A Call to War

The prophet Joel was given a message: God’s people needed to wake up! They needed to take a fresh look at the world and see the problems caused by sin.

God called them to repent, to humble themselves, to cry out to Him and become serious about their spiritual lives. As they repented, God promised to intervene, fight for them, restore all that had been lost, and bring His blessings.

But His people needed to realize that they faced a real war! God spoke of a great conflict that would take place one day as nations were drawn into battle in the valley of Jehoshaphat. There, God would await them.

The Lord told Joel that we all must make sure that our lives are right in His sight. Is there sin for which we need to repent? Are we seeking Him first…being sensitive to His Spirit…obeying His call…and serving Him?

Today, ask God to help you see the needs in the world and give you a burden for the Lost. According to Operation World, the “sobering fact” is that “probably 15-25% of the world’s population has not really heard the gospel in such a way as to respond to the offer of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ.”

Remember that you are a soldier in God’s army. Be ready for battle, always listening for His command, filled with His Word, seeking first His Kingdom, armed and ready to use spiritual weapons to tear down the strongholds of the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:4). It’s time to wake up!