"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" - Ephesians 6:16 (NIV)
In the olden days warriors were much prized for their relentless fighting spirit especially during dark battles of conquest for land and everything. Through the Old Testament we see the Israelis in constant warfare with their neighbors, which is how most societies lived back then.
But warriors did not end with the passing of the hunter days. After the passing of the great American boxer, Marvin Marvellous Hagler, commentators refereed to him as a boxing warrior, along with legends: Sugar Ray Leonard, John Mugabi, Tim Hearns, Roberto Duran and others. These were champions who once they entered the ring would leave nothing in the locker room. They would take blow after blow but still fight on to victory.
There are many warriors in the Christian faith too. All the 12 Apostles were warriors because of what they would endure as they took the Gospel to the "utter most ends of earth". The Apostle Paul was a warrior as he was thrown at almost anything there was- shipwrecks, flogging, false accusations, desertions, and loneliness. And still he would fight on.
The early church was full of faith warriors. When the Apostle Peter was arrested it prayed till the angel of the Lord came and released him from prison (Acts 12:1-19). Likewise, God is calling us to be warriors of faith even today. If a warrior is faced with a huge mountain, as the early church was, he does not just give in and leisurely walk away, fearing to do battle. His attitude is of Ephesians 6:13: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand"!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I rise as a warrior of faith, ready to take on any battle of the enemy, for you give me strength; and I know with you fighting on my side, there is only victory awaiting, this I pray in Jesus's name.
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24/04/2024 - 25/04/2024 All day“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4)
Premier Joseph and King David have a particular common characteristics: two individuals who were blessed with success, in their work. When Joseph was taken into the household of Potiphar, “The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered...When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant” ( Gen 39:2-4).
Even when he was imprisoned later, on false accusations, “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there” (vv 21-22). Later in his life he is made second in command of Egypt by Pharaoh. “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:40).
For David, after he disposed off Goliath, “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army” (1 Samuel 18:5). His success on the battle field would soon cause trouble for him when the troops started singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (vv 7).
In spite of Saul’s anger at the comparison and even trying to kill him, for David “in everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns” (vv 14-16). Eventually, the throne would pass on to David.
Success in life is one of the blessings the Lord has marked out for believers. These individuals were successful because the Lord was with them. The only one who does not wish to see success of us, is the enemy Satan, who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). May we pray that our lives are characterized with the anointing of success, because the Lord is with us!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that I bask in your success, in all that I do, because as was with your servants Joseph, David, Daniel and others, you are with me, and this I pray in Jesus’ name.
