TURNING POINT

“The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", it was the war's bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties. It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address.”
 (See http://www.gettysburg.travel/about/history.asp.)

I found these comments on the website after my return from my trip to New Jersey. If you have watched or heard the teachings “Fear Not” or “Turning Point,” you know that I was impressed to stop at Gettysburg on my way there. Everything from the few hours of extra time to the timing of my arrival at the park indicated Divine will was making the way for me to see what I was to see.

A study about the Civil War has never been a priority on my reading agenda, but for some reason I have always wanted to visit Gettysburg, maybe because I majored in speech in college and have always thought Lincoln’s short speech at Gettysburg was an ultimate classic. So I ended up there on a rainy Sunday not realizing any other purpose than to fulfill a curiosity. I should have known better. Nothing has ever been without purpose since I began my true walk with the Lord.

There was a narrative by Morgan Freeman in a movie prior to the viewing of a cyclotron presentation of the third and final battle at Gettysburg. The gigantic 360-degree scene with the noise of cannons, guns, men screaming and clouds of smoke rising was absolutely amazing.

As I drove away through the quaint streets of the town of Gettysburg and on to Philadelphia via Pennsylvania Highway 30 I realized the Lord had led me there to show me something prophetic. The more I prayed and pondered about what I had witnessed, the more I realized it was about a turning point.

“That’s it!” I thought. “Now we, the remnant, are at a turning point!”

We have been in warfare for years now, but we have come the time of the great onslaught of Satan and the demonic forces. As in that three-day battle at Gettysburg, the Rebels thought their superiority in numbers would rule the day and win the battle, but what won the battle were not overwhelming numbers, but superior weapons and higher ground. The Union soldiers had positions on higher ground, which gave them the advantage over the greater number of the Confederates.

The battle at Gettysburg was not the final battle of the Civil War, but it was the turning point of the war which lingered another two years or so.

The Lord is telling me to tell everyone to BE ready for this final assault of the enemy. Yes, it seems we are greatly outnumbered, but if we position ourselves on higher ground and wield our superior weapons (gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit), we will turn the tide and assure the victory. We are making the Lord’s enemies to be His footstool, which has always been our calling.

What are we to do?

Dress ourselves with the whole armor of God:

• Truth girds and holds everything else in place. Since it encircles our loins, it is reproductive.
• Righteousness, being how we walk and do, protects our heart and vital organs.
• Peace is the key to our relationships in our walk in the Gospel of Peace. This takes much forgiveness.
• Faith (the real kind) shields us from the wounding darts hurled at us from time to time by our foe.
• Knowing always and ever we are a saved one protects our mind from corrupting doubt and fear.
• Praying and warring always in the Spirit. (Pray much in the Holy Spirit or in tongues).
• Watching, watching, watching and not giving up until we see the final victory.

Finally, where we position ourselves is critical to victory.

Some are moving to different parts of the country, but not discerning a Body of Christ. With all my heart and understanding, I believe it is absolutely essential in this hour, like no other, to be jointed to a Body of believers who see and understand deliverance and spiritual warfare. It is time to make the Kingdom the first priority above all else. We are going to need people of real faith around us during the times of conflict. You will see.

I have more to say about all this in my next blog.

Steve