We used to sing a song and likely somewhere someone is still singing it. It says, “God’s got an army marching through the land, deliverance is their song and healings in their hand”. It is a great rousing tune that celebrates the victorious company of people that God is releasing and using in the earth today. It taps into prophetic themes as within the heart of so many lingers a promise of a great host of volunteers who will walk in the fullness of a promise. But who is in this army? And what qualifies us to walk in the ranks of such a people?
I was struck with this and other questions recently while on a trip through the United States. I spent a couple of days at a conference attended by almost 5000 people. The crowd was largely boisterous and clearly hungry for the Word of God. There were tremendous moments of praise and a deep stirring of faith. Prophetic words about coming blessings were met with loud cheers and hearty agreement. When speakers referred to defeating Satan or walking as an ‘overcomer’, there was rejoicing on levels you only see outside of conservative Canada. All in all it was on one level delightful; yet my heart was heavy because I knew that 90 percent of these people were not going to see much of that victory.
These people were sincere, caring and likely wonderful Christians. Unfortunately our readiness for battle does not ride solely on these characteristics. God does have an army for whom defeat will not be an option. But the enthusiastic embrace of the promise is not a guarantee of membership. Mere agreement with the fact that God is going to win is not the key criteria. The reality we face is rather that many are called but few are chosen. Greeting the promise with enthusiasm in an important start but that’s all it is – A Start!
The guarantee of your status is not in your hopes and dreams, it is found in the reality that follows your enlistment. When we watch a recruitment video for the Marines it all looks like a lot of adventure and excitement, but when boot camp rolls around it is an entirely different story. Adventure and challenge are in the future but are predicated upon many other factors. Once the stark reality of training hits, you might feel like you were tricked. This is because there is a huge difference between what you felt when you heard the promise and what you feel in the middle of training.
The promise, as delivered from an anointed vessel, excites and strengthens. But the journey will feel quite different. This is where some begin to opt out of the training. The romantic ideas of battle and victory lead into commitment but when the reality does not match our expectation we go AWOL (Absent Without Leave). In the real military you go to jail if you do not follow through with your commitment. In the Kingdom of God you are set on the shelf. Not a punishment but as a consequence. Simply put, the coach cannot have you run a ten-mile race if you can’t run one mile.
Today this is the situation in many Christian circles. Many have responded to the promise. They have seen the commercials and have eagerly signed up. However, the training did not feel the same as the promise and so they have abandoned the journey. Metaphorically speaking they keep going back to watch the commercial to recapture that good feeling. Going from church to church and conference to conference they live off the initial release of faith that comes from another anointing underscoring the promise. Yet, month passes to month and year to year without meaningful growth or change.
There is a journey that trains our character and deepens our faith and love for God and His people. It is difficult but empowering. God is looking for an army and you can be part of it. The journey is the key component in our preparation. There is no alternative substitute for it! There is no anointing that can replace it. And celebrating those ministries that reiterate the promise will not replace the work that must be done at a root level in our lives. Finally, you cannot buy a place in the army. Tithing is critical and supporting good ministries is essential but neither of these things can take of the place of learning to walk with God’s people. There is an army that is rising in the earth, but like Paul and his disciple Timothy, they learned to endure hardship as good soldiers.
“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Timothy 2:3)
