Chapter 18 You Are Made For War, You Are Made For Battle;
War Cry
Excerpted from Women, Get in the Army of God by Dawn Wilson. Copyright © 2005.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Isaiah 42: 13 The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a
man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail
against His enemies.
God Himself raises a war cry, a shout, as He prevails against His enemies.
Warriors of the Living God, raise your war cry to God as you go forth into battle
against the enemy and his forces. God will route the enemy and his legions
before you. God will Himself utter a war cry as He prevails against the enemy
through you. How can we not join in and shout out a war cry with the war cry
uttered by our God as He defeats the enemy?
Let’s now look at the battle waging on the battlefield."
and
"There are two modes of battle: defense and offense. We as God’s army usually
carry on warfare against the enemy only in the defensive mode. We only attack
the enemy in defense of our held territory. The best picture I can give you is a
fort. We, as God’s army, are in our fort and happily carrying on our daily lives.
As long as the enemy leaves us alone, we happily go on our way and about our
own business. We, as this type of army, are content with the territory we have
taken. We will battle to defend and to keep our held territory. We are not willing
to give up any of it.
In this defensive mode, we warfare only when the enemy sends an attack against
our fort. We will defend our walls and warfare to keep our territory. In this
defensive position, we wait for the enemy’s attack to come against us.
We have almost totally forgotten that we have also been called to be an army of
the offense. The army of Joel 2 was not an army of defense; it was an army who
was taking enemy territory and warring in the offensive mode of warfare. We
know they were an offensive army, because the word says they were bursting
through the defenses. You, Soldier of the army of God, are called to be a
defensive and offensive warrior.
Offensive warfare is always pushing in to take control of new territory. It is
always pushing to take away from the enemy his held territory. We are to burst
through the enemy’s defenses and take his territory. We are not to wait around for
his attack against us; we are to be pursuing him and putting him on the defense.
Let’s study an example that shows Israel operating as a defensive army behind
their fort walls."