Stand At Attention

This weekend during our Sunday morning service the presence of the Lord could be felt from the very beginning.  All through worship the holiness of God was proclaimed by those with hands lifted high, voices singing, sacrifices of praise offered to the King of Kings....the Holy Spirit moved down the aisles of the sanctuary tugging at heavy hearts and giving invitations to come. 

Healing and restoration....free gifts to all who would have the courage to receive.

The order of service was changed more than once.  I am grateful for a Pastor who hears and is not afraid to obey.  And I am thankful to those who so bravely shared some of the most intimate details of their lives and allowed God to use their testimonies to bring encouragment, deliverance and renewal to so many.


The Bible tells us that one way the enemy is overcome is "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of (our) testimony..." (Revelation 12:11).


While meditating on the events of our Sunday morning service, I felt like I heard the phrase "Stand At Attention."  I knew this was a military term, but was prompted to look up its exact meaning. (All you military experts out there, give me some grace :)

• Standing upright with an assertive and correct posture: famously "chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in".
• Arms fixed at the side, thumb or middle finger parallel to trouser or skirt seam, depending on military drill specifics.
• "Eyes front": head and eyes locked in a fixed forward posture. Ideally eyes unmoving fixated on a distant object. Blank facial expression.
• Keeping the heels together, toes apart
• No speech, facial or bodily movements except when as required by military drill
  (source)

When you look closely, the spiritual significance is obvious. 


We are the army of the Lord. 


God is calling us to "stand at attention."

• We are to stand upright (raised or directed vertically or upward; righteous, honest and just), with an assertive (confidently aggressive or self assured) and correct posture.  1 Corinthians 16:13 ~ "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."
• With our arms fixed at our side (removing all distractions of busyness)
• With our eyes locked forward (keeping our eyes on Him) and a blank facial expression (not literally , of course, but being unmoved and unaffected by our circumstances)
• Heels together, toes apart (He always has a certain order and way of doing things...although we may not understand or things may not always make sense, obedience is essential)
• Speaking and moving only as commanded (God, let us learn to move only when you say move and speak when you say speak...)

Another phrase I heard was "A Call to Arms." This is a command to war, to arm with weapons, a calling or grouping together to fight.


As we inch closer to the return of Christ, there is an enemy preparing to advance with intentions to kill and destroy.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of his world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

The general orders are the same.
 
God is asking that we be ready.  Stand at attention and be ready. 
 
And in our waiting, righteousness calls and holiness commands obedience. 

But our specific instructions will vary according to the gifts God has placed on the inside of us.
 
We wait for the signal to advance...just as those who came forward and shared their testimonies Sunday morning and just as those who were ready to pray for all who responded to the invitation.
 
The enemy is already being overcome.
 
Old systems of religion are being broken down.
 
His Kingdom is being established on the Earth.
 
Often, the battle may prove fierce, the enemy unrelenting, but our victory is certain if we answer the call.
 
We must resist the temptation to lay down our (spiritual) weapons.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of stronghold.." 2 Corinthians 10:4 Amp).

 
Let our only thought of surrender be to the Captain of the Hosts, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the One Who has assured us we are not standing alone or fighting in our own strength.
 
Stand at attention. 

Be ready. 

Hear the command.

Receive your instructions .

He is calling each of us to do our part. 

"For You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me and caused to bow down those who rose up against me" (Psalm 18:39).

Compelled into His Presence

This weekend as we celebrated Easter, we were surrounded by lots of family. We are truly blessed. And yesterday, as we sat down in the restaurant for lunch, Logan (my five year old) grabbed our hands and announced that he would be the one to give thanks for our meal. As he prayed, my sister and I sat in awe and with tears in our eyes at the words coming from his mouth. I know He hears God speaking and he understood what that day so long ago was all about....

God ( Gaaaawwwwd - long and drawn out, Texas style)....thank you for the birds. Thank you for the trees. Thank you, God, for my mom and my Aunt Vicki. (long pause and thinking.......) Jesus, you died for us! (in a loud 5 yr old voice) You died on the cross for our sins! And today you are alive! Thank you, Jesus, for what you did for us! We celebrate You today! Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross! And God (Gaaawwwwd), thank you for our food. In Jesus' name I pray....Amen.

A powerful prayer full of emotion from my five year old. Thank You, God, for my children who love you.

For the last couple of days, I've heard the word compel. I know what this word means, and how to use it in a sentence, don't worry (smile) but, being the word nerd that I am, I looked it up for it's exact dictionary meaning. (And yes, I am still a member of the dictionary.com word of the day club.) There were several definitions but here are the ones I particularly liked:

compel - to have a powerful and irresistible effect, influence, etc

compelling - requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect

I feel like God speaks to me sometimes through words, or a single word. I can hear a word over and over in my spirit, and then it seems that everywhere I look or everything I read the word is there..... and I know that He is trying to tell me something. It is exciting to search for the meaning like a hidden treasure and then feel the confirmation in my spirit when His message is opened up and revealed to me. He is so good and He loves to speak to His children.

So with this word, I feel like God is saying that He requires acute (extremely great or serious; sensitive even to slight details or impressions) admiration (the act of looking on or contemplating with pleasure), attention (observant care and consideration) and respect (the condition of being esteemed or honored) from me. And He wants to have a powerful and irresistible effect and influence over my life, every moment of every day. But I must answer when He calls (no matter what I'm doing at the moment). The Father is jealous of my time and desires my exclusive, fixed, undivided attention.

One moment with Him is unlike anything on this earth. I truly am complete when I am in His presence.

Is He compelling you today? Won't you answer Your Father and allow Him to speak to you this moment? He has secrets to tell and treasure to give.............

Father....I surrender my time to You. Order my day and fill it with Your presence. Let me be sensitive to Your voice above everything. In the midst of my busyness, let me hear Your call and answer without hesitation.........Your love overwhelms me......Thank you for desiring my attention, thank you that You still speak to Your children..........