A few nights ago, I had a dream that I know was for me but it was also, I believe, for the church as a whole.
I dreamed I was searching through a house I used to live in. Suddenly I opened the door, and I could see a man cowering and standing in the bathtub. He had been there for a while and was pale and thin. I brought out a shotgun to shoot him, and the gun would not work. I started to panic. This man sensed an opportunity and began to rush toward me. I knew I would be overpowered quickly, so I turned to run. As I did, my earthly father, a former grunt soldier in Vietnam and all-around tough guy, came running through the door and quickly overtook the enemy. The battle had been won and was over.
As I awoke and went down to pray, I could sense right away what God was trying to tell me. The enemy had been found out. The enemy had been hiding and cowering in the corner of my house. He was in the last place I thought I would look. The weapon I had may not have worked, but God came to my aid. This dream was not about my earthly father but my heavenly Father. God had this battle. God easily defeated the enemy. I may have been stumped in battle, but this small and puny enemy was no match for my daddy. I didn’t have time to overanalyze why my gun didn’t work or why I started to run in fear. God already had the enemy defeated.
I feel as though many in the body of Christ are struggling with this today. Maybe they took on a battle they weren’t sure if they’d win, and they feel themselves growing weaker. Maybe they were ready to pick a fight that God never called them to fight. I want to remind the body of a couple Scriptures today.
“And he said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts'” (Zech. 4:6).
“Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear, nor be dismayed because of this great army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s'” (2 Chron. 20:15b).
Too many of us know these Scriptures in theory, but we aren’t practicing them. What do I mean by that? We know God has already won the battle, but are we living as though we do? Or are we running in fear when the enemy starts to come and attack us?
The enemy in my dream was a weak, emaciated man huddling in my bathtub. He was already defeated by God before I even entered into the room. It’s not up to us to fight this battle, but to step aside and let our Father handle it.
Put on your combat boots and trust in your God! Your heavenly Father is your hero. Rest in the knowledge that the battle has been won. He is coming for you and charging the enemy today! He has already won the battle. Trust in your God. The complete victory is yours!
Anna M. Aquino is a published author, guest minister and prophetic voice. Her books, Cursing the Church or Helping It? Exposing the spirit of Balaam, Confessions of a Ninja Mom, An Ember in Time and A Marriage in Time are available wherever books are sold. She has been nominated as one of the top female writers of 2019 from The Author Show. She has been on TBN, TCT and a variety of other programs, both TV and radio. Please feel free to check out her website at annamaquino.com.
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