Behind the Music: Call to Battle

INSPIRATION:

My spirit had been in a state of unrest with the world around me. I have personally experienced spiritual warfare in many areas of my life.  I see spiritual, cultural, and literal war against Christians near me and around the world. Brothers and sisters wake up! We are at war!

At the same time, I have no need to fear because I know God, our leader, our Savior, is all powerful and He fights for us.  We have example after example in the Bible of the battles He won for the Israelites. It was important to combine those two words into one song. 

LYRICS:

Are you ready for this one? "Call to Battle" is a call to the Christians of this nation to wake up and see that we are at war. The spiritual battle has come to the physical realm and here we are at a pivotal time in the history of the world. Whether you believe, as many do, that the end times are at hand, or
not, we can all clearly see that the world as we knew it is changing and not in our favor. How long will the sleeping giant of the American church remain content and satisfied with the surface level relationship with our Savior; only allowing God access to the parts of our lives that are convenient to us; keeping our relationship with God separate from our everyday lives?  Armor up spiritual warriors!! There is an amazing painting that comes to mind (see image). The painting depicts the armor of God on a strong, confident, vibrant warrior.  It is true, with each piece of the armor we take up, it builds the confidence and faith that is needed for war. Train, prepare, and be ready to stand strong and courageous in the face of opposition and attack. 

"Spiritual Soldier" by Angela Miller

Wake up Saints it's time for battle!

Wake up Saints the time has come.
The enemy is all around us,
and the war has already begun.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Take up the shield of faith.
Hold the sword of the spirit high
for God's word always saves.
Be strong and courageous,
stand your ground.
Join together in prayer and praise
for that's where victory is found.

And our leader?.... The chorus is a reminder of God's power. We do not serve a weak God.  On the contrary, we serve the MOST powerful, MOST mighty, ruling King above all kings, kingdoms and dominions!  Nothing stands up to Him, but all things fall to Him!!!  The chorus gives the reality of God's strength and power. Make no mistake, there is no stronghold that God doesn't see. His power needs no words or even actions to be felt and effective in the presence of the enemy. He holds all authority, above culture and the all mighty popular opinion. Just because someone, or a lot of someone's call sin okay, does not make it so. God decides, God judges, period. So I choose God. I choose to be in His army and fight any fight He places before me. I am a warrior. I will not be afraid, because I know He fights for me.  I know He wins!

There is no stronghold, that God can't see.
His presence alone makes the enemy flee. 
His authority, it reigns supreme.
We fight for you Lord.  We fight for our King.

Verse 2 is a warning to the people who openly mock God. There are so many people who walk in darkness, and seem to be assured that they will go unopposed. Not so!  The day quickly approaches when each person is called to account for our actions and words before the almighty God. The Bible tells us EVERY knee will bow (Phil 2:10). Be warned, this is a war and there are only two sides. You either choose Jesus, or default to the devil (tip: Jesus is the right, better, more enjoyable, best choice. CLICK HERE for more info)

Woe to those who love evil.
Woe to those who mock the Lord.
The day of reckoning is dawning,
and all will bow in one accord.
He is the maker of heaven and earth.
Creator and judge of the law.
Conquering lion of Judah with,
Legions of angels at His call.
War is upon us, choose your side
Heed the warning, and now choose life.

The bridge harkens back to the early leaders of our faith who urged us to "consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of any kind" - James 1:2 and "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. - 1 Peter 1:6-7

When persecution comes our way,
Count it joy!  Count it joy!
Saints begin to fast and pray!
Count it joy!  Count it joy! When trials come that train your faith,
Count it joy!  Count it joy!
We lift up our hands and say,
Count it joy!  Count it joy!

God has closed the mouths of lions
He has calmed the raging sea.
He fights the battle for us,
and gives us victory.

PRODUCTION

It was really important to me to effectively communicate strength, a serious somber tone of war, but still positively encourage believers to rise up!  We discussed all of these things and who to translate them into the song, from the obvious gospel feel, a vocal call to battle, a trumpet sounding the alarm, and Native American drum beats at the beginning. Without being too literal or gimmicky, that was a lot to put in one song!  But I am so pleased with the outcome. I was doing my Rocky Balboa victory dance in the studio when we finally got the right combo. When it came together we could hear it so clearly. That's it!  That's the inspirational, strong, warrior, call to battle sound we wanted. Thank you Jesus!  

As you can tell it is a strong, no nonsense song with vocals to match!  I didn't know if I could deliver, read more... (Too much for just one post!)

So now you know the story behind the music.  My prayer is that you will rise up people of God. Prepare for battle by drawing closer to God daily -read scriptures, bow in prayer, listen for His voice, meet with believers.  Stay alert and always ready to give an answer for the joy you have (1 Peter 3:15) ...even during battle.  Rise to be the warrior God created you to be. 

LISTEN TO:  "Call to Battle"

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