Worship

“Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” by UPPERROOM

Scripture

“Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.

And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.” -2 Kings 6:8-18, ESV

Our Victory in Christ

We live and fight from a place of victory! It’s our rightful inheritance and our identity as victors and overcomers because of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. We pray from a place of victory. We minister to the lost from a place of victory! We move in authority and power because our Victorious One says so! If God is for us, who can be against us? It’s time to reposition ourselves on this battlefield and see the army that fights for you is greater than what we even know! He will be your Deliverer and the One who awakens you to walk in your authority with fresh vision.

When we were in Austin, Texas, in 2020, it was so evident to me that the church had retreated in that city, giving the enemy more and more ground. I happened to be in this park with my teammate, praying for people. First we encountered a man who became aggressively angry and stormed off, cussing at us. Then we talked to a couple who seemed to engage with us and even prayed to receive Christ. As we walked away we could hear the incessant, cackling laughter coming from these two. Were we just being mocked? We sat down in the middle of the field and began to pray. About five minutes later, my best friend, Kel, and her family walked up. Their oldest daughter, Olivia, is a “seer,” meaning she can see in the spiritual realm—both demons and angels. As I was talking to Kel, she was surveying the landscape of this very busy park. She interrupted Kel and I and said, “By the type of angels that are fighting here, this battle will be over soon.” Kel implored our team to ask the Lord to send an army of angels ahead of us the next day and that He was going to break open that ground before us. And sure enough, the next day was our most fruitful day! I learned a strategy that day and an imperative call to partner with the Lord when we go into cities to share the gospel!

Learning from Elisha’s Example

“Elisha did not pray that God would change anything in the situation. His only request was that his servant could actually see the reality of the situation. Yet, Elisha also did not try to persuade the servant of the reality of those who are with us. The servant could not have this explained to him nor could he be persuaded into it. He had to see it.” -David Guzik, 2 Kings 6 commentary

There are many who are “seers” in the body of Christ, and it’s such a glorious gift for the equipping of the saints to know how to partner with the angelic realm. My best friend’s daughter, Olivia, is one, and I have learned so much from her in terms of intercession and warfare and strongholds. But until more of us begin to ask the Lord for that ability, we need to stand in faith and conviction that the spiritual realm is more of a reality than what we see in the natural. There’s a massive war going on all around us, and we walk through life entirely unaware. But what if we became more aware? What if we prayed knowing that angels were being put on assignment when we opened our mouths and spoke? What if we began to ask the Lord for eyes to see so we know how to pray and move and minister?

“The wild thing about sight is that God has given to each one of us two sets of eyes. No, I don’t mean two eyeballs. I mean two sets of eyes. Our first set of eyes is the two visible eyes that you and I have to see the world around us. If we are blessed with good vision, we see without trouble the beauty and wonder of all creation. Yet there are other ways to see, and that takes a different set of eyes.” -Jamie Galloway, “Secrets of the Seer”

But what if, like the servant, we only “see” for a moment? This story could indeed carry us! There was an army positioned around the people of God with horses and chariots ready to fight and protect and deliver them. Elijah’s servant was overwhelmed by the opposition he saw around him. But in a moment, God opened his spiritual eyes because of the prayer of Elijah, and everything changed!

“If our eyes were opened, we should see the angel-hosts as an encircling fence of fire; but whether we see them or not, they are certainly there.” -F. B. Meyer

What Elijah had probably already seen and known, God showed to the servant. I don’t know if he saw double or triple the number of horses and chariots that the Syrians had since it doesn’t say here. We just know that they were indeed greater in strength and number. But there was one great differentiator that accompanied the angelic host on those hills, and that was the fire of God!

Understanding the Biblical Account

The word for “fire” in Hebrew is ‘esh, deriving from the notion of flames, supernatural fire, altar-fire, or God’s anger. These spiritual horses and chariots were carrying fire from Heaven into this battle. I have to think that Elijah’s life was just an altar-fire that continually invited the power and the presence of God, regardless of whether he even asked for reinforcements. Elijah and “fire” seem somewhat synonymous in Scripture because where he shows up, the fire shows up! We don’t hear Elijah asking the Lord to release the army hosts of Heaven with fire; he just sees them present, carrying perhaps the altar-fire of Elija’s life of surrender and intimacy.

Elijah was a major prophet who heard from the Lord for the salvation of God’s people from their enemy. He was used mightily to bring deliverance and restoration and revival. He heard from the Lord, he saw into the spiritual realm, and he believed God for insanely miraculous things. But when Jesus stepped on the scene, nothing and no one compared with the Son of God! Then He died and decided the best way to carry forth the gospel to the whole world, set the captive free, release prisoners from prison, heal the sick, and raise the dead was to come and live in us by His Spirit. Surely, a whole army of Christ-followers, indwelled and consumed by the fire power of the Spirit, would do more than ever seen. Right? So why does this not seem to be the case? Have we been blinded to our identity, power, and authority? Are we lulled to sleep by the enemy so that we’ve lost our altar-fire, subduing our authority and confusing our calling? May it not be said of you or I! Lord, have mercy on your Church and awaken us!

“Want to see revival? Preach the Gospel, even if you don’t feel like it. Show up when there is an invitation to the thing you have been praying for. Acts 1:8 says, ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.’ Let’s stop posting on social media about God’s power with fancy typography and let’s start preaching with power! There are so many talkers; we need some practitioners. If you feel stuck, find some people who are on fire! We need you! America needs you! Jesus has given all that you need! Can you imagine what God has in store for our collective yes?! I don’t think we have the capability to think on this scale—He wants nations!” -Jessi Green, “Wildfires”

Standing Firm in Faith

Sisters, we stand an epic battlefield in history, and I pray that you would begin to ask the Lord for your spiritual eyes to be opened and to see who is with you! May He open your mouth to pray and put angels on assignment. May your life burn with an altar-fire that sets nations ablaze with the glory of God!

For those of you in a battle for your very life, I declare Psalm 27:1-3 over you:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” -Psalm 27:1-3, ESV

May you see the deliverance of the Lord on your behalf! Let this battlefield be the place of your victory where your immovable faith is born. May you stand in faith and watch Him move! There are more who are with you than who are against you, and they are coming with chariots of fire! You will see the deliverance of the Lord in the land of the living! Be still, remain in that secret place with Him, and hide in the shelter of the Most High! And when He brings the deliverance, let your testimony break forth!

“To make our weak hearts strong and brave, / Send the fire! / To live a dying world to save, / Send the fire! / O see us on thy altar lay / Our lives, our all, this very day, / To crown the offering now we pray, / Send the fire!” -William Booth, “Send the Fire”

A Few Key Notes

• An Arise short-term mission team will be sharing the gospel in Vancouver, Washington, next month, and we need prayer warriors to intercede for this team over the week. Email me at [email protected] for details on joining the prayer team.
• Date change: The next Arise worship night is August 9. Worship will be led by Jordan Gaudet, Lizzy King, and Julie King. Please RSVP by emailing me at [email protected]. The first 30 people to register are welcome!

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Lewisville, Texas

• Mark your calendars for three things coming soon from Arise:

September 1: a 40-day fast and devotional series

October 1: fall Arise luncheon

October 22-23: Midland Harvest Day

• My new book “Revivalist Arise” will be available August 1 on Amazon. Be prepared to get your copy in preparation for our 40 days together beginning September 1!