The Battleground: Holiness and Spiritual Warfare - excerpt1

Excerpt  from the introduction of my upcoming book:  The Battleground: Holiness and Spiritual Warfare

I am not sure when I first noticed it, but there was no doubt in my mind as I stood to preach that Sunday night what had been happening. We had just prayed over a cloth anointed with oil for the healing of one of the body of believers where I served as pastor.  A young lady stood to sing; as she sang her praises to God, I felt His spirit wash over me in a powerful way. I sat there, practically overwhelmed with a sense of the Spirit and power. In those moments, God revealed to me what I had seen, but not understood. 

A few months ago I had begun to teach a series of lessons on spiritual warfare. About that time things began to happen in the congregation: deaths, sickness, personal trauma, financial disasters. You would think I would have made the connection; after all, these are merely the manifestations of warfare in a higher realm. Within a few weeks, however, even though the negative effects of the battle were still being felt, God’s power began to break through into the life of the congregation. Four individuals over the course of two weeks, individuals with little or no contact with the church, were saved. The previous Sunday, six people came forward to be sanctified, baptized by the Holy Spirit. Worship, an important part of what goes on at our church, became endued with a special power, even though those leading were untrained and developing their own style. As I stood to preach, God redirected my message to unity in the battle and perseverance.

                Over the next few months and years God has shown me some aspects of the battle and how to be effective as a spiritual warrior. This book is about those strategies, tactics, and weapons. I believe in the final victory but I also want to be as effective for the Lord as possible on a day-to-day basis. The lessons contained in the following pages will give you a different way of looking at life, and, I hope, new tools to be victorious in your own personal battle.

This book should be available on Amazon in print version within the next month.  I'll post an an announcement at that time.  If you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to share.