SOUNDING THE ALARM: CASUS BELLI

We have entered unprecedented times; both naturally and spiritually, that has many wondering what next? Captain James T. Kirk can often be heard quoting at the beginning of many Star Trek episodes as he intros the ongoing mission of the fictional USS Enterprise which was, "to boldly go where no man has gone before." We as a society, as a church, as a family, as a city, as a nation, are venturing into the unknown, whether we know it or not - whether we accept it or not. This train has departed the station and it is moving.

REVIVAL AS AN ACT OF WAR

As we burrow into the future and we are progressing, pushing into the "new," we are being forced to assess our lives up to this point. Many believers (myself included) would contend that we are now in revival. Church leaders and churches are reassessing themselves, their systems, procedures, and motives. This time has many believers rediscovering the Holy Spirit, going deeper in their relationship and intimacy with God. Perhaps this time has many repenting for past mistakes or treatment of others, or maybe others are being pushed to new levels of having to forgive those who have trespassed against us for some reason or another. Acts 3:19 says, repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Times of revival provoke deep interrogation and confrontation of the heart; which in essence leads to greater connection with the Father, greater partnership and communion with the Holy Spirit, and greater and relevant worship. This is is a time of recommitment.

Revival also constitutes a time of awakening. It is a time of new things. New things are birthing. New spheres, levels, and new dimensions are occurring and we are entering into them. New strategies and procedures. New lexicons. New discoveries. New atmospheres and ecosystems. New terminologies and innovations. Revival occurs when the old ways wax old. Jesus himself was revival. Considering this, with the "new" comes new warfare and new threats. New demons, new spheres, new demonic dimensions, etc.

Here is the flip-side of revival: In the spirit realm, revival is considered an "act of war." An act of war, or casus belli, is supposed to be an action that justifies a military response — something along the lines, historically, of sinking a battleship or assassinating an archduke. Casus belli is a Latin expression meaning "an act or event that provokes or is used to justify war" (literally, "an occasion of war"). We have struck a blow.

I have always been a huge movie buff (sci-fi genre as my favorite). You can ask many of those who know me and they will confirm God has always spoken very clearly to me in these movies. Most time, He's use them to warn me or to give me defensive strategies in prayer, to identify the enemy's move so I can counteract spiritually through warfare prayer. I love the AVENGERS series. I literally have seen them all multiple times. Each hero uniquely created and varying skill sets and strengths that allows them to compliment the other. Lately, I've watched them all in chronological order from the very first Iron Man. Something very strange happened to me while watching the climactic fight scene of Avengers: ENDGAME. While watching all of the Avengers united together in a war against Thanos and his merciless army, I started crying. I couldn't stop. This had never happened and it was just a movie! At that point, my entire body became warm and I heard the Father's heart. There is a battle waging and all of us are required. Unity at the highest level will be necessary and the ability to see the larger picture is dire.

Revival was necessary and revival is now. Because of this new warfare, there must be new and strategic ways to war. Just as our national defense system has diverse branches (Army, Navy, Airforce, and Marines) to address the different types and levels of threats, the same occurs spiritually. Within these various branches, there are also specialist units that have been created and deployed for a unique type and specialized brand of battle assignment. Our national defense structure is very structured with a complex hierarchy. The same occurs spiritually.

Many have already experienced the "pains" of this new warfare. It means that a) you are carrying something that is necessary for this age of revival; b) your position (in the spirit) is intricate to this current move of revival; c) you have a unique battle assignment(s). The bottom line, everything you have experienced or encountered in your life has prepared you for this now-new.

Preparing to Receive New Strategies

True prophets and intercessors understand the preparation process when expecting to receive download(s) from God and especially when engaging in warfare. Most of this isn't foreign, but if you've gotten off track for whatever reason, now is a great time to get back on track. Not only is God making heavenly blueprints accessible for this time of revival, He's also releasing new strategies to counteract the new enemies in the spirit realm. Here are a few tips as we prepare to receive:

• Cancel fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, " for God has not has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." We were created for this time so there is no need to be afraid. God knows what He is doing and He trusts us to trust Him. We are not alone and His word is true.

• Sanctify and consecrate. God is holy. His ways are holy. His plans are holy. everything about Him is holy. When He introduces something new, that place where He deposits it must be holy. In Matthew 1:23, the angel said to Joseph about Mary, "Behold the virgin shall be with child and she shall bear a son and they shall call His name Immanuel, which means "God with us." Jesus' conception was in that of a virgin. His new strategies and plans will be conceptualized in holy vessels. Be ye holy, for I am holy, 1 Peter 1:16.

• Keep your motives pure. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is desperately wicked, and deceitful above all, who can know it? Impure motives (for anything) can rob your purity in a heartbeat. Be intentional about not just what you do, but more importantly, be intentional about why you do it. Keeping your heart on the altar and before the Lord will allow you self-examine and help you make the decisions that will glorify the Father -- even when it hurts, keeping the right motives.

• Repent often. Repentance is not just "I'm sorry," it's an acknowledgement of wrong or unaligned behavior with a commitment or an intent to change and align to the will of God. Now, right alignment may take some time (or not), but the difference here is intent. Repentance helps us to remain in right-standing with God. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Acts 3:19.

• Commune with God. For true prophets and intercessors, our connection to the Father is our main priority. Prayer is our foundation and it is our lifeline. We often spend years cultivating our intimacy with our the Father and our partnership with the Holy Spirit. God's presence is oxygen to our spirit, without it we suffocate. Conception cannot take place without intimacy.

• Obey. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou has reject the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king, 1 Samuel 15:23. Obedience shows God He can trust us. If you think about your own children, the more they earned your trust through the assignments you gave them, the more responsibility you were able to trust them with. On the other hand, it was hard to trust them when they disobeyed you. In 1 Samuel, the Bible said that God rejected Saul from being king. In other words, Saul forfeited his entire destiny because of his own disobedience.

• Eat wisely and get rest. There has been a huge trend regarding processed foods vs. organic foods, eating for your blood type, eating plant-based, and etc. for the past 10 years or so. Thankfully, there are so many options available to us so that we can eat better. Making better eating choices has so much to do with mindset (I'm also learning how to make better choices also!), but having a healthy temple is going to be vital in the days to come. Getting proper rest will also be essential. Listening to your body is crucial. 1 Corinthians 6:19 declares that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Resting when your body tells you to rest, sleeping when your body tells you to sleep, and stepping away when your body tells you to "step away" is crucial for optimum performance and clarity of mind. Taking time to take care of yourself is OKAY.

WHAT'S NEXT?

After making space to receive the war plans and strategies of Heaven, you must prepare to execute them. Executing the plans of God also requires preparation and often times requires a team. It is important to understand that strategies will differ from person, to city and state, to national strategies and then there are global strategies. Most often the not, the group you executing one level of plans with may change from assignment to assignment. Be open. New threats require new perspectives, new gifts, and new insights that new team members can bring. Press into Holy Spirit identify how to execute your strategies (if they are not just for you) and where you fit within the general scheme of this revival movement.

Are these NEW strategies for you -- your individual mission? Are they for your family? Are they for your church? Your city? It's okay to run what God has given you by a trusted senior prophet or company of prophets, Apostle, or a senior intercessor for accountability. If you are apart of a church, and your downloads are for that church, discuss with the head intercessor or prophet - whatever your church's protocol may be. If you're a senior leader, it's okay to run what God has given you by another trusted senior leader, who may not be in your church or even your region. In other words, make sure you're accountable to someone that can give you another perspective. Make sure you have proper checks and balances in place. We need each other.

Find alternate training tools and resources. Maybe you have an intercessory team, perhaps import intercessors and prophets who train and can prepare according to the strategies God has downloaded. Make no mistake about it, THIS IS WAR! LET'S BURN!