Battle Line

[1Pet 2:24]

How does the devil attack you? He accuses you. He suggests things to you. He strikes with flaming arrows into your thought life (Eph 6:16). He provokes you through other people’s words and attitudes toward you. The devil uses words of doubt, and tries to twist and turn you from the truth. His lies are subtle enough to make you think they are not harmful. The enemy likes to make you say the wrong things – he knows the power of words.

The enemy wants to keep you out of the will of God by keeping you out of God’s Word. Any of God’s Word in you, he will try to take it away from you before you have a chance to use them. The devil has paralyzed many church people. Religious folks are naive and ineffective soldiers in battle, barely on the roll call. Many have been taken captive, and are now POW’s. We must get the Word to them in time to rescue them.

Radio WHRI

I learned spiritual warfare strategies in Bible college. As a student at World Harvest Bible College, I had the awesome privilege of being on Lester Sumrall’s great shortwave radio station, World Harvest Radio International. Students had a 15-minute program called Battleline. I will never forget the first time my friend, Mark Lawton, and I produced a Battleline program. We beat up the “prince of the power of the air” in his own territory (Eph 2:2)! Many times we would go to the radio studios at WHRI, and broadcast our voices on “Angel One” around the world, chasing satan to the ends of the earth with the powerful Word of God.

How do we fight the devil? With the Word of God in prayer!

Now we know that prayer is talking to God. We fellowship with the Father in prayer. The more we talk with the Father, the better we know Him. I talk to Him as I read my Bible. Often when I don’t understand a verse, I will consult the Author. I’ll say, “Holy Spirit, what did you have in mind when you inspired this?” I also watch for passages to talk with the Father about. It empowers me with conversation material for my prayers.

Prayer is easier when you know what to say. My wife and I speak and pray God’s Truth back to Him. He does so much for us, because we abide in Him. We see great changes in our lives, and the people we pray for. Sometimes changes are miraculous, other times they take awhile. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide (live) in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (Jn 15:7).

Using the Word of God in prayer for warfare is a different kind of prayer.

We don’t ask the Father to fight the devil for us – we use the authority that Jesus delegated to us (Lk 10:19). We stand against the enemy with the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God in prayer!

Jesus defeated the devil by using, “It is written….” (see, Mt 4:4,7,10). Jesus used the Law and the Prophets. We have an even better covenant in our arsenal of weapons (see, Heb 8:6).

That’s what you have to do – you don’t need to be on the radio to be on the battle line. Our powerful weapon is the Word of God in prayer. The enemy still says, “hath God said?” Our reply must be, “It is written….” When the devil tells you that you are sick say, “No, God loves me! He would never put sickness on me! I am healed by the stripes of Jesus” (1Pet 2:24).

1Pet 2:24 (ESV) – He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

When you proclaim the revelation of God’s Word, it has the ability to do damage to the gates of hell. We have the keys to the kingdom, “and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven” (see, Mt 16:18 HCSB). The devil knows he lost another battle when we take new territory for the kingdom on earth.

Battle Line Volunteers

“For the leaders leading in Israel, For the people volunteering, Bless the Lord!” (Jdg 5:2 NASB)

“Your people will volunteer freely on the day of Your power; In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew.” (Ps 110:3 NASB)

The words “volunteer and volunteering” in these verses come from a Hebrew word meaning not only to volunteer, but also carries the idea of spontaneity (nadab^[H5068] and nedabah^[H5071]). This word is used most often to describe freewill (voluntary) offerings and volunteer soldiers. It is also translated as “willing” or “willingly.”

The verse in Judges is the opening line of Deborah’s national victory celebration song, after Israel’s triumph over Sisera (see-ser-aw’) involving a tent peg. Jael volunteered to give this guy a glass of warm milk to help him go to sleep. She covered him – then she nailed him to floor! Deborah had prophesied that the Lord would deliver Sisera into the hand of a woman (Jdg 4:9).

The verse from Psalm 110, is even more exciting. It is a prophecy about you and me, “According to the order of Melchizedek” the priesthood under our King, and High Priest, Jesus. The chapter tells us that Yahweh will make Yeshua’s enemies His footstool by stretching forth His scepter of authority by us, His volunteer battle-line army.

Jesus is Lord – Not Man:

This is now occurring. Volunteer members of Christ’s Ekklesia are responding to His instructions. Surely, heaven is rejoicing!

The devil has tried to curse America and bring destruction to her people. But by God’s grace and mercy through the body of Christ, satan is a failure. Just as Balak failed in his attempt to destroy Israel by having Balaam prophesy and declare curses over them, satan is failing today to destroy America (Num 22-24). Balaam said he heard blessing from God over Israel, not curses, and added the great phrase, “The shout of a king is among them” (Num 23:21).

The Amplified Bible says, “The Lord their God is with Israel, and the shout of their King is among the people.”

God is releasing the shout of King Jesus over our land through His willing, volunteer army. We will survive, recover, and return to God and His destiny for us. Praise God, He is turning things around!

Pray with me:

Father, thank You for raising up a volunteer army of willing intercessors for America. Thank You for the strategy You have given to protect and secure our nation. We find ourselves rejoicing, much like Deborah, who said, “The leaders led, the people volunteered, bless the Lord!” We bless You for the plan, Your great people for volunteering, and we give thanks for Your mercy over this nation.

We are now releasing the shout of King Jesus over America! We are decreeing His words. The destiny of America is to preach the gospel of His Kingdom to the ends of the Earth. We are decreeing and commanding these words over America. They will not return void or empty, but will accomplish the assignment He gave them.

Our decree:

Today we invoke the 1607 Virginia Beach Covenant. The first landing party at Cape Henry placed a cross on the beach marking the land for God and Robert Hunt declared:

“We do hereby dedicate this land and ourselves to reach the people within these shores with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to raise up godly generations after us. And with these generations, take the kingdom of God to all the earth. May this covenant of dedication remain to all generations as long as the earth remains. And may this land along with England be an evangelist to the world. We believe this Lord, may all who see this cross, remember what we have done here. And may those who come here to inhabit, join us in this covenant, in this most noble work that the holy scriptures may be fulfilled.”

We decree now – together – over this nation: Your kingdom come! Your will be done! On earth, as in heaven! The Earth – including all of America – is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof! The name of Jesus seals this prayer, and His authority guarantees it. Amen.

We decree that the volunteer army of King-Priest, Jesus, is making His enemies His footstool.

God bless you my friend,

— Dwight Hammond