Lessons Learned from Fort Sumter and Fort Pulaski

     The first battle of the Civil War was the battle of Fort Sumter.  The Union was badly outnumbered and had little provisions.  The newly elected President Lincoln did not have the support in Congress to send the necessary troops.  Confederate cannon kept a ship carrying provisions for the fort from resupplying them.  The battle lasted barely two days before the Union was forced to evacuate the fort.

     However, the Union had a more formidable weapon in their arsenal when they attacked Fort Pulaski outside of Savannah, Ga.  The weapon that brought the most devastation in that battle was called the 30-pounder Parrot Gun.  It was manufactured with a 'rifled' bore which made it's projectile spin as it left the cannon.  This gave it greater accuracy.  The Union only had to find it's range and then pound away at the massive walls of the fort.  It was only a matter of time before the accuracy and force breached the wall and shots began landing close the the fort's massive powder magazine.  The commander of the fort surrendered to save the lives of those inside the fort.  A continued bombardment would have caused a massive explosive and the useless loss of life.

     We, as Christians face the same Ft. Sumter and Ft. Pulaski challenge.  Too often we lose our battles because we declare ourselves to be inadequate to fight our enemy.  However, in 2 Corinthians 10:4-Paul declares-For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.  Our enemy, satan, has no match for our mighty weapon of prayer.  God's Word shoots straight and true to it's designated mark. 

      As I walk through my day, I continuously bombard hell's minions with memorized scripture.  My needs are met according to God's riches in glory.  My children are saved according to Deuteronomy 28:4.  By His stripes I am healed.  My His stripes all of my family are healed.  God has given us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  My enemies have become my footstool.  No weapon formed against me shall prosper.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.  God has prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  He has anointed my head with oil and my cup runs over.  I am blessed and not cursed.

     My arsenal is endless and limited ONLY by what I have memorized of the scripture.  Let me say this with all the grace I can.  The army of the Lord is the most powerful army ever assembled.  No nation, no leader and no army can defeat the mighty army of God.  Yet, we are besieged and destroyed all day long by our laziness.  We have the greatest weapon and we don't take it up and use it.  

     The Republicans and Democrats have blatantly shown that they CANNOT straighten out the mess that they themselves have created.  When will the most powerful party on the face of the earth rise to it's greatness and begin to rule with God's grace?  It's not up to me, my friends.  As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.  It is up to all of us, collectively, to rise to this occasion and dig into our arsenal of prayer and turn our great nation around. 

     If our prayer-guns are silent, then we will continue to lose this war and we have no one to blame but ourselves.