From the desk of Steve Shultz:
When I read this latest word by Bobby Conner, I felt like "Coach Bobby" was giving the team a "pep talk" to rile them up for what's ahead. This is a penetrating word, and quite sobering in parts—but it's all good. Yes, you too are called to be a "dread champion." You need to read on for the calling, purpose and cause which Bobby explains so profoundly well.
First here are a couple of excellent resources by Bobby Conner and others:
Bobby Conner:
Dread Champions Arise to Contend and Defend! We are Now in the Age of the Great Harvest!
Dread Champions, Arise!
Do you hear the battle alarm? It is ringing loud and clear! We are entering a very serious season—a season of confrontation. Our lukewarm "business as usual" attitude must die. The Spirit of God is awakening and arousing the Church, prompting us to arise and take a strong stand for Divine Truth. The war is raging and we must prepare for battle.
Meditate on this clear warning in Romans 13:11-14—and begin to declare this over your life and the life of this nation:
Besides this you know what (a critical) hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah). The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop (fling away) the works and deeds of darkness and put on the (full) armor of light.
Let us live and conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly as in the (open light of) day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy. But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for (indulging) the flesh (put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature) to (gratify its) desires (lusts).
Now is the time for the Body of Christ to be bold, brave and extremely courageous, combating the spirit of this age.
How will this happen? First, we are to "make no provision" for darkness. We're called to violently "fling away" quarrels, jealousies and any hint of immorality, to make absolutely NO provision for the flesh. The Lord has raised the standard of holiness to the highest levels of perfection.
Next, we are to not only resist in a defensive posture—but we are also to be on the offensive for our King. We are not called to live passive, quiet lives in the midst of evil giants; on the contrary, we are to actively arise and violently drive giants out into the open, exposing wickedness and defeating it through His mercy and grace, for God's glory. Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:12:
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force."
We are called to take the promised land of the Kingdom by force—without compromise or retreat. This war between King Jesus and His enemies of this world is going to be much, much more militant than we expected and we must prepare as serious soldiers of the Cross. Don't misunderstand me—our weapons are not knives and guns, bombs and bullets, but eternal weapons of power: Zechariah 4:6 states that victory is won "not by might nor by (our human) power, but (only) by My Spirit (of the Lord)."
Never forget it is by the Holy Spirit that we are empowered for action—but we need to come into agreement with the Spirit through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, purity, revelation of the Word of God, faith working through love and, above all, radical, unquestioned obedience. These are the characteristics of God's "dread champions."
We are champions because we have overcome the world by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony; we are dread champions because we consider not our lives unto death. This level of radical obedience produces Believers who will truly follow the Lamb wherever He goes—no matter the consequences.
This is the nature of a hero—and God is calling for spiritual heroes in this hour. The word heroism speaks of bravery and fearlessness. Heroes fight not for themselves, but for their King's honor, their country's honor, a greater honor than their own acclaim. These qualities of selfless valor are not born of the flesh, however. We cannot exert our will and abilities to become a dread champion. On the contrary: our heroism is in direct proportion to our yielding to Christ, the one true Hero. Only as we yield to the Holy Spirit will we be equipped to display these outstanding qualities of God's champions.
Are You Ready to Arise and Be Bold as a Lion?
Scripture declares in Proverbs 28:1 that "The wicked flee when no man pursues (them), but the righteous are as bold as a lion." Are we timid? If we are, our timidity testifies to our carnality, not true humility and meekness. To the extent that we are passive and fearful, we are giving ourselves over to the flesh, not the Spirit. It is sad but true...many churches today are embracing a lukewarm, compromising culture and departing from sound Biblical teachings—to the point of embracing false teaching and activities that contradict Holy Scripture.
May lukewarm love never be found in our hearts!
Are you lukewarm? Are you ready to arise and be bold as a lion?
Ask yourself this most important, soul-searching question: are you, as a Christian, tolerated by a Christ-rejecting world? Or are you so distant from your Elder Brother (the Lord Jesus Christ), that you no longer truly resemble Him? If you did, you would be persecuted and accused just as He was. This is not an easy question to ask, but ask it, we must! Christ Jesus warned us, stating that "the servant is no greater than his Master!" While He walked the earth in the flesh, Jesus displayed perfect love. Do we? Jesus healed the sick and set captives free. Are we? Are we offending the world by working the works of God, loving with His love, forgiving with His heart?
Jesus did nothing wrong—yet wicked and cruel men struck His face with their fists and spat upon Him as a criminal (Matthew 26:67-68). The Lord Jesus' back was beaten with many stripes. His beard was pulled from His face. A crown of cruel thorns was driven deep within His head. And, finally, He was nailed upon a cross to suffer horrendously and die between two convicted men.
What is the lesson we must learn? The servant is no greater than the Master!
We are no greater than Jesus! How can we, then, expect to receive the keys to the city and win Person of the Year? Saints, take heed! We must take a reality check. Remember that Scripture states, "All who desire to live godly...(in this present world) will suffer persecution." Our lack of true persecution does not testify to God's blessing on our lives—but to our weakness! To our flesh! To our desire to win the approval of men, not of God. If we do not resemble our Master, we pose no threat to the enemy and do not offend the world.
You Are Witnesses for Christ
Ask yourself this New Year: "Am I a true witness for Christ?"
Indeed, one of the Greek words translated "witness" is martyrion, from which we derive the English word "martyr."
Consider these Scriptures in which we find martyrion used:
...and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. Acts 3:15
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Acts 10:39
And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. Acts 22:20
The blood of the "martyr" Stephen is the blood of the true "witness" Stephen—it is the same Greek word. Are we willing to suffer as a martyr for our Lord? What does this mean exactly? We are called to pick up our cross and die daily...for die to this world we must.
The good news is that as the battle escalates, so will God's grace upon our lives. So will our passion for the King! Our lukewarm love is about to become inflamed for Christ. The timid Church is about to become the Church of the Lion of Judah—bold as lions!
Again, we have entered a serious season of confrontation in which we must contend for and defend the faith. This is the Word of the Lord for this hour: the battle is going to become fierce...but we know that "the battle is the Lord's"!
And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17:47
You can be confident that our foe, satan, has not changed his intent one bit: he still seeks to steal, kill and to destroy (John 10:10). We have nothing to fear because the Spirit of God is kindling a fire within the souls of God's people to prepare them to walk in power and purity.
Dear saints of God, hear what the Spirit of God is releasing in this hour. It is a clear and forceful command to the Body of Christ: Be bold and exceedingly brave, for God is with you in your quest! (Joshua 1:9)
Now is the time for the victorious dread champions to arise, come to the forefront and take a bold, strong stand, contending for and defending the faith (Jude 3).
Arise and Shine
It is time to arise and shine (Isaiah 60:1-8).
Holy Scripture warns that, in the End Times, the love of many will turn cold (Matthew 24:12). We must not let the light of our hearts dim, but we are to be a shining beacon of hope and love, radiating God brightly in a sin-darkened world (Matthew 5:14-16). If our light is to remain bright, however, we must rally now. Now! We must embrace the call to become "keepers of the fire" and defend the flame of the Holy Spirit.
This is who you are now, beloved: you are a people of burning passion, standing strong and filled with true conviction—never cowering, no matter the persecution or attack. Although we are observing an all-out attack to undermine the foundation of the Church and our nation, you are called to burn brightly with passionate love and radical obedience, true to the King. This is the call of the dread champions!
Is There Not a Cause?
I challenge each one reading to answer one question as honestly as you can. Let this soul-searching question—a question asked by a young David—echo within the depths of your heart: "Is there not a cause?" (1 Samuel 17:29). In other words, Is what you have worth fighting for?
In this passage of Scripture from 1 Samuel, we see the cowardly heart of Saul's army clearly revealed. Saul's men had run from battle. They were cowering in a ditch, fearful of their foe. Suddenly, a young shepherd lad approaches with a very different heart—the heart of a true champion. As the young David ponders the proceedings before him, Goliath taunts and threatens Saul and his troops, but David is not intimidated. He boldly asks, "Is there not a cause?" And again, he asks, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (vs. 26).
What are we to learn from this passage? As the armies of Saul, we, too, have been intimidated by the foes we face. We have retreated into the ditches while the antichrist groups remove our privileges and rights as Christians! In some places in America, it is against the law to pray in public or to read one's Bible. This is America—not a communist nation! If we don't take a bold stand, who will? "Is there not a cause?"
Our spiritual heritage is at stake—the legacy we will leave for our children and our children's children, the legacy for which our forefathers fought and died in WWI and WWII. We can't just sit by and let our nation spiral deeper into deception and darkness.
Why is this happening? The prophet Isaiah warns us of this very day in Isaiah 5:20, a day when people will call good evil and evil good. In our attempt to be politically correct, we have lost our goal of remaining Biblically correct. We see a culture that has contaminated the truth of God's Word, accepting what is forbidden in Holy Scripture, voting for same-sex marriages and installing gay clergy, following New Age teachers, consulting horoscopes and psychics, practicing yoga, drinking to excess and considering violent, pornographic and God-mocking films as acceptable entertainment. Some who call themselves Christians are even accepting other ways to Heaven than our Lord Jesus Christ, believing that there are "many ways up the mountain" (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
We must heed the severe warning of Christ:
Strait is the gate that leads to life, and few there be that find it, because broad is the gate that leads to death and many go in there. Matthew 7:13-14
There will be many who call out to the Lord in that Day, explaining that they prophesied in His name, cast out demons in His name and did not just some, but "many wonderful works." This is a fearsome Scripture indeed! For "many" will hear not a word of welcome, but a word that will cause them to gnash their teeth: "I never knew you, depart from Me, you workers of iniquity" (Matthew 7:23).
May it never be, Lord! May we be known by You!
Yet, the Scriptures warn us that "even the elect" may be fooled in the End Times. We are in just that time. This is a season of confrontation and spiritual warfare on a level not experienced in our lifetime. The spiritual landmarks are being removed and destroyed. It is time for a spiritual revolution! Now is the time to take a strong stand. As Scripture reminds us, "Having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Don't Just Take the Fort, Take the Land!
No one can exempt themselves from this war as a conscientious objector. No one is too young, too old, too weak or too unlearned. Simple, everyday Believers are being called to the front lines—and simple Believers have always performed enormous exploits for their King. Scripture reminds us that "It is the people that know their God that will display strength and take action doing great exploits for God" (Daniel 11:32). Such bold and brave examples should motivate us to resist the foes we face, and not just resist and hold the fort—but to take the land! Ponder the great exploits of the mighty men revealed in 2 Samuel 23:8-12:
"These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time.
And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder (or pick up the spoils).
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils (beans). So the people fled from the Philistines. But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory."
These Believers fought until they were weary, until their "hand stuck to the sword."
They contended with their very lives—with their entire strength—for the glory of their King. These reports are almost unbelievable, yet this history is reported accurately in the Holy Word of God. Just look at what these Believers accomplished:
- Adino was such a warrior that Scripture reports that he killed 800 men at one time.
- Eleazar fought when all others fled. He stood his ground and defeated the Philistines until his hand cleaved to his sword.
- Shammah took his stand in a bean field and defeated the Philistines.
These may have been called "mighty"—but we also have the example of Gideon. Here was a man of God who cowered and hid...until the Lord put on Gideon "like a glove" (the original Hebrew translation)—and prevailed!
These men were champions because they were true to their calling. The Lord gave them the heart of a warrior and the soul of a true champion—and they refused defeat.
The characteristics and conduct of these gallant, lion-like warriors of God serve as a prototype of the coming champions who are now being raised up. God's Spirit is once again calling forth the gallant Gadites to become part of a victorious band of Believers. These passionate warriors are the overcomers who stand strong for God's Kingdom (1 John 5:4), who defend the King and His Kingdom, no matter the consequences or persecution.
Remember the promise, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Knowing this truth will allow us to stand boldly, confident in the Lord's Presence, no matter what situation we face.
Paul reminds us that we are "More than conquerors in and through Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:37). Many of us don't feel victorious—but it is a disastrous mistake to consider our feelings as our guide to truth. We must walk by faith in the promises of God's Word and bring our feelings into alignment with His truth, not our subjective experiences.
Renewing Our Hearts and Minds for Victory
Practically, how do we manage our emotions in these End Times, when tempers flare, the news is gloomy and the darkness grows darker? The essential key is for each Believer to maintain a consistent walk of forgiveness—a forgiveness lifestyle.
How do we walk in a forgiveness lifestyle? When your feelings stray away from God's peace, even to the smallest degree, don't deny your feelings, but ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where the root lies in your soul. He will indeed reveal a wound or open door, most often a wound or door resulting from unforgiveness and offense. Then, simply ask the Forgiver to come and release forgiveness to the person who caused the offense that opened the wound. That person may include a loved one, a stranger, yourself—or even God. Ask the Holy Spirit to take the "ground" that you had given to the enemy with His Spirit and Truth, and your feelings will inevitably shift to the Lord's peace! It's guaranteed.
We must renew our minds and hearts in this manner so that the peace of God may rule and reign in our innermost being. Become a champion for your own inner healing by pursuing forgiveness in every single area of your life. This is the first and most important step to becoming a dread champion.
When you are free from unforgiveness, you will be able to boldly declare, "Let the weak say, 'I am strong'" (Joel 3:10). And to declare these mighty words of victory from Psalm 44:5:
"Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us."
Amid the conflicts and confrontations, we will maintain great peace, knowing that it is the God of Peace who crushes satan under our feet (Romans 16:20). You, beloved, are an ambassador for Christ, a divine catalyst to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. You are salt and light in a sin-darkened world. For the true followers of Christ, this is our finest hour! Prepare to see multitudes brought into the Kingdom of God. Now is the time to shine brightly, to rejoice and to be very glad! We are now in the age of the great harvest!
Dread champions, arise to contend and defend!
Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org
