Lord of Hosts, God of War

"Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies (Isa. 1:24 KJV)."


This verse references God as the 'LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel'. The word hosts means a mass of people organized for war. A one-word definition would be army. The mighty One of Israel, Jehovah, is the LORD of armies.


What is the purpose of an army? Is it to fight? How then could a loving God Almighty be a God of armies? How could a loving, peaceable God be a God of war?


"And there was war in heaven (Rev. 12:7 KJV)."


"That old serpent, called the devil: ... he was cast out into the earth (Rev. 12:9 KJV)."


"And I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Lu. 10:18 KJV)."


War began when Lucifer rebelled against God. Lucifer lost the battle in Heaven. He was cast to the earth. He launched another offensive against God in Eden with the deception of Eve.


Satan may have thought he'd won when Christ took his last human breath on the cross. We know, however, ultimate victory was declared when Christ rose from the dead. The devil must be aware of his final demise, yet he continues to battle.


We love to read of and hear sermons about the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6. We get excited when we read and hear of the Apostle Paul having fought a good fight (2Ti. 4:7). Do we understand the concept that our God is a God of war? Do we comprehend that those whom God has chosen are called to fight? Paul does refer to those whom God chooses as soldiers (2Ti. 2:4).


The chosen ones of God, the people who are called by his name, the redeemed of the Lamb, are in a fight for eternity. The destination of our eternal soul hangs in the balance of victory or defeat.


Christ won complete and perfect victory at Calvary. The war, however, still rages in our minds because the enemy is a master deceiver. We must keep fighting the good fight. We must keep the faith and finish the course. Defeat should not be an option.


Prayer is communication with the Commander, the LORD of hosts. Prayer is where we receive our orders. God did not call us as soldiers to fight his war without equipping us with a weapon. He has given us, and we should learn to use, the Sword of the Spirit. The Sword of the Spirit is quick, powerful, and sharp (Heb. 4:12).

I encourage all who follow Christ to put on the armor of Ephesians 6. I encourage all to endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ (2Ti. 2:3). I encourage and admonish all who fight the good fight to not get tangled up with the affairs of this present life (2Ti. 2:4).

The moment will come when we rise victorious as we look directly into the eyes of Jesus Christ. The moment will come when we relish the victory when we hear the words, "well done my good and faithful servant". God bless...

Sow the Word

"The sower sows the Word (Mk. 4:14 AMP)."

I'm not going to recount the parable of the sower. I want to focus on this Bible verse and the impact it should have in and on the lives of Christian believers.

"The sower sows the Word." A sower is one who plants seed. The Christian believer is a sower. Jesus left us with this command before his ascension, "Go and make disciples of all the nations (Mt. 28:19 AMP)." He didn't say if you feel like it, go and make disciples. He commanded, "Go."

"But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (Acts 1:8 AMP)." We get excited about receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of heaven is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Ro. 14:17).

Don't you think we should finish the rest of Acts 1:8? Yes, we'll receive the power of the Holy Spirit, but for what purpose? "And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth."

The moment we profess to be Christian we're a witness. We become a witness the moment we lay claim to being filled with the Holy Spirit. Our words, actions, activities, and even our appearance will testify as to who and what we are in Christ. We're a living, breathing testimonial of the god (yes, small 'g' intended) we serve. We're a witness whether we realize it or not.

How can we sow the Word if we don't know the Word? I can take this question in two directions. Jesus Christ is the Word. The written Holy Bible is the Word. I will combine these two directions with one statement. You won't know Christ the Word without knowing the Holy Bible, the written Word. It's the written Word which tells us who Christ is.

Jesus says to search the scriptures. "And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me (Jn. 5:39 AMP)!" No wonder Paul writes, "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth (2Tim. 2:15 AMP)."

The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to sow the Word efficiently (Acts 1:8). Why would God do this? The Word shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose (Isa. 55:11 AMP)."

I encourage us to get into the Holy Bible, the Word of God. Search the Word. It'll teach us who Christ is. Study the Word. Place the Word deep in our hearts. The words we speak, we speak from the heart. We'll speak the Word when we know the Word. We'll sow the Word when we know the Word. Lord God, make me a sower. God bless...