Worship and Warfare
Hi Friends,
Today I have two visions to share with you, one of which reminded me of the old western television shows that we watched many years ago. The themes were reoccurring: the cowboys against the Indians over a misunderstanding that usually ends in making peace; the cowboys in white hats defeat the bad guys in black hats; and the cowboys rescuing an innocent man who is falsely accused, with the bad guy getting his just punishment. As children we would replay these themes with our toy guns, and our cowboy hats or our raccoon hats like those of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
Every episode was a fight against an enemy or sometimes against the elements of nature. But of course today our enemies are not people but —
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
The Visions
The Cowgirls
In this first vision I saw a cowgirl dressed in a cowboy hat, white shirt, bolero and chaps. The chaps were made of cowhide with white and black fur. The cowboy hat and bolero were tan colored. She walked, with a gun in one hand and a rope lasso in the other. Then turning to face the other cowgirls, she addressed them, shouting, “Come on girls, we got ‘em!” She waved her hands motioning to them to come quickly.
The young woman in the vision, I recognized as a worship dance leader, at a church I recently attended. I knew that this vision concerned the discovery that I had made years ago about the connection between worship and spiritual warfare. The discovery came in the form of an open vision that I received in the past, after three-hours of worship during a time of revival.
That night the presence of God was very powerful. In the vision, I saw the supernatural superimposed upon the physical setting of the room. I saw many angels on white horses leading away demons on foot, and in chains. A long line of these angels, horses and demons walked away from me, far into the distance and then made a left turn, continuing to walk out of sight. I realized that it was our spirit-filled worship over an extended period of time that caused these demons to be captured and taken away.
The Lord was giving me an insight into what was going on in the heavenly realms as we were worshiping. When we exalt the name of the Lord, he is honored, we are taken higher in the spirit and battles are won in the heavenlies. That night, the Lord dispatched his angels to bind in chains and lead away these demonic entities. In the distance they turned left, which I believe means to take them to a place of restraint. Our worship not only brought praise, honor and glory to God, but it was effective warfare.
Jesus told his disciples about the keys to the kingdom of God and how it works saying:
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18.
I believe that the Lord has given these visions of the angels and demons, and the cowgirls, who represent the church, to understand that worship is warfare. The leading cowgirl, in the chaps, shouted to the others, “Come on, we got ‘em!” The Lord wants us to know that it is worship— true worship, that invites the presence of God, his Holy Spirit, to come and to receive our praise and adoration. The cowgirl in the vision, was calling to the others to come for the demons were being rounded up and bound. This happens when we are truly engaged in worship and in prayer. Everything fades and we find ourselves in the Lord’s presence. When demons are bound and angels are loosed, we see the kingdom of God. Jesus stated:
“But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:20
For me worshiping in the Spirit means to release myself of everything else, focus on the Lord, and allow the Spirit to sing in tongues through me. With shouts of praise, and dancing and singing in the Spirit, we truly enter into a place of high praise, where things happen in the Spirit: chains are broken, demons manifest, and people are set free. Sickness leaves, and miracles of healing take place.
From the very moment that I began speaking in tongues, thirty years ago, I worshiped in tongues to praise the Lord. I still do today, because I immediately feel the presence of God. He is so awesome, so wonderful! I truly live to be with him. It is God’s desire for all believers to worship him in Spirit and in truth.
Jesus said to the woman at the well:
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. John 4:23
Paul speaks of the freedom that comes in worship by the Spirit of God:
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Because God inhabits the praises of his people, his presence in worship brings healing and freedom. Miracles, signs and wonders happen in these special moments. But, for us to have the power and anointing needed to cast out demons and work miracles, we have to yield to the authority of God and surrender our wills to his. Obedience and faith are also requirements for the power of God to be present for these miracles. And we should keep in mind that it is not by our power or our strength, but it is by the Spirit of God that supernatural miracles are made manifest. We are simply an instrument in the Lord’s hands. We are to align ourselves with his will, and be in step and in tune with his Spirit.
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6
Jesus was constantly teaching and revealing truth to his disciples. Today we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s very words written in the Bible which open our eyes and give us understanding. This next scripture is very important, for it is a truth that the Lord reveals to us, so that we can appreciate and accept it as his direction for us:
Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5
The fruit that Jesus speaks of in this passage is called the fruit of the Spirit because it develops in the believer as he surrenders his will to the Lord, and follows the leading of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
To bear spiritual fruit we must abide, in Christ, for we take on his character as we are in him and he is in us. When we remain in him, we become like him. We are then able to bring him honor and glory as the Spirit directs. We enter into a place of unity and peace with God when we submit to his authority, and obey his commands. But better still it is when we not only abide in God, but we abide in peace with each other.
I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me. John 17:22-23
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
The Lord is looking to have a truly close relationship with us, and that we also live in unity with one another.
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17
In the vision the cowgirl had a gun and a rope. Her hands were up in the air, reminding me of Moses, and Aaron during the fight against the Amalekites:
Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword. Exodus 17: 10-13
Moses raised his arms, reaching out to God for the victory. He raised his hands in surrender to God’s perfect will. And he raised his hands to worship God and acknowledge his power, and the glory and honor due his name!
When we worship we raise our hands in surrender to God, reaching out to him we give him our love, our devotion and all the praise and honor. We shout for he gives us the victory. We serve an awesome God!
Let us put down our complacency, and our pride, and the fear of man, and enter his courts with praise. Let us give him shouts of praise and exalt his name on high, for He deserves all our love and devotion!
The Satin Stitches
In the next vision I saw a row of tightly packed zigzag stitches made with a sewing machine. Stitches like these are used in embroidery or to reinforce a seam where there might be extra wear and tear. As a group of densely packed stitches, they are called satin stitches, for they reflect light as a satin fabric does. In the vision, I watched as the stitches were coming undone entirely by themselves.
Because I have sewn since I was a small child, I am well versed in sewing techniques and of course familiar with mistakes as well. When something needs to be altered, or is sewn improperly, which will happen from time to time, there will be stitches that need to be removed. This can be a laborious task. No fun!
In the vision, the stitches were coming undone by themselves. I believe that the Lord is showing us his grace, by undoing what we cannot undo. When we make mistakes of various kinds, wishing that we had not said something or done something, we cannot always change things or undo things to make it right. Most often, we simply have to bear the consequences of our behavior. But there are also wonderful moments when our mistakes the Lord uses for his glory. He can turn our sorrows into joy and our mistakes into blessings. We can’t do this on our own. We can apologize if we have hurt someone’s feelings, and we can pay for something that was damaged. But there still may be lasting consequences. This vision shows us that God is willing to show us mercy, forgiveness and restoration.
“The Lord’s kindness leads us to repentance.” Romans 2:4
When we make an error, or do something that shames us or plagues us with guilt or sorrow, we need God’s mercy and forgiveness. I am so thankful that the Lord is more than willing to forgive and forget!
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 103: 12-13
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster. Joel 2:13
This is God’s character: he is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion! He gives us grace and shows such great patience towards us. We do not deserve his mercy, but he gives us grace upon grace! We serve an awesome God!
The Lord wants us to turn to him when we sin, and not hide-out like Adam and Eve did in the garden. They were ashamed because they knew that their disobedience was truly rebellion against the Lord’s authority. He had given them every plant to eat and there was nothing they lacked, but with the temptation of the serpent, Eve was enticed to listen to his lies rather than listen to God and obey.
We are given free will, and are allowed to choose our own plans. But there will come a day of judgment when every thought, word or deed will come to light. The books will be opened, and if our names are not written in the Book of Life, we will be found guilty and will suffer eternal death. But, if on the other hand, we have given ourselves to the Lord, acknowledged his death on the cross that purchased our salvation, we will be hidden in Christ. When the Lord judges, he will see only his Son Jesus, and his precious blood, and we will be forgiven of all our sins. We will have eternal life with God in heaven. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for his mercy, his goodness and his faithfulness!
A Song of Worship: Thank You Jesus
A Prayer for Salvation
Dear Jesus,
I come to you today to ask you to forgive me of my sins, and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Jesus, you are God and King, and I choose to give myself to you and surrender my will to yours. You died on the cross, taking the punishment that I deserve upon yourself. You have paid my debt of sin, with your blood, a debt that I could not pay. Your blood has purchased my salvation and has reconciled me to the Father. Please write my name in the Book of Life and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I understand that when I submit to your Lordship and give you my life, I am born again. I am born of the Spirit of God. I understand that when I die, I will go to heaven and spend eternity with you. I give myself to you now, so that I am yours and you are mine. Help me to be led by your Spirit and cause me to grow in the love and power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus I will always remember this day! Amen!
God bless you. And may He keep you under the shelter of his wing! Please share this post with others! Thank you for reading!
