[Please join me in praying for the Church on Sundays this year.]
“We must end the delusional thinking that it takes a majority to change things. It does not. That kind of thinking can demoralize us. We think thoughts like: ‘What can we do? We will never get everyone to work together and do this.’ However, we have to understand that in the Kingdom of God, though we may be smaller in number, the odds are in our favor. In God’s battles, numbers don’t decide victories and they never have. What we need more than numbers are passionate warriors who will not give up the fight.
“Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be with us, in us, and that He would always give us the advantage. Christ uses a remnant of high-impact people with courage and resolve who are anointed by the Holy Spirit to become history-changers. This is the era for the remnant warriors – historymakers – to arise and be who God says we are. We are to do what God says we can do…
“It is consistent throughout scripture that God only needs a remnant. Consider Gideon’s 300 – they faced thousands. Though they were not many, God anointed them to win a battle that restored seven years of lost harvest. There were only 120 at the Upper Room, obediently waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They were not many, but they were enough and turned their whole world upside down. Miracles were prevalent and a great harvest occurred. They defined their moment in history – the church was birthed.
“The remnant God has to work with today is far more than 120. It’s millions! Think of the stand we can make in this new era. We can change a nation, we can change our world. We must never get to a point where we thin God can’t do a particular thing. He sometimes uses only one, as he did when he gave David the ability to kill Goliath and save Israel. Think what he can do through millions. I not only believe he can do something, I believe he will.” – Tim Sheets from a January 2, 2021 GiveHim15 post*
God of the Angel Armies,
Thank you for the ways where you are working, even if we can’t see it. Thank you for the millions of Jesus-followers all over the world who are praying and interceding for your Church and this World. We believe that if you can use the 300 of Gideon or the 120 at Pentecost, you can use us today. We know that you work in mysterious ways and a small seed or stone used for your Kingdom by your “everyday” warriors can have great impact. Protect us from weakness, fear, or discouragement. Give us the courage and strength to move forward in faith, knowing that the battles we fight are not with flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness, and that THAT battle belongs to YOU, our conquering king. Holy Spirit, infuse your remnant with what we need to be strong and courageous, knowing the Lord our God is with us. May miracles, signs, and wonders be seen and may billions come to faith in these last days of the Great Harvest. We ask for your power and presence to be poured out on all people so they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, they dream dreams, see visions, and prophecy, and impact this world with the Good News. We ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.
“David answered, ‘You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me… The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!” (1 Samuel 17:45-47 MSG)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you…” (Acts 2:22 NIV)
“I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.” (Joel 2:28-32 NIV)