Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
8 14 2023
God’s call is to prepare early for a fight.
Last night I got a text from a very old friend’s wife that Bill Sanford had died instantly in a motorcycle accident. He was a Messianic Pastor who was the compiler of
The Messianic Aleph Tav Interlinear Scripture Bible. (You can find it on Amazon)
I still feel his loss but the Lord gave me this word this morning in worship.
“Life and death are in my hands. You must be ready for both what I bring and what comes. Be ready. Build your strength in me early so you may be able to stand late in the battles to come. I will always be with you, but you must prepare yourself for the trials ahead. Don’t walk alone! I am still sending you two by two and two by four, and by churches to pave the way for my peace and love. When you’re prepared in the spirit, the little things, the little skirmishes will be as nothing. They will not even cause a blink from you because you will have grown beyond that pettiness. I have major plans for you, but you must be ready in the spirit to strengthen your faith, growing obedience, and truth. Lock arms with your brothers. You will need each other. Be discerning and vigilant.
The days ahead, are short and turbulent”.
Ps 59:17 says “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely”. I looked up a commentary and they said “God would be his fortress and strength. God is always there for every believer. He is a fortress that has walls thick enough and high enough that no enemy can break through. The only thing God allows through that fortress’s walls is what is best for the believer”.
For all things work together for good… right?
Do you remember Isaiah 59:19 “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. God will always take care of his children to those who are obedient to his will. No matter what happens to us in this life God always wins and we have a closer relationship with him”.
Look closely, God WILL take care of his children... that is a pretty lofty declaration proclaiming our position with Christ himself as an heir to the kingdom. ALWAYS to those who are obedient to his will”. Today he told me to prepare myself for the trials ahead and to not walk alone! He called us out and said to work out early so we could stand late in the fight. He said we must prepare…be diligent…be obedient. He is saying again that this is a spiritual fight but we need to be a part of His army. We will need each other!
I know it is difficult to breathe let alone think when we are in the middle of a crisis. It is during such times that we can really feel our weakness and helplessness. That is why we need that brother or sister there to help point us to his word and his promises.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong”. Here is the man who wrote most of the new testament boasting of his weakness, and that he has come to a place to pleasure in it…In the insults, hardships, and troubles. God works his finest in our weaknesses.
Lean not on your own understanding, I cannot tell you how many times I catch myself walking in my own strength and purposes. I mean well. I think I know what I am doing. but in Matt 4:4 it says, But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
1 John 2:14 says, “I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one?”
I would tell you in these times to double your time in prayer. Double your time in His word. Fill yourself up with His promises and watch your faith grow by the indwelling of His Spirit. Stop trying to live out of your personal bucket of resources, they always run dry.
Ps 138:3 “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength. As you saw above in 2 Cor 12:8. God told Paul no 3 times “My grace is all you need”. SO NOW…I boast about my weaknesses…why? So the power of Christ CAN work through me. For in my weakness…I have found strength in the Lord.
The Blessings of Obedience:
Deuteronomy 11:8. “Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have the strength to go in and take over the land
you are about to enter”.
Obey every command… So you will have the spiritual strength to take the land you are about to enter. He didn’t say there wasn’t going to be a fight. He said to walk by 2’s by 4’s and by the community of churches… To strengthen yourself in the Lord early so you can stand in the late part of the day…the week…the season.
Please pray for my dear friend’s widow Debra Sanford and her children as they enter into a new time without their patriarch Bill.
He is surely with the Lord waiting on all of us.
Casting Crowns – Great Are You Lord (Live)
