Excerpt from Ch. 13: God's Army of Worshipers
The Three Battlegrounds by Francis Frangipane
An in-depth view of the three arenas of spiritual warfare: The mind, the church, and the heavenly places
"One does not have to pentrate deeply into the Revelation of John to discover that both God and the devil are seeking worshipers (see Revelation 7:11, 13:4, 14:7, 11). Time and time again the line is drawn between those who 'worship the beast and his image' and those who worship God.
In the last great battle before Jesus returns, the outcome of every man's life shall be weighed upon a scale of worship: in the midst of warfare and battles to whom will we bow, God or Satan?...We must realize the essence of this battle is the central issue in our warfare today. Will we faithfully worship God during satanic assault and temptation? True worship must emerge now in the context of our daily lives, for no man will worship through the great battles of tomorrow who complains in the mere skirmishes of today.
...Although the events of our lives are irreversible, our reactions to those events can still be changed. As our wrong reactions to the past change, we change. In other words, although we cannot alter the past, we can put our past upon the 'altar' as an act of worship. A worshiping heart truly allows God to restore the soul.
All of us receive a portion of both good and evil in this world. But for life to be good, God, who is the essence of life, must reach into our experiences and redeem us from our negative reactions. The channel through which the Lord extends Himself, even into our past, is our love and worship of Him.
'And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God' (Romans 8:28). The key for the fulfillment of this verse is that we become lovers of God in our spirits. Bad things become good for 'those who love God.' When we are given to loving Him, all that we have passed through in life is washed and redeemed in that love. Bad becomes good by the power of God.
Therefore, it is essential to both the salvation of our souls and our protection in warfare that we be worshipers. The ship which safely carries us through the storms of adversity is worship.
Psalm 83 expresses in praise to God the wonderful effect worship has upon the soul. 'How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca [weeping] they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings' (v. 5-6).
If you are 'ever praising' God (Psalm 84:4), your worship of God will transform the negative assault of the enemy into 'a spring' of sweet refreshing waters. No matter what befalls a worshiper, their 'valley of weeping' always becomes a spring covered 'with blessings.' You cannot successfully engage in warfare, nor pass safely through the wilderness of this life, without first becoming a worshiper of God.
We were created for God's pleasure. We were not created to live for ourselves but for Him. And while the Lord desires that we enjoy His gifts and His people, He would have us know we were created first for His pleasure. In these closing moments of this age, the Lord will have a people whose purpose for living is to please God with their lives. In them, God finds His own reward for creating man. They are His worshipers. They are on earth only to please God, and when He is pleased, they also are pleased.
The Lord takes them farther and through more pain and conflicts than any other men. Outwardly, they often seem "smitten of God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4). Yet to God, they are His beloved. When they are crushed, like the petals of a flower, they exude a worship, the fragrance of which is so beautiful and rare that angels weep in quiet awe at their surrender. They are the Lord's purpose for creation.
One would think that God would protect them, guarding them in such a way that they would not be marred. Instead, they are marred more than others. Indeed, the Lord seems pleased to crush them, putting them to grief. For in the midst of their physical and emotional pain, their loyalty to Christ grows pure and perfect. And in the face of persecutions, their love and worship toward God become all-consuming.
Would that all Christ's servants were so perfectly surrendered. Yet God finds His pleasure in us all. But as the days of the kingdom draw near and the warfare at the end of this age increases, those who have been created solely for hte worship of God will come forth in the power and glory of the Son. With the high praises of God in their mouth, they will execute upon His enemies the judgment written (see Psalm 149). They will lead as generals in the Lord's army of worshipers."
AMEN.
I want to desire and seek God's presence above all other hassles and distractions in our daily lives. As we return to classes and/or work, and as the urgency of being warriors of Christ becomes drowned out by our obligations (religious or secular, doesn't matter), family, friends, enemies, blessings and trials alike, let's retaliate and become increasingly intentional on loving on the One who creates. There is no fruit without deep, real intimacy with Him. NONE.
Our sole purpose is the bring glory to God, through our lives as a fragrant offering of worship. Not NECESSARILY about saving souls, nor about our ministries, nor about our callings and visions.
Life ain't about our boyfriends and girlfriends, nor about our education, nor about our financial success.
Nay, not about how much our life sucks, not about how many people gossip about us, not about what the world says about our identity.
Nooooope, it's not about striving and fighting alone to bear fruit, it's not about being bound by Law. It's not about how righteous or holy we look, and it's not about perfection.
It's about living in the freedom and joy of doing all things for our First Love.
AHHH WOOP WOOP... HERE I COME SPRING SEMESTER, IMMA OWN YOU! In the name of Jesus. LOL. (...Jesus. Help. T_T)
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