If you have seen the movie ‘Battleship’ with Lieutenant Alex Hopper (Actor Taylor Kitsch) you will understand my ‘musings’ (reflections and thoughts) today because from the beginning of the movie we see Alex Hopper go from a type of nobody who was not living his full potential until the time he is then caught in the position of everyone looking to him for direction and he had to step up!
Not only does he step up and in his own ‘unique’ way bring about the impossible he also, willingly allows his competition to take front row in preference of his own command to see unity brought about for a fantastic finale!
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! – Ps 133:1 NIV
This then has made me think through many of my recent personal activities and although I started out feeling very unequipped, as progress unfolded, I was able to – as the bible says…
‘…having done all to stand’ – Ephesians 6:13b KJV
I have this past year, in some ways, felt that my ‘soldiers backpack’ of responsibility was similar to that of this soldier pictured here in the Algerian War carrying a donkey plus his backpack of provisions! I cannot imagine how long or how far the soldier had to do that for but just the same, God has made us very resilient and does not give us any more than we can handle!
‘We all experience times of testing which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.’ – 1 Cor 10:13 TPT
Today is exactly twelve months on for me from having foot surgery and for me to look at my foot now and remember what it was like back then, to now – just blows me away on the miraculous healing power God has created within our bodies.
For me to have ‘stepped up’ and dealt with that, along with much more that was thrown at me besides as the months went on is testament in itself of the above scripture – God only gives us what we can handle! I know that many others have probably contended with much more than myself in this season but in the scripture, where it says ‘he will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it’ is the reassurance of compassion my Heavenly Father has for me/us!
As in the movie I started out sharing with you today, Alex Hopper uses the ‘Art of War’ as his plan of attack… (only his comrade told him ‘That’s not what it means’!) I want to share with you what I have taken this expression to mean to me today;
Regroup – after losing his brother in combat (as I too have lost loved ones this past year) he comes to the aide of those left on the ship and in the water to bring together on last ship to be unified and seek strategies to target what is against them.
I am still needed now for family around me to help us focus on moving forward and ask our Heavenly Father, ‘where do you need us now’ as we continue journeying with Him for His greater plans and purposes to be revealed.
‘For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” – Deuteronomy 20:4
Be adaptive – what was left to them, after their ship blew up was an old retired ship and an even older generation of men to help in pursuing their treacherous enemy!
Even at the age, I am (I am a grandmother) I know God can still use me and those that are willing to do the journey with me. To support others, care, love, and most importantly – Pray and ask the Lord for creative ideas and wisdom for the steps ahead.
‘Old age with wisdom will crown you with dignity and honour, for it takes a lifetime of righteousness to acquire it’. – Proverbs 16:31 TPT
Resolve to Stand – with only one last shot of ammunition left available to them to blow out the enemy that was left standing on the mountain top and knowing that by sending it they would not have anything left to fight off any further attack on themselves, they make the choice to send it knowing it was going to protect the rest of humanity in the process (even if they did not survive).
Are we too willing to be all and do all for what is right, honourable, just, and loving for this world we live in and for those we live with? The spiritual enemy we are facing is testing us in these choices today. I am faced with these choices and know those that are desperately seeking, so I need to ‘step up’ and love, comfort, and prayer with them. To introduce them to the same Heavenly Father I know loves them as much as me.
‘For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] [a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Saviour] shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ – John 3:16 AMP
Believe for God to step in – in most Hollywood movies, the hero never dies so when watching we kind of have an idea that the rescue is coming… of course, the characters in the movie don’t know that but planes from overhead shoot out the ammunition coming at their ship to save and rescue them, and all goes well 😊
God does that for us too, but do we believe it? I have experienced my Heavenly Father stepping into circumstances for me like that and it overwhelms me every time. I have seen Him have a building company refund us thousands when their policy says they don’t do that. I have seen Him get myself and a carload of people to a major international airport to not miss a plane and in the process, the airport terminal was in turmoil (to discover it all related to that particular plane being late/held up for us). I have seen Him work miracles in many lives and know that I will continue to do so as I believe in Him!
‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you.’ – Jeremiah 29:11-12 AMP
Even in the above points shared, I cannot get complacent and think that all is OK because surely, we all know and understand that we are part of a spiritual battle going on around us today? If so, then how do we task ourselves to understand the combat tactics that are being done to us by the enemy and how do we come up with a purposeful plan to resolve our part in this?
Along with being discredited financially (untrue), had my technology hacked, farewelled family both my parents and a loving long time pet - I continue to be targeted by physical ailments that don’t seem to have any correlation to anything and come from ‘out of the blue’ so I need to understand that if my Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan and purpose for me to fulfill then it would seem logical that there is an enemy that wants to counteract that plan and purpose by targeting me!
My husband and I pray together every evening for each other, our family, friends, and circumstances, and we cover all these things in the power of the blood Jesus shed for us on Calvary. We also understand from the scripture I shared earlier in Ephesians 6:10-24 that we can equip ourselves for the task.
10 ’In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [b]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having [c]strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [d]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all [e]God’s people’– Ephesians 6:10-18 AMP
I pray that as we stand shoulder to shoulder in this ‘army’ for the Lord – we will not tire or weary in doing so until the day of His return.
‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’. – Galatians 6:9 NIV
Amen!
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