Day 17: Arise, Mighty Ones
Week 3: Identity, Unity & Glory
“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, ‘I am strong!’ Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, Lord!”
God issues a call: "Rouse the warriors." Wake them up. Stir them. Call them into position. Then He says something remarkable: "Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!'" In other words, He calls people who feel weak and tells them to agree with His strength, not their own feelings.
Overcoming Intimidation
In spiritual warfare, one of the enemy’s greatest strategies is intimidation. He tells believers they are too weak, too sinful, too ordinary, or too late. Many believers disqualify themselves before they even join the battle.
Yet Scripture paints a different picture. God uses Davids, Gideons, fishermen, and former persecutors like Paul. He delights to take the weak and make them mighty in Him.
As I was on my holidays and reading books like Armed and Dangerous, it reminded me that the believer who understands their authority in Christ, their position seated with Him, and the power of the blood and the name of Jesus, is a real threat to darkness, even if they feel naturally timid. Strength is not a loud personality. Strength is inner confidence in who Jesus is and who you are in Him.
Repurposing the Ordinary
The command to "beat your plowshares into swords" speaks of re-purposing ordinary things for battle. Your daily life, your job, your parenting, your studies, and your conversations can become weapons in God’s hands.
When you pray at work, you are wielding a sword.
When you share Jesus with a friend, you are advancing.
When you stand against temptation at home, you are in the battle.
A Call to the Family
At ANCC, we need every believer to arise. This is not just for a few "spiritual" people. We are a family of warriors—young and old, men and women. Those who feel strong and those who feel weak. All are called.
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father, I hear Your call to awaken the warriors. I admit that I often feel weak and inadequate, but I choose to agree with Your Word, not my feelings. In Christ, I am strong. You are my strength.
Use my everyday life, my responsibilities, and my relationships as part of Your purposes. Raise up an army in ANCC, a company of mighty ones who know who they are in You and who stand firm in the day of battle. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.