DANCE OF FIRE

I wrote the content on this blog with sincere and holy intentions with the knowledge that I had at the time... We live, learn and amend...as errors are exposed and more truths are revealed...

Only GOD is perfect. It's vital that you seek the Lord to expose any errors that you've embraced. Please ask Him to expose any areas of darkness to you and for what is necessary to do to dispossess what's NOT of truth.

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POETRY: DANCE OF FIRE

Flames of fire dance joyfully as dreams of fervor conjure up images of red hot passion for the gusto of life.

Sizzle, spark, explode -

Fireballs light up the sky. Wow! a thunder flash with a clap -

The flames are vivid with the awesome glow of orange colors blended with yellow highlights that accent the blaze.

This display is the bomb torched with a rocket plan. Such rapture has lit our fire. We are dynamite on this journey.

Come on fire, fall on us. Pour your liquid potency. Ignite our souls that we may be engulfed with magnified intensity.

Blow up our hearts. Dance with us....

Sandra

Copyright 2010

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Monday, September 20, 2010

STRATEGIC PLACEMENT IN THE ARMY OF GOD

Greetings -

NOTE: This is NOT to describe any class of people as inferior or superior.  It uses rank placement relative to positions NOT people.

From the Holy Bible - King James Version:
Deuteronomy 1:15
So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. 

Presented here below is a list of ranks in the natural army organization. Source: A Civilian’s Guide To The U.S. Military, by Barbara Schading, PH.D

Commissioned Officers from top to bottom rank as follows: general of the Army (five-star, wartime use only), general (four-star), lieutenant general (three-star), major general (two-star), brigadier general (one-star), colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, first lieutenant, and second lieutenant

Warrant Officers rank, from top to bottom: chief warrant officer 5, chief warrant officer 4, chief warrant officer 3, chief warrant officer 2, and warrant officer

The enlisted personnel rank, from top to bottom: sergeant major of the Army, command sergeant major, sergeant major, first sergeant, master sergeant, sergeant first class, staff sergeant, sergeant, corporal, specialist, private first class, and private


Here is what the Lord shared with me. His army of people also consists of ranks and levels of expertise, and deepness in Him. Also, He reminded me that JESUS had twelve disciples but three of them, Peter, James and John were in His inner circle. Matthew 17:1, “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain.” Matthew 17:9, “And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” Mark 14:33, “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John,…” Luke 8:51, “And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John,…” Also, Peter and John were featured prominently in the book of The Acts such as in The Acts 3:1, 3:3, and 4:19. The Acts 12:2 states that James was killed. Peter wrote epistles. John wrote epistles and the book of Revelation. My belief is that John and Peter were spiritual generals. I believe the same about some others mentioned in GOD’s Word such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.

Generals cannot win wars without privates and privates cannot win wars without generals. Every rank is necessary and vital for military actions to be successfully executed. That is true for the natural military as well as it is true for the supernatural military. All ranks work together with boundaries and limitations designated for each. Typically, commissioned officers do not frequently socialize with enlisted personnel. They work together but are not often likely to fraternize. I believe that there could be a practice of unequal yoking if generals…frequently socialized with privates…, etc.


That brings me to the question as to whether Christians can be unequally yoked between and/or among other Christians. My conclusion is yes. Please read my post and the subsequent comments under topic, "UNEQUALLY YOKED?"  Here's the link http://lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com/2010/09/unequally-yoked.html

Again here, I use a military illustration. Privates have necessary war knowledge training at required levels. But we do not expect them to be in the "Situation Rooms" with generals and those of high commissioned ranks. The presence of privates would likely be
counter-productive to the goals and objectives in such meetings.

There are commonalities to said logic relative to Christians. There are commissioned Christians, as well as enlisted Christians. We have five-star general status Christians all the way down to the rank of private level status Christians. Can Christian generals…be unequally yoked with Christian privates…? I believe so.
As in the natural army, there are, in the Christian army, common objectives for the overall good of the operations. The core ideal is to be on one accord for the established principles and goals of the institution. But the institution breaks down into specializations that are critical for purpose fulfillment in the army organization.

The natural army has Special Forces such as Rangers and Green Berets. They engage in specialized unconventional warfare. In the supernatural army, there are Special Forces, as well. Privates do not understand the work of those in Special Forces. They do not know the unique intricate, complex, strategic, and dangerous exploits that comprise what Special Forces personnel are assigned to execute.

There are Christians who do bare minimum – who attend church but do not know the Holy Bible and subsequently do not do it – who do not spend regular quality time in private devotions with GOD – and who do not engage in regular praise, worship and prayer. They are to be loved but would you want such with you in intense spiritual battlefield combat zones? Supernatural warfare is for the steadfastly fully armored. Are dim lit Christians considered privates? Are they commissioned officers or enlisted personnel?

Then there are Christians who are consistently hungry for more of GOD – who know the Holy Bible and who consistently do what it says – who regularly love/obey GOD and pray, praise and worship Him privately, as well as along with others in the body of Christ. Such have souls that follow hard after GOD (Psalm 63:8). Are these commissioned officers - generals, colonels, majors, and captains…for GOD? Are such of Special Forces caliber?

GOD commands us to love everybody but I do not believe that He expects us to spend unnecessary time with Christians who refuse to grow in the Lord. (Note: That does not include spouses because GOD has unique mandates for matrimonial unions whatever the spiritual status of the spouses. Also, the biological family dynamic often requires more engagement.) And baby Christians need more from those who are more spiritually mature. But carnal Christians can often be counter-productive to holy Christ-centered journeys. They can prove more damaging than
bona fide sinners because bona fide sinners frequently do not know…but carnal Christians frequently do know…yet make decisions not to do what they know. Also, what carnal Christians know is limited because they refuse to obey GOD by renewing their minds with the Holy Scriptures, and by spending quality time with Him. I am confident that all of the carnal Christians will not remain unspiritual because some of them will become fervent for the Lord. In the meantime, my advice is to beware of them because again, they can be more damaging…than bona fide sinners. Typically, we expect evil from sinners while we usually don’t expect evil from professed Christians but the reality is that that is precisely what we get from unspiritual Christians. Carnal Christians are often wolves in sheep clothing. They profess Christianity but can be toting evil and catch people unaware and unprepared for what they are “packing.” Often before carnal Christians are discovered for the unspiritual people that they are, many wounded victims have become “bloodied” from their damaging and vile practices.

We are at war, people, and whosoever mocks GOD risks becoming casualties of war. GOD is no respecter of persons. Colossians 3:25 states, “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”


Do some commissioned/enlisted Christians “die” in battle? Yes, but hallelujah – Glory be to GOD, Romans 14:8 says, “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and whether we die, we die unto the Lord, whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

Who will be instrumental in turning the world upside down? The Acts 17:6, “…These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;”

Matthew 28:9
…Jesus met them, saying, All hail...

Copyright 2010

Notes:

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Note: - This piece, "Strategic Placement in the Army of God" is available in my $4.99 e-book titled, Warfare Solutions Loaded with the Lion of Judah. 

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Thank you for your consideration and caring actions.

19 comments:

  1. Strategic placement in the army of GOD...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Satan didn't bring in the Muslims until the Christians had been disarmed of their gifts. Once we were disarmed we could be defeated by a murderous military. The Middle East, Asia Minor and North Africa used to be populated by Christians before the Muslim hoards came through defeating and killing.

    We were disarmed by Emperor Constantine's version of "church." For more information, read the book "The Healing Reawakening" by Francis MacNutt.

    We still aren't rearmed for the Big Battle that's coming. For communications and lines of control we each need to pray for gifts of Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom and prophecy. We each need to exercise deliverance to disrupt the enemy's lines of communication and control. Discerning of Spirits will detect where the enemy has infiltrated us. These gifts need to become an integral part of our churches in dealing with the world.

    Oh, and don't forget; the most important goal we have is to grow in our relationship and dependence upon the Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Timothy -

    Thank you for that excellent advice. I was on it this a.m., and prayed what you said.

    And yes, we must remember what is most important to grow in our relationships and dependence upon our Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Sandra,

    I understand the premise of this post, however I do not agree that there needs to be hierarchical distinctions in roles. It is this philosophy that has led to hatred, discrimination, socio-class distinction, and racism that enabled African Americans and others to be victimized.

    I do not believe that our Lord supports a hierarchal structure when His word declares, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

    You are right when you say, "We are at war...", but too often we war amongst ourselves. We place value and emphasis on positions. We've historically changed the word minister from a verb into a noun.

    Why? Because of the prestige, title and value those positions held for individuals. So instead of doing the work of ministry, individuals sought the position of minister.

    Jesus Himself said, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." I cannot be a servant and be served at the same time.

    The church is a community, but ambition, greed, selfishness and distinctions rob us all of the benefits of community. Instead of having all things common, we have all things distinct.

    I've tried to write this as a comment. I speak from no position of authority, so the intent is not to criticize but to share what I believe would help propel the church community forward in spiritual strength. If I've misunderstood the focus of this post, please ignore my comment.

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

    ReplyDelete
  5. Greetings MTJ -

    I appreciate that we as Christians can come from places of love and disagree. The unholy divisions exist when there is malice and cruelty etc. involved. Disagreements, when handled properly, can be helpful.

    This blog is not for yes people. It is for people to express our sincere beliefs. Sometimes we can be sincerely wrong - our Lord looks on our hearts and our motives for expressing what we do.

    I can remember holding certain beliefs that I sincerely believed were true and then later the Lord had me to find out otherwise.... I am not one to surrender my beliefs to go along to get along. My position is to use the Holy Bible as my utmost authority and guide. Now it is certainly reality that Christians sometimes disagree on what is meant in the Bible from the standpoint of interpretations. Even the twelve disciples did not always agree. My position is to hold firm to what I believe unless the Lord clearly convinces me otherwise.

    Narrowmindedness does not appeal to me but neither does being tossed to and fro. I need to be convinced that what I believe is wrong before I will budge. I was that way before I knew the Lord....

    So, please know MTJ, that when all is said and done, I love you, and expect you to hold firm to what you believe unless the Lord convinces you otherwise. That is my desire for all of us.

    You made some valid points and indeed I will ponder what you expressed...and seek the Lord...

    I also believe that I made valid points in the subject posting.... Relative to the military ranks that I listed, that in no way places people as superior or inferior. It is how the military is organized - by rank. They are positions - not to be representative of the value of persons. There is need for rank in the natural and in the supernatural...vital missions are accomplished with such set-ups... There is an order to such arrangements....

    I will end with these passages from the Word:

    1 Corinthians 12:4-6
    "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit."

    "And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord."

    "And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all."

    Love to you, my brother in Christ...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sandra,

    I do appreciate that you allow me to have a dialog here. You love for God and people are quite evident by the genuine honesty, sincerity and grace of your words.

    I do not disagree that there is an established order in creation. My comment references the perversion and corruption of that order. I do not seek an end to order (that would result in chaos), I do want an end to corruption within ordered structure.

    For example, although some personnel in law enforcement have used their position of authority for personal gain, authoritative abuse, and illegal activity, does not mean I would want to do away with law enforcement. However, I do want an end to those who do not uphold the integrity of law enforcement service.

    For me to have the attitude that I won't socialize with others because of their social rank, educational status, net worth, political affiliation, military designation, race, religion or ethnicity is disheartening.

    As I said earlier, I do not speak from a position of authority on this subject but I appreciate that you permit an open dialog of thought. I don't perceive that you and I disagree, we merely see this from different perspectives.

    Your words bless me, I thank God for you.

    Blessings and peace my sister.

    MTJ

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi MTJ -

    Thank you for your constructive comments and helpful information.

    You stated, "For me to have the attitude that I won't socialize with others because of their social rank,..."

    My statements, "do not frequently socialize,"
    "are not often likely to fraternize..."

    I socialize SOME with a variation of Christians, but prefer to FREQUENTLY socialize with fervent hungry for GOD Christians. Also, those spiritually mature Christians who mentor baby Christians, of course, need to spend a good amount of time to help the babes to mature in GOD.

    I most enjoy Christians who desire continued growth in our Lord. My experience has been that some Chrisitans have spent years in church and do not know or do the Word of GOD as a practice. Further, they are not inclined to renew their minds and flow in love, etc. I certainly love such Christians but do not desire FREQUENT socialization with them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I need to clarify on the record that I love all -, saints, sinners, those of foreign cultures, homosexuals, Muslims, perverts and those of every race and class, etc.

    GOD loves all and He gives us a mandate to love.
    I believe that GOD loves everybody but I do not believe that He likes everybody nor do I believe that He respects everybody. I love all but do not like all...nor do all like me...

    All Christians are mandated to love everybody but many refuse to love according to the Word of God....Also, we can love all Christians but they all do NOT love us...

    Sidebar: I have often wondered about the following scripture in Romans 9:13, "As it is
    written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

    Someone please help me to understand what Romans 9:13 means. Did GOD not love Esau?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Sandra,

    I meant no inference nor do I question your attitude or heart being in error; I spoke about my own attitude and heart. As I stated, "Your love for God and people are quite evident by the genuine honesty, sincerity and grace of your words."

    I see my words have led you to think I accuse you when that was not my intent; for that I'm sorry, please forgive me.

    There are times when written communication lacks the ability to convey inflection of words, expressions and language which comes from the depth of my heart; this is one of those instances where I've failed. Rather than continue further elaboration, I'll thank you for sharing a topic which comes from your heart in love.

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi MTJ -

    All is well. You do not need my forgiveness because you did not do anything wrong nor am I offended. I realize that there is value to be found in differences...

    We are all students and teachers in various forms. I thank you for your provocative and compelling comments. I found them quite interesting, actually. Challenge of senses can be a good thing...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I don't look at the different levels of where people are spiritually with God as ranks. I know that people are at different spiritual levels, and there are Christians that I would probably not spend a lot of time with, because the things that come out of their mouth only serve to confuse me. I don't believe that we are to totally stay away from Christians who may be at a different level spiritually, because all Christians need encouragement from those who are more mature than they are. I know I do.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Julie -

    Thank you for your helpful comments. I appreciate your expressions.

    You stated, "I don't believe that we are to totally stay away from Christians who may be at a different level spiritually because all Christians need encouragement from those who are more mature than they are."

    You are right, Julie...

    As expressed in my comments in this post (excerpts shown below), I didn't mention totally staying away from Christians who may be at a different level spiritually... It all depends on how our Lord leads. He has led me to disconnect from some who profess Christianity but refuse to repent relative to practices of sin and also refuse to grow in the Lord. Some of my experiences have been that some Christians can be hazardous to godly pursuits.

    It is one thing to mentor baby Christians who are eager to learn more about our Lord. It is another thing entirely to deal with people who have been Christians for years yet refuse to renew their minds, and who refuse to do the Word of GOD as habitual practices. No doubt I love them...but am not inclined to frequency with them. Some of that ilk have proven hazardous to my spirituality. I exclude from the issue marriage unions because our Lord has mandated specifics for spouses, as well as biological family members.

    EXCERPTS FROM MY POST:
    Typically, commissioned officers do not frequently socialize with enlisted personnel. They work together but are not often likely to fraternize. I believe that there could be a practice of unequal yoking if generals…frequently socialized with privates…, etc.

    GOD commands us to love everybody but I do not believe that He expects us to spend unnecessary time with Christians who refuse to grow in the Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We Christians are all equal at the foot of the Cross. Jesus should be the high priest of our meetings no matter how small.(Matt.18:20)

    But God's hierarchy is unusual in the church. (1 Cor.12:28)
    First comes apostles -- church starters.
    second comes prophets -- Christians getting visual guidance.
    Third comes teachers -- Christians keeping the past guidance.
    Forth comes all the rest.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Greetings -

    Timothy - you hit the bullseye! You said, "We Christians are all equal at the foot of the Cross..." Thank you...

    Also, I appreciate that you listed the hierarchy...

    Has the Lord ever led you to disconnect from any fellow Christians who have a pattern of not renewing their minds and doing the Word of GOD?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you for the clarification. I've also got to add that I do realize that the issue of marriage unions is not included here. I do have to say that it does make the marriage union much harder. I feel like I'm moving away from my husband the closer I move toward the Lord...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Julie -

    Yes, I can somewhat relate. My marital situation was different in that I was a believer married to a non-born again man. When we married, we were both in the world. I got
    saved - he did not...it was a challenge to put it mildly.

    It helps to know that GOD is worth all that we must endure to serve Him. Please be mindful that you are NEVER alone...and that huge love flows for you, precious Julie!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I knew a young church member who had discovered a new toy -- psychic "science." He was happy to find I had been involved in it as an unbeliever. He wanted to get the details from me but I was reluctant. When I was away from him, my discerning of spirits informed me I was under attack. I looked him up and told him to knock it off. Later, I got the same impression. I refused to look him up after that.

    I started following up a new Christian who was a Danish masseuse. But he was using "soul power" while doing it. His income was this kind of "massage." When he said he wanted to give me a massage, I dropped the relationship. Too risky. I had been demonized by a hand laid on me before and I didn't want to go through that again.

    Usually churches have occultists who have been sent in by the devil. We have to live with them or leave the church. I spiritually offer deliverance, prayer and divine blessing for them. They can only take so much of that before they have to leave.

    Occultly compromised Christians have spiritual back doors for demons to come and go. I can offer deliverance, prayer and blessing, but the demons can always come back. They can stay as long as I. I'm stuck regularly cleaning up the church from them. No one else does -- or even knows there's a problem!

    Some yogis were using their prana power to influence leaders to get into Yoga -- in several churches! Even the district leader had been influenced to do yoga. I'm offering deliverance, prayer and blessing regularly for them, to keep them from putting the rest of the congregation under the yoga yoke. I'm educating the congregation as much as my Aspergers will allow. In the meantime, the Lord is keeping me in there. My wife is growing under the good teaching, but if I pulled out, I don't know how long it would be before they would be fruitless and declining.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What you have expressed is very interesting. Thank you for the insights. Your comments are indeed helpful and important to know.

    Some Christians believe that yoga is acceptable with some "Christian" adaptations...

    ReplyDelete

Greetings -

Thank you for visiting and commenting. It is my pleasure to read from your heart places. We are all students and teachers and I so enjoy, precious people, the beneficial engagements with you.