Turn the Battle to the Gate

As a child of the living God you are supposed to win in life, but we cannot expect to win without a fight. The devil doesn’t want you to reach your destiny, there will be pressures you will face, stop trying to avoid the conflicts and get in the press.

Mark 5:25-28

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

Philippians 3:13-14

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

These two passages of scriptures show us that in order to get what you desire must put forth some effort. What you want, what you need, or what you desire are not just going to drop into your lap. You must demonstrate some old-fashioned grit and gumption.

Let me share with you something I have discovered through observation; miracles don't Just happen because God is in a good mood, they don’t occur just because they’re needed, miracles are not an accident. Miracles are not just an act of God that just occurs for certain people in certain places or at certain times. Miracles come when and where they're needed, that’s truth, but they are not random. Miracles only come when someone has enough desire to get into the press and reach for them. Sometimes you must chase your miracle.

Jairus chased a miracle for his dead daughter, he chased it when he got into the press and he threw his religious pride out and came to Jesus. Bartimaeus chased his miracle when he refused to be silenced by others and he stopped Jesus with his unrestrained cries for mercy. The Leper chased his miracle when he fell at Jesus’ feet seeking mercy and healing. The Syrophenician woman chased a miracle for her demon possessed daughter when she broke religious protocol. She came to Jesus chasing a miracle, she wouldn’t even let being labeled a dog hinder her pursuit of the miracle she needed. She got into the press!

Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.” – Matthew 11:12

Those that receive what they desire in life, those that are victorious, are the ones that are willing to fight for what they want.

When the giant Goliath defied the army of Israel David Spoke up.

1 Samuel 17:32

“And David said to Saul, let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

FIGHT: That word as it is used there means – fight to war, make war, overcome, prevail, do battle, to engage in battle, wage war, and my favorite definition; to eat, use as food.

It reminds me of the words of Joshua and Caleb speaking of the giants in their promised land, “They are bread for us.”

There are two classes of believers. You are either Pro-active or you are Re-active. Unfortunately, most Christians live very re-active lives. They are always on the defensive re-acting to the attacks of the enemy. Paul could never have been the great apostle he was by living a re-active life. If you learn anything from reading Paul’s writings it is that he was always the aggressor. His entire ministry was on the front lines pushing into enemy territory. He was always taking the light into the darkness. He was never content to just be comfortable and satisfied among other believers.

In Ephesians 6:10-12 Paul speaks of the warfare of the believer, requiring a full out effort on our part.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

We are not in a flesh and blood battle for the most part, but there is without question a war that is being waged. And God expects us to be the aggressor in that war. Five times Paul uses the word ‘against’ in relationship to our warfare against principalities, and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places, then he uses the word ‘stand.’ This is an aggressive word, when you take a stand you are an opposing force.

When you stand against abortion, homosexuality, drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, or drunk driving you are the aggressor! Your stand makes you an enemy of unrighteousness. Too many people who label themselves ‘Christian,’ don’t stand for or against anything! They live re-active lives. They’ve bought into the satanic lie of live and let live: “well as long as they don’t try and push their lifestyle on me, what they do is their business.” They are cowards! That’s why they’re always trying to recover from an attack instead of launching the attack.

We never, not a single time, see Jesus in a Re-active sense. Everywhere Jesus went he was the initiator, he was on the offense he was the aggressor. Jesus was constantly invading enemy territory, pushing back the darkness, overthrowing the devil, undoing the devils works.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.” – Acts 10:38

When the Prophet Elijah met the false prophets of Baal and wicked King Ahab upon Mt Carmel, Elijah was the aggressor. Elijah was the one who issued the challenge and Elijah was the one who set the terms of the challenge.

When David Met Goliath, David was the aggressor. He ran to meet Goliath. David pushed the Issue.

The problem with so many of Gods people is that they live such lukewarm, prayerless, wordless, passionless, powerless lives, that they’re afraid to initiate anything because they’re afraid they can’t back it up. And as long they refuse to conform to the image of Jesus and live holy lives, they’re right!

One of the greatest secrets of Paul’s life was he lived righteously, so he could live aggressively. Paul described the result of his fight, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

One of the greatest secrets to victory, and peace and joy in your life will be to learn to live righteously, so you don’t have to fear facing the enemy aggressively. If you are going to experience the Power of God in your lives and see the glory of God manifested on your behalf, we must go on the offense against the works of darkness. And that must mean that the devil fears us – the devil only fears us when he recognizes the Jesus in us. The Holy Ghost, the anointing, sends the devil fleeing.

We must learn how to live aggressively. Even in the natural we learn in football, and other sports that in order to score you must go on the offensive. You must put pressure on the opposition. When you learn to live aggressively you can be waging war all the time. By living aggressively for God, you will be continually pushing back the works of darkness. When you begin to live in this bold aggressive spirit, you become a threat to hell.

The devil hates aggressive Christians, because aggressive Christians are a testimony to a lost world around them that the word of God is true. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

We should pray aggressively, praise aggressively, give aggressively, land love aggressively! It’s time to put some of that Holy Ghost fire into your actions! I define aggressively as leaning into it, pressing!

Jesus said, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

That means he was on fire about the things of God, he was always leaning into it, pressing it forward. Sometimes we come to church, like we got the short straw in some drawing and our punishment was to have to go to church. Paul said, “I ‘reach forth’ unto those things which are before me, and I ‘press’ toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

There is a mentality that has invaded the church that the Christian life is just a big marathon race and basically speaking you are guaranteed to win just by signing up. This was never the attitude of the scriptures. The bible tells us clearly that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Scripture teaches that we must lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us and run this race before us. Jesus said that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Paul taught us, we are to put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man and that not all runners that run receive a prize.

“Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” – Matthew 7:14

You don’t win the war just by joining the army, there’s some training, some discipline, some fighting, and very often many casualties before a war is won. Don’t expect to see Heaven without facing hell! It’s going to cost you something!

There’s a devil who hates you and wants to destroy your destiny and destroy your life. You might as well recognize the fight is on. If you are really going to make a difference in this world you must get Mad. We must become angry at what the devil is doing if we are ever going to change it. We will never become aggressive for God until we are angered by the works of the devil.

Poverty should make you angry! Sickness and disease should make you angry! It should make you angry when you are labeled ‘intolerant’ because you believe that the biblical standard of marriage is between a man and a woman! It should make you angry when they talk about sucking the brains out of a baby so they can find a cure for some disease! When anger is properly focused, it becomes power for change.

The problem with a lot of ‘Christians’ is they haven’t got a big enough dose of Holy Ghost. When you get full of the Holy Ghost it does something to your makeup, it alters your attitude, you can’t just sit Idly by while the devil destroys lives. There’s something about a Holy Ghost anointing that puts steel in your backbone and fire in your veins and you can’t just sit still.

When you get full of Holy Ghost, sin will make you angry, and when you see people’s lives being destroyed by the devil it will stir you up. It will make you angry when millions of babies are aborted every year, most of them murdered in the name of research and convenience. It will make you angry when you see homosexuals standing behind Gods holy place spreading their lies in the church.

There’s something wrong, when sin no longer angers us. There’s something wrong when we can see the effects of sin and it no longer makes us mad. There’s something wrong when we can see someone hooked on drugs, bound by lust and pornography and it doesn’t even affect us. When you know that sin is damning souls to an eternal hell and it doesn’t make you stand up and tell them the truth, there is something wrong with your salvation.

Is there anyone left who believes your children are worth fighting for? That your health is worth fighting for? That your marriage is worth fighting for? That your ministry, your dreams, your vision are worth fighting for?

Friends, let me give you one more scripture:

Isaiah 28:5-6

In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgement to him that sitteteth in judgement and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

God promises to be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty and a spirit of judgement, and strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. Not to them that run and hide, not to them that just show up to watch, not to them that pretend there isn't any battle, but to those who put on the whole armor of God, take the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit and turn the battle to the gate.