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As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

The Honing Stone is a place of reflections and devotionals to sharpen our spiritual swords.

Are you willing to fight for your vision?

Subtitle: Warriors of God... Wimps Need Not Apply!

Matthew 11:12 NIV
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.--ASV

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

Following God’s will and vision for your life is to be building into his Kingdom. You are taking your God-given natural talents to do your part to advance the Kingdom of God. This excites many Christians, but the enemy uses this to wear down, choke out, frustrate, and kill off many Christians. In order to build God’s Kingdom, we have to do it on enemy ground. This means that we must go in and conquer the land first and then God’s Kingdom is established there. Our enemy is unwilling to give up anything without a fight. They will not surrender one little inch of ground without a major full blown fight to the finish. 

I truly believe most Christians live with an unrealistic vision of Christian life and do not want to face these important truths. First, the enemy’s main goal is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). This means even the already established Kingdom of God will be attacked, looted and destroyed if we are not careful. Second, if the Kingdom of God is going to advance, the Kingdom cannot advance by passive, undedicated, limp-wristed, wimpy bunch of individuals. It must be defended by and advanced by strong, highly dedicated, willing, steadfast, opportunity seeking, demon thumping, bible reading, spirit praying, committed, warriors of the most high God! 

Look at our examples. John the Baptist ate locust and honey. He walked around in cheap clothing. He lived a life dedicated to Christ and God. He was humble, not thinking he was too great. He was resisted by the Pharisees and the leaders of the church. He was hated by the King and beheaded for speaking the truth.  Paul had to be blinded in order for him to see the truth. He was shipwrecked twice. He was beaten and whipped. They imprisoned him multiple times. He was hated by his former peers the Pharisees and they tried to kill him many times. He travelled all over, but did not have any wealth to live on. In the last part of life he suffered house arrest and death just to get a chance to witness to the emperor. In fact, most all of Jesus’ original twelve disciples suffered and died for their vision which was to spread the gospel of Christ. They, too, were imprisoned, crucified, burned to death, stoned, crucified upside down and beheaded in order to fulfill their purpose.

One thing they all had in common, they all knew the risks and the costs. They all chose to pursue God’s Kingdom instead of their own interests. Jesus himself foretold the risks and costs.

Matthew 5:11 – 12
“Blessed (highly favored) are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This is the way things have been and this is the way things shall be until this earth ends. The struggle began in the Garden of Eden and it continues unto this very day. We are foolish if we think this has changed in anyway. If we want to see the Kingdom of God advance, we should be doing everything we can to prepare ourselves for the battle. 

Instead, most people have the mentality that they do not need to train or prepare. They believe that when their appointed confrontation with the enemy occurs, God will step in and victoriously defeat the enemy. They foolishly think they have no responsibility or part in the battle and they will not suffer any loss or bear any scars. The truth is God is searching for those who will stand for Him. He looks for a willing heart that isn’t afraid to speak the truth or resist the evil of this world. He infuses them with supernatural wisdom and strength. This wisdom and strength comes after a person is willing to obey God and get into the fight. Look at any notable bible character, David, Job, Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, Gideon, Moses and Joshua. God battled giants, armies, false witnesses, kings, queens, disbelief, false teaching and oppression through them. They all had a part to play. They all risked it all. They all suffered and fought for their God given vision and purpose.

Hebrews 10: 35 – 36
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Galatians 6: 8 – 9
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

If I could sum up the message in these verses, it would be this. Don’t quit! Don’t give up! Don’t surrender! Keep on pushing! Keep on fighting!! Our reward is assured. No matter how tough the battle, it is worth the fight. No matter how high of an obstacle, we can overcome it. No matter how big the army, we can defeat it if we don’t quit fighting for our vision. God will make the impossible possible. Our faith releases His power especially when all of our senses tell us everything is lost.

Luke 14: 27 – 33
 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. 

The questions you have to ask yourself are: What am I willing to give up to follow God’s vision for me? What am I willing to do to fulfill my purpose? What price am I willing to pay?  The answer is anything and everything. Count the cost first. Consider wisely before you commit. If it is then worth it to you, pursue God with everything you have.

Serving the King,

Scott “Brickhouse” Brown 

Original published date: January 29, 2012

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