He’s Looking for Those Who Will Lay Down Their Lives for the Cause of the Kingdom!

 

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death,” Revelation 12:11.

The Dream of the Army Elite

I had a dream last night about an army which was in what looked to be a type of boot camp.

These soldiers in the dream seemed to be a more elite type of group who were in training for a special mission.

In the dream it seemed as if the leader of this group of specialist was giving them a lesson about how that they may have to lay down their lives for the mission.

There seemed to be much contemplation in their minds going on as to whether or not they were ready to “lay down their lives.”

All at once they began to do some type of exercise in training and one of the more muscular men who looked like he could have been a Navy Seal type or a Marine type, got his arm torn off in this training.

But in the dream he kept in formation and stood there as if he was ready to lose whatever it took to win the fight that they were about to go into.

I remember then the man in charge of this platoon asked the question to the men… “Are you ready to lay it all down for the cause?”

End of dream.

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ,” Philippians 3:7-8.

Love Not Your Own Life to the Death

I believe that God is asking many of us in these days and weeks “Are you ready to give it all?”

Are you ready and willing to love not your own life unto the death?

I believe that He is saying that if we are ever to come out of this training and boot camp that we have been in that we must begin to ask ourselves that question: “Am I ready in my mind and heart to give all?”

Like the soldier in my dream, in order to train to do the special task that was before him, he had to lose an arm.

God is looking for a few good men and women right now who are willing to lose it all to lay it all down for the sake of doing all that He has called us to do.

It is time to give it all up and love not our own lives unto the death!

We have nothing to lose and everything to gain! We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness for this journey and when this life is over we have eternity!

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it,” Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV)

The Gospel of Giving It All

The above scripture is something that Jesus taught a lot about when he was here on earth with his disciples and it still holds true today, but we do not teach people especially here in the American Church.

We are use to going to hear a sermon on self improvement or what will make me more money etc..and yes we need all of that, but we leave out the teaching that Jesus spent a lot of his earthly time teaching his disciples which was to deny themselves and take up their cross, and when you truly take up your cross and make up in your mind that you are willing to die if needs be to fulfill your mission, then that is when the Power of God comes on your life!

It is when the fire of God comes on your life. God is about to set some of His people on fire as they lay down their lives and are willing to sacrifice whatever this world has to offer them for the sake of the call!

Get ready, He is asking us this question: “Are you willing to lay it all down for the cause?”

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” Philippians 2:5-11.

You Have to Have a Mind to Die to Self

Jesus humbled himself and became obedient even to the point of the death of the cross, and then God the Father highly exalted Him!

God is looking to promote many in these days ahead to new positions in the Spirit realm and in their callings.

He wants to set the world on fire with these who may well become burnt offerings for Him. He is looking for those who are willing to give it all.

Are you willing today?

Are you willing to lay down your agenda for His?

We wait on The Glory of God, but He is waiting on His People to give it all up so the glory can come forth out of them!

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you,” 2 Corinthians 4:7-12.

The Dying Releases the Glory

Every time we lay down our life and suffer to self to do His will this death that works in us brings life to someone else. It is as simple as that, and God is looking for those who will allow this process and to have their minds made up that they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring that resurrection power to the world! Are you one of those who the Bible talks about that will be a “willing people in the day of His power?”

“Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power, in the beauty of holiness and in holy array out of the womb of the morning; to You will spring forth Your young men, who are as the dew,” Psalm 110:3 (AMPC).

God, we pray that you will continue to train us to deny self and pick up our cross and follow you wholeheartedly and willingly so that we will become that we will release all of the glory that you have died to place in us to a lost and dying world!

Give us strength in our inner man and boldness to obey your every command even if it causes us to lose our lives for the sake of the call.

Make us willing vessels of your love and Grace for the sake of the King and His Kingdom!

In your mighty, matchless name! Amen.

 

~ by Jo Ellen Stevens
Arise Shine!

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Jo Ellen Stevens of TCIC Ministries is a Prophetic speaker, author, worshiper and intercessor. She has ministered with her husband for 23 years and was a worship leader at the Assembly of God for many years. She is an ordained minister (Restoration Ministries) and works with Restoration Ministries in their Ministry Rooms doing prophetic worship with her husband. She has taught many bible studies and have led many intercessory prayer groups.

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