Christian Battle Cry!
Php 3:13-14
(13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
(14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
Luk 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Luk 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
Luk 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
Luk 10:41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
Luk 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Spiritual Christians look upon the world not as a playground, but as a battleground. A.w. tower
Fighting is loud and Messy
It is time for the church to regain a battlecry. When you watch a fight, whether it is boxing on TV, or a reality clip of kids on a schoolyard, one thing stands out to me. It is messy. It is noisy. Battle is not a pretty affair! There is only one winner. You have to put yourself out there. You have to have passion for something. I have been in one fight in my life. I was 13 years old, and my best friend was mad at me. Well I found out real quick that she was much more passionate about it than me. They said at the school that never before had so many people testified to the fact that it was a one sided fight. I had no passion. I had no battlecry.
Some people become passionate about the craziest things.
Broncos Football
The deafening noise pulsated from the crowd at Sports Authority Field at Mile High during yesterday’s AFC Championship Game. They won 20 -18, with the noise of the fans sounding like a jet plane was flying 100 ft overhead.
The orange towel-waving, foot-stomping Denver Broncos fans reached a frenzied sonic level that eclipsed 116 decibels at times
I began my Christian walk at an alter when I was 20 years old. But I am ashamed that I have spent so much of my life with no spiritual battlecry. It is very simple to get saved, and begin your journey on the right road. Go to romans.
This is called the Romans Road
1. The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent.
2. The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23, teaches us about the consequences of sin – “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!
The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up where Romans 6:23 left off, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus; death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus’; resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’; death as the payment for our sins.
The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Because of Jesus’; death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins – and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Stay On the Road
Once you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are on the right road! But that was the easy part. I am ashamed to say tonight, I spent the majority of my life riding the shoulders. The smallest thing could have knocked me off.
When I was learning to drive, my daddy told me, never drive on the shoulder. Stay on the road. Because on the shoulder, you pick up nails, you hit old tires, and can even hit a person walking. If you are not on the road, you may kill somebody. Staying on that road that God has called you to walk may be a hard thing. It’s not all bubblegum and milkshakes. Don’t get me wrong. The same faith that saved us will keep us. But there are temptations, and battles, and enemies, trying to knock you off of that road. God wants a soldier He can trust. Its hard when your family doesn’t stand behind you. I was raised by good parents who loved me, but they never were Church going Christians. I caught a ride to church most Sundays with a grandparent or aunt. It was hard. Because I was being taught one thing at church but seeing something totally different at home.
Brother Clendenon in his message Soldier tells of the days when he was in basic training. The main thing they were learning was instant obedience. They were learning to be faithful soldiers. It’s a hard thing to find a faithful soldier anymore.
Does it boggle your mind, that God could have chosen anyone to live at this time and place, but he chose you? He called you to represent Him. We are walking epistles. Walking epistles. How are you reading lately? Your life is a book for people to read. What are they reading? Are you representing the Cross well?
Romans 12:1-2
Rom 12:1-2
(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We must learn to renew our minds daily. How are we renewed? Stay on your knees in prayer. Learn to pray. Spend time around people who pray.
God spoke to me the other day, and said a well watered branch will grow, it will be tender and not break, and it will produce fruit.
John 7:37-38
Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Its time to make jesus a priority. Hes saying come to me and I will give you water. He wants well watered branches producing fruit. When you are well watered, the presence will flow. The spirit will flow. You wont have to pray it up, pray it down, get it out. He is in you waiting to flow to a lost dying wolrd.
Its hard sometimes to make God your priority. To make prayer your priority. I get through with my day sometimes and I just sit at my alter and cry. Cause its hard. But I have made Him my priority. So I don’t get up. I don’t skip today because it has been so hard. I go to my alter and when my pity party is over, I pray. When you silence self, you hear the spirit begin to whisper. When you wait and worship, God comes near. He longs for you.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
There is no replacement for the anointing. There is no substitution for the presence of God. When you get into the presence of God on a daily basis, you will be well watered, you will be fruitful, you will be tender to the spirit. When you make Him the priority, you gain a battlecry.
Dry Stick
I was saved for a long time, but I didn’t have that daily saturation in prayer. I was a dry stick! I was brittle and had very little fruit. I might have made heaven, but I sure wasn’t being a light in this world. But when I had a revelation of who He is, and made Him my all and all, my lord of lords, my king of kings, my savior, my defender, when He is your priority, you get passionate. You get a war cry!
Act 9:1-6
(1) And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
(2) And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
(3) And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
(4) And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
(5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
(6) And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Paul saw Jesus for the first time for who he is. He had a revelation of the son of god. After you get that close, you get passionate.
Do you every get in prayer, and get so close to the presence, that you know that something has changed? You moved a little closer? I kneel in prayer and plead with God, let me hear the whispers of your heart. Paul found that good thing on the road that day.
Php 3:13-14
(13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
(14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Get close enough to Jesus that you can say, like Paul, This one thing I do! The rest don’t matter. One thing is a priority. Jesus. Give me Jesus.
Jesus must be the one thing. Anything you would rather be doing than spending time in prayer, worshiping, you need to look at that. It is possible that is an idol, a spirit sent to knock you off the road. God has a road for us to travel. He has a work for you to do. But if he is not your priority, if you don’t give him time daily in prayer, you need to go back through basic training. I want to be a well watered branch. I want to have a battlecry for my lord.
He could have called 10000 angels to deliver him from that cross. He gave all for you. He chose you over everything. He chose you over life. I know a man tonight. You may say how do you know for sure. He changed me. He saved my life. The spirit of god is in me, and bears witness to every word written in this bible. And tonight he is my lord of lord. My king of kings. My jesus. My jesus.
Why do I say I love my jesus? Because he became personal to me. He became my priority. My one thing.
Now I am running. I cant turn back anymore. Ive wasted too much time. Hes coming back, and I am running to fill the call on my life. I had a revelation of who he is, and I am running. Are you running tonight?