“The kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Lord” (Revelation 11:15).

At the recent Eyes and Wings Conference in Port Perry, Ontario, Canada, Lou Engle made this statement: “The Marines do not move in until the Air Force has softened the defenses first.”

He was referring to the military strategy of air strikes on key targets that would weaken the enemy’s ability to defend themselves before sending other troops onto the land.

Lou Engle is known as a leader in the Prayer Movement in the Body of Christ. He has mobilized tens of thousands of prayer warriors into a Royal Air Force. The power of intercessory prayer weakens the enemy’s defenses. Now, it is time for the foot soldiers to move in and take the territory for Jesus.

What is, er, striking about this analogy is that, just as you only need a small number of Air Force personnel to carry out the softening blows, so also you only need a few prayer warriors to get the process going.

But don’t let the small numbers fool you, because the damage they do is anything but small. Without the first step of prayer all attempts at winning the war are bound to be met with stiff resistance.

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”Winston Churchill spoke these immortal words shortly after the Royal Air Force had fended off the Luftwaffe, even though they were vastly outnumbered. Churchill described how the British airmen “undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion.”

Lou Engle can tell you story after story of how such concentrated prayer has resulted in governments reversing decisions and revoking laws, great numbers of souls coming into the kingdom in hostile territory and flourishing ministries being launched in seemingly barren areas around the world.

One of our DWOD subscribers, Glenn Stansfield will tell you that the reason he is the CEO of a successful multimillion dollar company is because a small group of prayer warriors at Morgan’s Point United Church became a Royal Air Force that softened the defenses of a powerful business magnate.

The result was unprecedented favour that led to the acquisition of a company without any financial resources of his own. A business that was given up for dead was resurrected into the thriving enterprise that is known today as Fleet Canada.

I am sensing that some of you who are reading this post have been gripped by a vision to conquer enemy territory for Jesus in a particular sphere. Here is a word of strategy for you. Gather a few prayer warriors together and soften the defenses first before you set foot there.

Others will relate more to being part of that Royal Air Force. Start praying for someone in your sphere of influence who is called to take the land for Jesus—a ministry leader, a politician, a businessperson, a media mogul, an entertainer, a high level manager or someone who is virtually unknown today but is consumed by a vision and a mandate from the Lord.

Some of you cannot see yourself in either camp. You too have an important function. You will serve as connectors who link the prayer warriors to the visionary leaders. Without you making the connection, the mission cannot be accomplished.

Friends, shall we all do our part to ensure that the Air Force softens the defenses, the Marines move in and “the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Lord?”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

“They did not play to win; they played to not lose; that is why they lost.”

Have you ever heard or read such an analysis from a sports commentator about a team that lost a crucial game?

Sometimes this is a reference to a team that played the game on the defensive, not willing to take chances on offence, for example. Or it could be a commentary on a team that was intimidated by the opposition and played with jitters.

Either way, clearly this is not the way to play the game.

Recently I heard someone say that an army with a reputation for success in war (e.g. Israel) has an attitude of planning to win every time, which sets them apart from another army that sets strategies in place designed to not lose.

They fight with the knowledge that they cannot afford to lose. They simply must win. They go on an all-out offensive that is designed to end in victory. They eliminate every possible factor that could result in victory for the enemy. And they exploit every weakness of the enemy with a strong offence.

Our speaker went on to point out how many followers of Jesus fight to not lose rather than to win. We either get so intimidated by the enemy of our souls that we dare not wield the weapons of our warfare. Or we get so caught up in defending ourselves that we fail to strike a deadly blow or go all out with the aim of winning.

The apostle Paul reminds us in this familiar passage from Romans that “we are more than conquerors.” There is no strand of defeat in the DNA of a follower of Jesus. We are winners, overcomers, warriors, through and through.

Paul also tells us in Ephesians 6:13 to “put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”Someone once pointed out that none of the weapons described in this passage are designed to cover our back. They all refer to equipment that we would wear when we fight face to face.

Yes, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation are designed to provide protection, but notice that the last item of the armour is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The reason for wearing the rest of the armour is to move forward wearing the shoes of readiness for the gospel and wielding the sword of the word. Once again, we see that the purpose for wearing the rest of the gear is so that we may be protected while we attack and win every battle over the enemy.

Because, you see, friends, we cannot afford to lose, either. We cannot even contemplate the possibility of the enemy winning. We cannot go with the attitude of “we win some, we lose some.” Our resolve is to win them all as Jesus did!

Dear DWOD friend, would you please take a moment today to assess how you are advancing toward your destiny? Would you characterize your approach as being more oriented to defence or offence? Do you fight not to lose or to win?

How soon you enter into your destiny could very well depend on your attitude. Remember: “You are more than a conqueror.”You fight to win…every time! Amen?

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”(Deuteronomy 24:15)

“I couldn’t help myself. It was as though I had no control. I had no choice but to…”

From time to time pastors like me will hear these words from someone who has messed up in some area of their life.

Granted temptations can be so severe at times, the attacks so intense or the pressure so immense that you could feel as though you had to succumb. Often in the heat of the moment, your will can be weakened so rapidly that you end up making a choice that you live to regret sooner or later.

Yet, is it true that you really had no choice in the matter?

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, writes about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp in a book that you may have read or heard about: “Man’s Search for Meaning.”

As you can very well imagine, prisoners at these camps had absolutely no rights. Everything was taken away from them, including their identity. Rather than being known by their names, they were assigned numbers.

You could make a very good case that they did not really have a say in anything that happened to them, that they had no choice but to accept their fate.

Frankl notes how some who had reached this conclusion got weaker by the day and died.

He, however, received a revelation that would help him survive the deplorable conditions that prisoners were forced to endure. Here is how he phrases it:

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.”

In other words, he still had a choice in the matter. Once he recognized it, now he did not have to feel powerless. Because he still had the power to choose.

Frankl chose to maintain a hopeful attitude rather than curl up and die as some did. It is this choice that helped him survive the concentration camp.

Here is another quote from the aforementioned book: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Even in the place where it may seem as though we do not have a choice, Frankl points out that there is a window of time when we can make a choice.

I recall a speaker who phrased it this way: “God is for you. The devil is against you. You cast the deciding vote!”

Recently, a Sozo minister taught me something that I believe will be a blessing to you.

Let’s say you are upset by something someone said or did to you. The stimulus is irritation. The most common response would be anger in one form or another.

However, in that space between getting upset and responding with anger, here is what Rob taught me to say: “I see you, spirit of anger. I refuse to partner with you. I send you to the foot of the cross. Now, Jesus, what you do have in exchange for me?”

You see, dear DWOD friend, it is only when you choose to partner with the spirit that attacks you that you respond in a sinful manner. When you refuse to agree, you are now in charge. You have power. You can now exercise that power in a godly way.

Try it. You’ll be amazed how you will make the right choice…every time!

I look forward to hearing your testimonies. Please share them with the rest of your DWOD family in the comments section below.

Yesterday, one of our leaders shared with me a directive she had received from Holy Spirit. To put it simply, He told her to instruct anyone who had been blessed by her ministry not to name her as the minister who had been used by Him.

This resolve was tested right away as she received a testimony from one of our DWOD subscribers. Sharon had showed up in church on Sunday with what seemed like a severe case of vertigo. She was planning to go home and rest until she felt better.

At that particular juncture in time, her paths crossed with our leader who promptly prayed for healing. The result was noticeable. Sharon was able to stay in church for the service, help with Sunday School, go out for lunch with friends, etc. In short, she had received instant healing from the vertigo-like symptoms.

Our leader was struck by the reference to the “faceless faithful” in yesterday’s DWOD and saw in it a confirmation of what Holy Spirit had downloaded into her spirit. She would go on to instruct Sharon to share her testimony accordingly.

This morning as I read through a contribution by well-known American prophet Bob Jones to The Elijah List, I was struck by the following words:

In 1974, the Father told me that He loves “mashed potatoes” and that is what He wants out of all of us. He wants all of us to come together in unity as one Body. Then when the greater works comes forth, no one person will get the credit. It will be corporate because His Body of Believers will function as one under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and in demonstration of His power.

The Father wants mashed potatoes – to where love is revealed in a remnant group and the love would be revealed for Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

The tomato and potato are of the same family. The tomato grows above ground on a vine and represents revealed love that everyone can see. Whereas the potato represents concealed love because it grows underground and remains hidden so only the Father can see it. Now, get ready for this hidden love to be revealed. There’s a revealing of the Father’s love in His Body and the mashed potatoes are the koinonia.

When the Body comes together in love, there’s no distinction between the Believers. Like mashed potatoes, they all look the same and are mixed together for His purpose.

The Lord also reminded me of a prophetic word declared by Canadian prophets Ivan & Isabel Allum in 2006:

“Prepare my people to receive the ministry of Jesus. The time is coming soon when the season of the ministries of men will come to an end and the ministry of Jesus will be restored and released again. The ministry of Jesus will be given to those who have become part of the ‘nameless and faceless’ generation that I have been preparing for the last 15 years.”

Nameless, faceless generation. Mashed potatoes. That’s you and me, friend. In the Kingdom, our destinies are intertwined. Isn’t that awesome? Praise God!

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25:21)

Many of our subscribers live in countries where November 11 is set aside to remember the sacrificial price paid by men and women who fought in wars and conflicts to either purchase, defend or preserve the freedom they enjoy today.

Here in Canada we call it Remembrance Day. You may observe it as Armistice Day or Veterans Day or another name.

Over the past couple of days, a number of my Facebook friends have changed their profile picture to that of a loved one or friend who is counted among the vast numbers of those who laid down their lives for us.

Most of us, however, are not able to do that. We do not know their names. We have no idea what they looked like. Even when we see their names engraved on a memorial plaque or wall or posted on a website, we cannot attach a face to them.

Yet, we are so grateful that they were willing to serve their countries when duty called or demanded.

Is it fair to say that most, if not all of them, would have never known that one day their memories would be hallowed and honoured? Perhaps they did not even realize the significance of their act of service and its impact upon succeeding generations.

But, we who live now, do. We remember them. We thank God for them. We appreciate their faithfulness to fulfil their assignment.

In the so-called Parable of the Talents, Jesus reminds us that He (the Master) values above all the fact that His servants were “faithful over a few things.”

What matters is not how much was entrusted into their hands. Whether it was 5, 2 or 1, what really mattered was what each servant did with the talent(s) they had received as a gracious gift from their Master.

Did the servants have any idea of the rewards they would receive as a result of their faithfulness? Not likely, eh?

They were singleminded in what they did with those talents. They made them count for their Master. They invested them, multiplied them, made them pay dividends, not for themselves, but for their Master. As a result, they were rewarded with greater responsibility than they could have ever imagined, “rulers over many things.”

Do you have any idea of the impact that your life will have on succeeding generations? You may get a glimpse here and there. You may receive a few testimonies if you live long enough.

Yes, it would be great to experience such rewards and bask in the joy of seeing how our lives touched others. Yet the truth is that you will never know the full impact on this side of eternity.

But the greatest reward we could ever hope for is to hear the Master say: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

In the meantime, all we are called to do is to be “faithful over a few things,” to simply complete our current assignment.

So, dear DWOD friend, would you be content to serve your Master, even if no one ever knows your name? Are you willing to be counted among the company of the faceless faithful?

I hope so. I pray so.