Raise Up An Army

Shane Kennard

22 Oct, 2023

Raise Up An Army

There is something I didn’t mention about the Ezekiel passage…did you see it?

Read Ezekiel 37:11-14

God brings dead people to Life inside their soul to raise up an army for his Kingdom.

Because Christians are often perceived (I believe rightly so) as “warring” against non-Christians around them, I hesitate to use the “army” language. Instead of throwing away this language, let’s define what God means by army…

God does NOT raise up an army that fights in flesh and blood.
God does NOT raise up an army that fights with anger and yelling and shaming.

God DOES raise up an army that fights against the powers of darkness to advance the Kingdom of God.
God DOES raise up an army who fights against darkness with the LOVE of God.
God DOES raise up an army who fights against darkness with the PRAYERS of the saints.

This is what your family gets to come alive for! Don’t raise good children. Refuse to settle to produce “law abiding citizens.” Do not make attending church the pinnacle of your Christian life.

Lead your family to come alive with the Spirit of God so that your family is a part of a massive army advancing God’s Kingdom to the ends of the earth!

And it all starts with you. You challenging yourself to be disciplined to Read, Find & Pray so you can have a Hear & Follow relationship with Jesus. Then lead your family from the overflow of what God does in your life.

Leading from overflow is much better than leading from demand. Here are a an example from each…

Leading from demand looks like, “I demand you to sit down and do this Bible study as a family.”
Leading from overflow looks like, “Look at what God showed me today when I read the Bible.”

Both may get the Bible read as a family. One is more likely to sow God’s Word into your family’s hearts. And one is far more likely to let the Spirit work in the lives of your family.

What needs to change in your life so that you lead from the overflow of what God does instead of demand your kids be religious?

A few ideas…

  • Spend time with God First, Before. This is you Hearing from Jesus. Only through this can you even have overflow.
  • When God speaks, Follow. As God changes your life from the Life he gives your soul, those closest to you will notice.
  • Talk about what you see God doing at dinner, in the car, as you live life.
  • Write a verses that stood out to you on a whiteboard or the fridge or another place visible to your family.
  • Find a place to serve. Your church. A community organization. Non-Profit.

Remember, it won’t be perfect. You will get frustrated at times when you try to share and no one listens or your class clown cuts up or your boys do boy-like things (we have 4 boys…we know what it is like!).

And yet, God uses it all! The high moments and the valleys. Walk through the valleys to find the mountain tops! He wants to use you to raise up an army. An army that brings his Kingdom down into your family so that your family can advance his Kingdom to the world!