The Lord spoke to me saying, “Tell the Church they are not dealing with a full deck.” As my mind pondered what the Lord meant by that, I began to see a vision. As the vision unfolded, I saw a group of believers playing cards. As the people continued to play, I could see all the cards they were holding in their hands, and thought it strange that all of the cards they held were red. Every single card was either a heart or a diamond. Even as they continued playing, each card they drew or discarded was a heart or diamond. Not once did either a spade or club come into play. Looking about the room I noticed a pile of cards off to the side on top of a bookcase. These cards, laying there face up and spread out, were all the spades and clubs which had been taken out of the deck.

I asked the Lord what this meant, and He responded, “I have wanted My beloved to know how much I love her (represented by the hearts), and I have wanted her to know the promises I have for her (shown by the diamonds), but in this she has forgotten that she is called to build (symbolized by the spades) and to battle (which were the clubs).”

Yes, it is true that there is a large section of the Church running around busily attempting to build for God and fight His battles, but who fail to realize His great love for them or wonderful promises to them. I believe this is one of the reasons God brought the Toronto Refreshing — God wanted our hearts to clearly understand, “I LOVE YOU!”

Called to Build & Battle
But some believers have become so enraptured with His love and so excited by His promises they have forgotten to do what they are called to do! As this vision reminds us, the call upon disciples of Jesus Christ is to build the kingdom and to battle the enemy.

When Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), what was Jesus' response? He said, “On this rock I will build My church” — there is the calling to build, “and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it” — there is the call to battle.

In the life of every true disciple there is always this twofold calling. You don't need to ask the Lord "Am I called to be a soldier in the army of God? Am I called to help build up the kingdom of God?" Yes you are! The dress-code for believers should not be a suit or a dress, but battle fatigues and a utility belt, because we are all called to be soldiers and construction workers for God's kingdom. You may not think you signed up for duty, but every person in the kingdom of God is a soldier of the King, and each disciple has been given a spiritual building permit.

Charles Spurgeon understood the importance of this calling and that is one of the reasons he entitled his magazine “The Sword & Trowel.” The sword is a weapon for making warfare, and the trowel is a tool for masonry brickwork … for building walls. Spurgeon got this title from the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is a critical book for the body of Christ to study in these days to understand what we are called to do. In Nehemiah the people were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Each man who built had fastened to his side a sword so if they were attacked he could join the battle. “Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built” (Nehemiah 4:18). From the day you become a believer to the day you leave this earth, you are called to build the Church, to help strengthen it, and to battle the enemy. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the enemy, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). As His disciples, we get to enter into His work and be part of it! The kingdom of God is building up a special people while destroying the works of Satan!

While we need to lay hold of this dual calling, it is important not to fall back into the trap of using what we do to define who we are or why we are valued by God. It has been a great breakthrough for the Church to awaken to the truth that they are not “human doings” but human beings. Remember, we are not called to be “human doings” frantically doing this, that, and everything else. Who you are and your preciousness to God is not determined or defined by what you do.

However, a human being who ceases to do anything ceases to be a human being … for they will cease to live! To be alive, you have to breathe, you have to eat, you have to grow, etc. Without doing these basic things, you will not be alive for long. And it is the same for our spiritual walk. It is not simply “I was created to be with Jesus, to be loved by Him, and return His love.” There are things you must do to have your spirit alive within you. Unless we spend time with the Lord in prayer, praise, and reading His Word our spiritual lives will soon shrink away and die. There are also specific “preordained works” which God created for you to do. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Not only were we created for relationship with the infinite God of the universe, but He created works for us to do. It is not that God created us to do works (as if He needs the help getting things done). No, quite the contrary. Before the foundations of the earth were laid God knew just what you would be like — your talents, skill, strength, etc. — and the holy Trinity had a “holy huddle” delighting as they designed good works for you to accomplish. “Look at those abilities, gifts, talents, and strengths. What tasks shall We make for them to accomplish?”

Remember, you are not saved by doing these tasks. Neither are you accepted because you do these works. You are not loved by God as a result of accomplishing these things. The truth is we are to do these things not to earn God's salvation, love, or acceptance, but because we are saved, loved, and accepted. They should flow out naturally from this secure position!

The kingdom of God is not a matter of being versus doing. It is not this or that … it is this and that! We are in a day when we must embrace the power of the ampersand — the “and sign.” The kingdom of God is more than finding a comfortable balance. It is coming into fullness! God created us to be a people He could love and be loved by, this is our identity. But He also created things for us to do and tasks to accomplish, a destiny for us to walk in. Let us begin to both be who we are called to be and do what we are called to do — to both be God's special treasure and fulfill the destiny He has for us. It is time today to begin to use the whole deck.