An Army Arising

I see an army arising, an army not of the mighty, but of the humble, the slighted, the injured, the abused, and the oppressed. In this army, everyday men and women are equipped to fight great evil through their ability to discern it, for they themselves have known that evil; they have experienced that evil. A man or woman who has experienced evil is far more discerning than the one who has never experienced evil. And that is their edge: their ability to recognize evil when they see it. And quietly, unrecognizably to many, discernment is coming to masses of men and women who have experienced evil firsthand. That’s the army of which I speak, and that’s the army this post is written to, to help them identify and discern their own calling.

We live in a fallen world that is surrounded by evil. Yes, there are evil men and women. They seek to use, abuse, kill, maim, and murder. They find a disgusting pleasure in their sadistic path. Sadly, those harboring that kind of evil in their hearts is growing. We see it: on the news, in the headlines, and in our midst. The Bible foretells us of this dark event in the coming human history: “evil people and phony preachers will go from bad to worse as they mislead people and are themselves misled.” 2 Timothy 3:13, CEV. Doesn’t that Bible passage describe what we see visibly taking place today? 

Yes, we are living in a reality shaped by phoniness. Men trying to be women and women trying to be men. Phony, hokey, foolish, idiotic, and moronic; that’s what we are being fed by spoonfuls to bring men and women into the land of make believe. Notice, the Bible doesn’t disguise who those men and women are. No! It plainly recognizes them for what they are — evil. Anyone who tries to feed the masses on mass hysteria is an evil man or woman. Unwaveringly the scripture affirms who they are — evil men and woman, preachers of phoniness, prophets of false deities, heralds of harm who are injurious to everyone, including themselves.

The delusional should not be listened to, especially when they are the midst of their delusions. Dreams are one thing, delusions are something different. I will explain. I know I will never be a professional basketball player. Why? I’m 5 foot 6 inches tall. (By the way, I never wanted to be a professional basketball player. Even if I wanted to make it in that sport, I knew I could never make it. That’s reality). Being delusional doesn’t require us to face reality. Rather, we engage with fantasy. And that’s a very dangerous place to be. Everyone is confronted by cold, hard facts, truth, and reality. In this world, no matter how hard we try to get rid of them, our own reality is defined by those things. 

 “The army I see arising knows God and not just about God.”—Scott Wallis

There’s something freeing about knowing what you’re not called to do and who you’re not called to be. When you realize that, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you do, no matter how hard you want something, that thing, whatever it is, that thing isn’t going to be in your future can bring such peace, liberty, and freedom. Meeting your maker in the realities of daily life isn’t a chore. No, it’s a blessing, it’s a gift from our maker who has set the boundaries of our lives. Yes, God has a plan for you. What a great message! Thank you, prophet Jeremiah for delivering God’s Word to us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11, NIV.

And right there, in that place of boundaries, we find purpose hidden. Our purpose, often hidden from us, draws closer to us as we discover our own boundaries and limitations. The army I see arising has discovered their boundaries, their limitations, their weaknesses. And within that understanding, they find grace, grace for living life the way it was meant to be lived — beneath the shadow of the Almighty. For it’s in that shadow that we find the substance of life itself. God shelters us from that which would oppose His purpose and plan in our lives. 

The army I see arising has found their purpose in God’s presence, in knowing God not just learning about God. And that’s the difference between the army I see arising and the masses of mankind. The army I see arising knows God and not just about God. For that reason, they can discern truth from falsehood, the lie at a distance, the tempter in his disguise as a sheep, the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Yes, an army that can discern its enemy is a dangerous one. Sheltered from spies, this army arises with flames of fire in its eyes, burning with holy purity in their pursuit of God. Where the tears they cry aren’t fashioned from pain but from divine purpose.

This is the army of God; it’s the army I see arising right now in secret behind the scenes in every nation on planet earth. Their voice is hidden within the silent pace of life under the cover of common sense and ordinariness. Not the embellished, lavish lifestyle of the “rich and famous”, but the umbrella of the path of pain — the labor of righteousness. Yes, as God revealed to Elijah, so also He reveals to us — “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:18, KJV.   This hidden army is mighty in power for they haven’t “kissed the ring” of another king; they haven’t bowed the knee to the subterfuge of subservience. No, they have not become the conquered. Rather, they have conquered through conscience. 

 Behold the awakened ones are coming, an army is arising unlike any we’ve ever seen and now is the time to join that army. The recruiter’s office is open and heaven is listening for those who are looking to sign up. All we must say is what the prophet Isaiah said, “Here I am  Send me!” Isaiah 6:8, NIV. 

Let Us Pray

—Scott Wallis