 2020 during lockdown period - COVID 19, I give it neatly broken into points and sub- headings so that it would be easy to follow, here we go….
Introduction: While my whole family were on 40 days fasting in February, 2020 for the upcoming events of the year, God’s voice was crystal clear when He gave me the theme and the title of the AIC camp. I spoke on all the three days and 4 other preachers shared the Word too; however, I share my points below.
This is no kinder garden stuff, brace yourself up for power, we have been listening and watching too much of juicy sermons dripping with honey and candy that we have forgotten to train our hands for war; therefore when the enemy approaches, you stumble and fall at the very first instance. Listen up! Life is just not hunky-dory all the times, if somebody told you that, then he is a liar, there are times of intense pressure which is unavoidable and inescapable hence it is wise to expect sudden dangers and be prepared on your knees.
Today there is a dearth for good mentors and coaches who would daringly lead the people to become strong, independent and confident. We need people like Apostle Paul who said, ‘Imitate me!’ Sadly when I scan few sermons, there is plagiarism among the preachers who cut and paste, no wonder our churches are closed ( I write this during the COVID-19 quarantine period) Rev John Piper said, that he starts preparing for his sermons right from Friday for his Sunday morning message, drafts are made over and over again until he finally gets the complete sermon, such was his hard work. Not many do this though, people want ‘fast food’ sermons , when the shepherds themselves do this, that’s exactly why the Lord said,” My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the male goats..” When the Leader is weak then we cannot expect strong followers. However, the Lord was not going to leave His flock to wander and scatter, He said, “I would visit them myself and make them as majestic war horses.” Wow! Now we are going to find how!
WAR HORSE: I would like to give the characteristics of a war horse, not just ordinary horse but a war horse. Amen. The legs of horses are not heavy but they are sturdy and strong which enables them to be swift and superfast. They don’t run but gallop, the necks are very strong to carry the armored knight as well as the weapons and armor pertaining to the battle. Besides all this the Lord tells us some amazing stuff about horses, read: Job 39:
19 "Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 "Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible.
21 "He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He goes out to meet the weapons.
22 "He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 "The quiver rattles against him, The flashing spear and javelin.
24 "With shaking and rage he races over the ground, And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
25 "As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he scents the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.”
Now listen, God was going to transform His flock who are weak , fearful and timid into WAR HORSES! Boy! That’s something! Watch!
IMPORTANT POINTS:
1) THERE ARE BATTLES IN LIFE
2) WE HAVE TO BE TRAINED
3) WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE & READY
4) PREPARE
5) SKILLED FOR IMPROMPTU ATTACK
6) DETERMINATION
1)THERE ARE BATTLES IN LIFE!
Life is not going to be hunky-dory all the time! There are series of battles that you have to fight on the way, yep series of battles – not one - so we need to get this into our system. If we fail to understand this, then we sure are naïve, stupid and senseless, are you listening? In one of his interviews, Vivian Richards by his own admission said, he would not mind dying while playing cricket. In fact, for him, nothing would have been better than dying on the 22 yards. (April 10, 2020, Indian Express) West Indies legend Viv Richards was an attacking batsman, he said that he would take on fast bowlers of any stature without wearing a helmet. That is careless over confidence; however, we don’t fight like the world nor live like the world, are you listening? Apostle Paul talks about putting on the armor of God in this world: The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Hallelujah!
People who get married also should understand that there are battles and they have to be careful in advance so that they don’t give the enemy a chance to ruin the marriage.
Our weapons are not of flesh:
2 CORINTHIANS 10:3 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
2) WE HAVE TO BE TRAINED:
God trains my hands for battle : 2 Samuel 22:35 "He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
What is the meaning of training? Training is the process of learning the skills that you need for a particular job or activity. I got to go from basics, so that you understand it well, how can your arms bend a bow of bronze? Tell me. Not possible, until you get them trained. Do you understand? Likewise, your hands get strengthened spiritually for war ONLY through prayer and reading His Word. You cannot pray for fourth degree cancer if you had not prayed for headache with faith. Amen.
Weak becomes Warrior!
Romans 5:3 “..we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance..”
Someone said: “ If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger!”
Now, you may think, ‘that’s the end of it, I cannot take it anymore, I’m finished !’ You are not finished until God gives up on you! Are you listening? The more you are stretched, the more you are hard-pressed and the more you are pressurized – the more stronger you emerge! Hallelujah!
I was weak and fragile that I would weep over the smallest thing, it was getting worse after salvation because the devil was playing football over me. One day as I sat sniffing and weeping, the Lord spoke this scripture to me: "If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?” (Jeremiah 12:5) Horses??? In the years that followed God trained me to compete with horses! Did you know you cannot compete with horses without being bruised and hurt! It is part of the package of the learning process! Through many failures, humiliation, sickness, betrayals, agony, and pain, God taught me to be strong!
When a particular young man on whom I had invested lot of prayers and love, who came out of idol worship and accepted Jesus Christ and worked with us in the ministry for some time, walked away from me, I cried the whole night. Subsequently many youngsters left me for the world, it did hurt me badly, it was not easy for me. Slowly, God was taking me to other areas of ministry, within a short period after planting our church, again I faced severe pain when a group of people just vanished and left us. The agony of betrayal now was hampering my work and progress! I would just anxiously worry, ‘now, when would they leave!’ This became a nightmare! Slowly, blow after blow, storm after storm, God had to hammer and chisel me to shape! Suddenly I realized it doesn’t matter if people leave me and none meet your expectations, but God is enough! Hallelujah! It does matter a lot that I am in the center of His will! I could now see that nothing happens without His permission and everything has been orchestrated by Him for the betterment and benefit of me! The weak woman has now become a warrior for God! I’ve become more confident and poised, the devils now cannot shut me from preaching. Hallelujah! No devil can scare me, no forces can come against me, my ministry, my family because I have been trained for war against the devil ! God taught me crisis management! No institution can teach you like God Jehovah! Friend, you cannot hold training classes for making ‘Soldiers-in-Christ’ without being trained for war! Smile! God is in control! Let me repeat, the weak woman has now become a warrior for God! I am not only a mother of two grown up children, but a teacher, preacher, writer, administrator and trainer. God trains you for war!
At present, while going through the crisis, when things are blurred, when the heat is seven times hot, when people are throwing stones at you, when the people you love seem to be distant to you – you cannot figure out God in it! Are you listening? Slowly, fast forward after few years, you will give Him the glory if you patiently wait upon Him! Endure!
Look what David said:2 Samuel 22:
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise; They fell under my feet.
39 For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save, Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.” Wow, this should pump fire into our bones!
War Horses are not born but they are trained! They are trained to be sensitive to slight moments of the rider as well as the noise and chaos associated with battle.
3) WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE / READY
Battles and war happen suddenly for which we have to be ready! You cannot flex your muscles at the last minute. Are you listening? People who said that they will help you, will ditch you at the last minute, so friend, be prepared for the worse to happen. Also keep a standby ready because you never know who the enemy would turn against you. Caution! The person who normally reads the scriptures for me during my sermon, suddenly left the place while I was just getting ready to preach, (You call this last minute ditch) I looked at the back of the person with dropped jaws. I picked up my emotions and started preaching, it was no ordinary meeting but a big one, who cares about you though?? Moreover, God expects you to be nice, sweet, loving and tender to that VERY PERSON who ditched you, such TRAINING COMES ONLY FROM God . Oh! Let me tell you friends, the royal kicks people give you, make you a strong war horse. Hallelujah!
Who else can I quote as an example for being proactive and alert other than Nehemiah who was attacked on all sides, yet he planned strategies to be alert, in the scripture given below, Nehemiah instructed his servants to sleep in Jerusalem and not return home after work so that they would be of help in case of an attack. A Leader should always think ahead! Nehemiah 4:22 “At that time I also said to the people, "Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day."
Did you know the enemy targets to remove help, support, assistance, comfort, compassion and appreciation from you? He leaves you stranded and lost so that at that vulnerable moment , he aims to bring across the worst missile attack on you so that you don’t arise again, is anybody listening to me?
This morning both my workers who take care of very important areas of work at school, told me that their husbands beat them and there was a big fight at home. One month back another good worker left us stating that she got very sick and needs to be operated. It may look normal for you but I can discern the work of the enemy in attacking my workers so that he can sabotage our ministry (so he thinks) but while the cook was leaving I gave her a piece of cake and also few clothes and told her, ‘this is for doing a great job today’, she smiled from ear to ear and went home. The enemy can only try to disrupt the work but he cannot STOP it. Glory to Jesus! Nevertheless, be proactive and prepare for all that might be thrown at you, prepare a check list of all that you may need so that you don’t mess up. Recently when we were preparing for a “leadership camp’ for 4 days, I separately maintained a book with the name of camp on it, wrote all that I had to do and also prayed over it. Even the name of my tailor was in it because I didn’t want her to muddle my clothes or delay the delivery time, the name of the food caterer and everybody connected were in my book. On the first day of the camp, the food caterer came to me with red puffed up eyes and told me, ‘suddenly last night the cook fought with me and walked out’; however, he put a replacement and the food on all the 4 days were excellent(not without chaos though) Things went smoothly because we proactively prayed for the food caterers. None of the neighbors complained because they were in the prayer book too! Glory to Jesus! When we do things carelessly, proudly and rashly then we put the blame on the devil and say ‘oops, the devil messed it up.’ All of us have personal kinks to work out, and we all make mistakes, at least take onus of your mistakes and get on the road of amendment.
4) PREPARE METICULOUSLY:
Ehud: No Judges 3:16” Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak.”
Listen, this is no numbo-jumbo stuff, I am talking to fighters today not lazy couch potatoes….Clumsy people do things awkwardly and gawkily but God selects people who are shrewd, smart and swift for tough jobs.
Ehud was a left hander and he had to kill Eglon the fat king of Moab who tortured the people of Israel for eighteen years. God needed someone who was not only strong physically but also someone proactive, brave and a finisher. Ehud prepared a sword that was two-edged, a cubit in length, kept in the right thigh because he was a left hander. Ehud led the group that brought tribute to Eglon, he chose the appropriate time, gained entry into the palace, and told the king ‘I have a secret message for you’, the king became foolish and sent the servants away and was alone with Ehud the Judge of Israel. Did you see this, you got to have godly wisdom and guts to handle tricky situations, when you don’t have much time to ponder! Ehud knew what to say to divert the enemy’s attention, I guess Ehud did a study on ‘Eglon’ and knew his weak areas; before you launch out on any mission, study the project well, identify the weak and strong points and plan accordingly. Before we conduct any important camps, we gather as leaders and pray for the city and God’s will regarding the meeting. Coming back to the subject, Eglon sent the servants away and that left him alone with Ehud, who pulled out his sword with his left hand and killed the enemy in ‘one go’.
Now that the work was over, Ehud shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them, so that he has enough time to run away before the alarm goes out. After this was done, he did not go home to rest and watch TV, he goes to the city blows the trumpet and becomes the leader. Ehud was a finisher! Wow! Way to go! Kudos Ehud! You know what, I found something awesome about Ehud in the following verses of chapter 4:
Record reads: “Moab came to be subdued on that day under Israel’s hand; and the land had no further disturbance for eighty years. Then the sons of Israel again began to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes now that Ehud was dead.”—Judg. 3:30; 4:1. Until Ehud a prayerful man of faith was alive, he did a great job and took care of his people. There is a dearth for people of Ehud caliber though……
5) SKILLED FOR IMPROMPTU ATTACK
Judges 4:21”But Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died.”
I am excited to talk about Jael, a woman who is not talked about much but we have great lessons to learn from her about being skilled and ready for an ‘impromptu attack’, are you listening? She was not part of the ‘planning committee’ that drew the action plan for the battle, she is mentioned as the wife of Heber, that’s it, BUT God trusted her to give the last final BLOW. In cricket when the country needs just 6 runs in one ball to win, the entire country looks at the batsman to do magic, there is an urgency in the situation! The need of the hour are:
Sub-headings:
• Timing & brute strength
• Finesse and accuracy
• SKILL AND TOOLS
• COURAGE:
It's all about timing... brute strength ! Hitting a six is a difficult skill to master, but when a player pulls it off, it can be one of the most exciting moments of a cricket match. The batter hits the ball over the boundary, automatically earning six runs. The crowd erupts in cheers. With practice, you can learn how to hit a six and pull your team to glory.
Finesse and accuracy : Don’t you ever miss the opportunity that God brings your way! Jael walks into the scene that way, when the wicked Sisera with 900 chariots who was persecuting and torturing the people of Israel severely for 20 years walked into her territory, we see a calm Jael do things with finesse and accuracy. If she had revealed emotions on her face, Sisera would not have walked into her tent, she was cool, she gave him milk instead of water and covered him . I guess she was fuming and planning ways to finish him. Friend, understand here, when the enemy is close by, there is no time to waste, you need to be extremely cautious and swift.
USED HER SKILL AND TOOLS: Jael made use of a skill that she was accustomed to and used the tools that were readily available with her: tent peg and hammer.
COURAGE: You cannot get a sixer in cricket, if you don’t bravely swing the bat to hit the oncoming ball with all the strength you have and also with sharp focus. When the enemy was sleeping, Jael took the tent peg and hammer and drove the tent peg into his temple. That was superb! He was dead.
Why is that people of the world with not even half second prayer survive and beat the odds whereas believers and so called born-again-firebrands flee at the first instance of problem? Tell me. Tennis, cricket or any game for that matter is not for the weak but for the resilient, robust, diehard, unshakable and hard-core people who will not give in easily. If you have watched tennis, the players had already done their hard homework of practice, exercise, counseling, blah and blah then they walk into the court and have to stand several hours of grueling match – back-breaking at times. A few years ago, Novak Djokovic took 10 minutes short of five hours to beat Andy Murray in the semi-final and, after a short break, he sweated another 5 hours and 53 minutes to win the final against Nadal. Phew! We talk about endurance and this is it! Hey Dude, the cup is not for people who dilly-dally or couch-potatoes but for OVERCOMERS! Read:
2 John 1:8”Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.”
6):DETERMINATION:
Luke 13:32 And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.'
Jesus was on His last journey and you see His focus, speed and aggressiveness in fulfilling the job that He was sent for. He clearly had His agenda with Him as He said: I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day (verse 33) You cannot do great things without a clear LIST, you got to be meticulous and determined like your Master Jesus.
Jesus boldly addressed Herod as fox, because Jesus was not going to allow anything or anybody stand in His way of fulfilling His purpose on earth. Are you listening? This was my last sermon during the camp! Jesus showed us how we got to conduct ourselves in the midst of heat and storm and still serve Him. Amen.
Don’t fear the hindrances: Luke 13:31”..some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, "Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You."
Success is not about numbers but success is about you STANDING FIRM despite the tornedoes thrown at you by the devils. The Pharisess were trying to frighten Jesus and stop Him; however, Jesus gives them a befitting reply, ‘go tell that fox.’ Amen. The evil forces make people gang against you, stop your promotion, stop your increment, stop your funds, increase frustration and irritation, bring sickness and weakness; however, in ALL these the challenge is to endure, you want to know WHY? Because”… those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." Called, Chosen and Faithful! Wow! We got to break into a jig for such an awesome statement! God expects you to be faithful! Is anybody listening to me? Missionary William Carey who came to India, had translated the Bible into many languages and he did great work in India; however, his wife lost her mental balance while they were serving in India, but William Carey continued to serve God in the midst of such calamity, this does not give you an excuse to have an affair outside marriage but the challenge is to remain HOLY under all circumstances. Anybody listening?
Revelations 17:14"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
This is no kinder garden stuff, brace yourself up for power, we have been listening and watching too much of juicy sermons dripping with honey and candy that we have forgotten to train our hands for war; therefore when the enemy approaches, you stumble and fall at the very first instance. Listen up! Life is just not hunky-dory all the times, if somebody told you that, then he is a liar, there are times of intense pressure which is unavoidable and inescapable hence it is wise to expect sudden dangers and be prepared on your knees.
EVIL DEVICES OF THE DEVIL: Don’t scoot nor be intimidated by the evil devices of the enemy, counterattack the evil forces by clever and shrewd strategy. If you are walking one hundred percent for God, then be prepared for all the evil to gang up against you, now you need not flee , STAND AND HAVE A HEAD-ON MEETING with all the evil forces, because “who can be against you if the Lord is for you?” The above scripture says, “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them…” Ah, you belong to the Holy Lamb! This does not mean the battle is going to be easy, it will be tough but the toughest get to survive. Is anybody listening to me? The first person to enter our Church after we relocated to a new locality was a tiny, puny, simple looking old lady for our Saturday morning fasting prayer (do not be deceived by the size), she came to me after prayers and gave her prayer request - hold your breath - she said a bunch of devils visit her every night and stay with her the whole night and so she requested me to come to her house and drive the demons away. This was weird. I first requested her about the church that she was attached to and then requested her to attend church regularly; however, after church she would start talking to church members about the ‘bunch of devils who visit her’, not everybody would understand this. I became cautious! One fine day I confronted her and said, ‘get right with God and don’t allow the devils to park themselves inside your home’, she never returned.
BE STEADFAST: Nevertheless, there were continuous attack on our church, people left us in bunches and our neighbors were watching too. Pagan people would confront me outside the church and ask me painful questions as to why we were continuing to run the church despite the church waning and shrinking; we didn’t budge but continued to run the church even when there were NONE – I repeat NONE. One Sunday, I preached to the translator and another Sunday, along with my husband I sat near the pulpit and prayed – the CHURCH remained intact in that area which was saturated with temples and idols. You are called to be steadfast and not superfast!
God says: You are a Mighty War Horse!
God bless you!
