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The Lord Whose Sword Is Drawn
By Francis
Frangipane
There is something about the time just prior to a move of God that causes many to wonder if the Lord is for them or against them.
He
seems confrontational -- too intense, too "different" from the
gentle, patient Shepherd we have learned to trust.
Yet
to lead His people into the future, we need not only be "saved;" we
need to be trained for spiritual warfare.
Perhaps
you have been through a time when the tip of Christ's sword seemed aimed
straight at your heart.
Let
me reassure you: God is for you.
In
fact, it is His expressed purpose to release this same "sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17),
through your words and prayers.
But
before the Lord's sword will come through your mouth, it must first pass
through your heart.
Do
not withdraw or be terrified at this new unveiling of the Son of God, for He
is, in fact, fitting us for battle.
By
the time we are fully trained, we will be fearless warriors in His army.
Yet
we must be realistic about our current state: many of us have been pampered and
undisciplined.
We
have not understood the day of warfare that looms before us. Nor are we
prepared for the final raging of Satan as his time shortens (Revelation
12:12).
Isaiah
tells us,
"The
Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against
His enemies" (Isaiah 42:13).
We
have known the Lord as our Savior and our Shepherd.
These
revelations of our beloved Master are no less true because a new aspect of His
nature is revealed.
It is
simply that this new dimension is so startlingly different from how we have
known Him.
Be of
good cheer.
This
frightening Warrior King, with His sword drawn, with the shout of war upon His
lips, is the same blessed Savior who died on the cross for our sins.
Yet we
cannot soften the shock of this great unveiling of Christ.
Our
immediate dismay shall be in no way less dramatic than that which was revealed
to Joshua on the plains of Jericho.
Our
concepts will be shaken and fears confronted.
"Now
it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and
looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his
hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or for our
adversaries?'" (Joshua 5:13).
Joshua
already knew the Lord in the wilderness tabernacle. But here standing before
him was a new revelation of the Son of God.
Now
He appeared as Captain of the Host to lead His people into war.
Ultimately,
these refugees from Egypt and their wilderness children would defeat many
nations stronger and more numerous than themselves (Deutetonomy
9:1).
They
would do the impossible through the power of the Lord.
Though
initially Joshua was taken aback, both Joshua and the people with him were more
prepared for this battle than they realized.
Their
time in the wilderness had conditioned them for war!
Likewise,
the wilderness for you has not been a time of punishment but a season of
preparation and of learning obedience.
You
have learned from the struggles.
Today
you walk in the fear of God and are not blinded by the sin of presumption.
Before
Jesus returns, those who have passed the wilderness tests will receive another
revelation: Christ will be revealed to them as Captain of the Host.
We
will be ready to follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
"And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, ‘What
has my lord to say to his servant?' The captain of the Lord's host said to
Joshua, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are
standing is holy.' And Joshua did so" (Joshua
5:14–15).
This
new unveiling of the Lord is holy.
Just
as the Lord brought down atheistic communism in the former Soviet Union, so we
will see additional hundreds of millions find salvation in the Son of God.
Nations
are being touched and prepared. Let us not gainsay nor criticize what we may
not fully understand.
God
will shake everything that can be shaken, even while we receive His kingdom
that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12: 27-28).
The
promise of the Lord, which we read earlier, is that He "will go forth
like a warrior. . . He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His
enemies" (Isaiah 42:13).
Within
the ranks of the advancing church, Jesus is raising a war cry. Can you hear His
shout?
A new
authority is being raised up.
Yes,
they will be tested, but leaders will arise with the voice of prophetic prayer.
Christ
Himself will prevail against His enemies. Indeed, the gates of hell shall not
stand against the church Jesus is building (Matthew 16:18).
Adapted
from Francis Frangipane's book, The Three Battlegrounds, available
at www.arrowbookstore.com.
Francis Frangipane is the founder of River of Life
Ministries in Cedar Rapids IA and has traveled throughout the world ministering
to thousands of pastors and intercessors from many backgrounds. Francis'
heartfelt prayer is to see established in every city, Christlike pastors and
intercessors, united before God, revealing the love of Christ to their
communities.
Over the past decades, Francis has served on a number of
other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has gradually resigned from
these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also retired from his position as
senior pastor of River of Life Ministries. In this more simplified life,
Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God's word.
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