"21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.."– Matthew 7:21-23
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Watchmen Nee stated in his book “Spiritual Authority” that we can do things that appear like there for God but their really to make ourselves look good. That is the why God should be feared, He can judge the thoughts and intents of our heart(Hebrews 4:12). I have been thinking about how easy in America it is to do things that appear like there for Christ but they are not. God cares more about our heart and whether we submit to His authority and will. "Not our will but yours be done Lord Jesus."

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
– Revelation 3:15-16 KJV
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There is a grat article in World Net Daily dealing with the above verse and why the American Church needs revival. Why are Christians losing America? What are some things that we can do to bring and keep revival in our own lives? What can we do to keep our flesh crucified with Christ? Watchman Nee seemed to have a continual Revival in his life and a very personal walk with Christ. Watchmen Nee “realized that he had been crucified with Christ, that it was no longer he that lived, but Christ Who lived in him. He also realized that in order to experience the death of Christ in a subjective way, he needed to bear the cross. Although he had been crucified with Christ in fact, he also had to remain in Christ's crucifixion in his experience. He learned that to remain in Christ's crucifixion was to bear the cross by refusing to allow the old man or the flesh to leave the cross. He realized that in order for him to have such an experience, God must sovereignly arrange his environment, making it a practical cross for him to bear. This is exactly what God did throughout Watchman Nee's life.” see Watchman Nee “Revelation and Living”

"Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were a heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver fill of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So with the strong arms of prayer draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly---all of them, straight at the Enemy's hosts" Jim Elliot
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The above quote from Jim Elliot is taken from a letter he sent to his parents explaining why he was going on a missionary trip that would later cost him his life. I have been reading more about some of the heroes of the faith. They were men and women who loved the Lord with all their heart, body, mind, soul and strength. Men such as Jim Elliot, Wachmen Nee, Corrie Ten Boom, John Bunyan, and John Knox. I am praying that I could be more like that and less like the worldly American I have so become.

Mark 12:29-31

“29 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31 The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

The Battle of Culloden, Scotland 1746
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The Battle of Culloden was a brutal slaughter of the Scottish Highlanders by the English Duke of Cumberland in 1746. After defeating the Scottish Bonnie Prince Charles, the English Duke slaughtered the wounded in a most brutal manner see Events after the battle . After the battle the English took away the right of the Scottish to have bagpipes, to wear their tartans, to own arms, to be able to ordain their own Pastors. Basically they tried to take away the entire Scottish identity. This brutal battle and its aftermath led many Scottish Highlanders to flee to what would soon become the United States. Some of these Scottish Highlanders settled in an area that looked like their homeland, Eastern Tennessee. 128 of these men of Scottish descent would turn the course of the Revolutionary war at the Battle of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, in 1780. They became known as the Over the Mountain Men. By 1780 the British controlled almost all the southern states. The Over the Mountain men joined about 870 of their fellow Patriots to fight 1000 British Loyalist at the Battle of Kings Mountain. These 128 Over the Mountain men took their 2 Scottish Fighting Pastors with them and it was reported that they could kill a turkey at 400 yards with their long rifles. This was a major reasons the Patriots won this battle, even though the British Loyalists had the high ground. An interesting side note is not one of the Over the Mountain men lost his life in this battle while about 228 British Loyalists lost their lives. The British General Clinton felt this was the turning point of the Revolutionary war.

There is some spiritual significance that can be gained from these two battles. First off the Scottish people lost all their identity and the things that helped make them Scottish. We need to lose all of our worldly identity and be crucified with Christ. I personally have been going through my own personal battle of Culloden against sin in my life. Christ is showing me that I need to throw off the sin that so easily entangles me. I need Him and Him only as the center of my life. He needs to be my first thought when I wake up in the morning and the last thought when I lay my head down to sleep at night. Hopefully the Battle of Kings Mountain will take place soon in my life, where Jesus Christ is truly King over every area of my life, and a revival hits me my family and friends like the Patriotic victories that followed the Historic "Battle of Kings Mountain".

" Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.” -F.E. Adcock
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The above quote made me think about why Jesus picked who He did to be His disciples. They seemed to fit the mold of some of the best "grunts" that ever faught for the United States Military, Smedley Butler, Audie Murphy, and Alvin C. York. Common men with uncommon courage and the heart of a servant. Is it better to desire to be an armchair General or a Grunt? "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Matthew 23:11"

"“Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man.” -George S. Patton
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Patton was probably not a Chritian in the orthodox sense of the word. Even so, the way he fought physical battles in WWII is probably the way the church should fight spiritual battles; always on the offensive. I have been thinking about Patton’s quote about fortifications. It often feels safe inside the Church building/ fortification; however the real Church is out there in the fields. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in China meet in farm fields, peoples homes, wherever people gather. I have read of Pastors there who spend days walking sharing the Gospel from one community to another with no sleep or place to lay their heads. They have seen much revival by not getting comfortable in a big church building or erecting a monument to themselves.