Back in 1939, a year or two before
WWII broke, Marshall was interviewed by a military reporter and asked if the
top officers in the US Army were fit to lead our soldiers into battle if
another world war broke out.
Marshall's immediate answer
was...NO. He said that most of the general officers, though excellent people,
were not prepared to lead soldiers into a modern war.
What he told the reporter is,
"The present general officers of the line have their minds set in outmoded patterns, and
cant change to meet the new conditions they may face if we become involved in the war that's started in
Europe....."
The reporter asked Marshall where
new generals might come from
Marshall had this little black book
that he kept with him all the time. The book contained the names of certain
younger officers, and he was spending inordinate amounts of time studying these
young men. He
was constantly assigning them to projects and tasks that were almost impossible
to complete and watching how they handled themselves. He said to the reporter,
"The ones that meet the challenges of these assignments will be pushed
ahead...and those who fail will be gone immediately"
Names in the book included Patton,
Eisenhower.
2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD range
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him..
Oh Lord, I pray
that our names would be worthy to be in
Your little black book. Lord I pray that we would all rend our hearts and turn
back to You. that we would give up the old ways of doing things, loose our
grave clothes and meet Your new challenges with enthusiasm, pure hearts,
contagious joy and sharpened Spirits. We have spoken for so long - that you are
doing a new thing....our hearts are pregnant with expectancy, waiting for you
to blossom forth in us a new way.
We give up our
outdated practices, our traditions that got lost in repetition and legalism.
We give up
scarred hearts and bruises and ask you to let us leak your presence out of our
scars.
We ask that you
would change us from within so that we can meet the new type of battle, the
enemy that is less obvious.. the craftiness of the serpent that attacks our
hearts.
These hearts
Lord, beat for you...we pray they are in tune with your heartbeat, in a perfect
symphonic rhythm with your heartbeat. The serpent tries, so desperately, to get
our heartbeats out of rhythm with yours. We weep and we cry and we hurt.....but
Lord, I pray that we would all be strong in this season and keep our eyes on
you. That, when our eyes are on you - our heartbeat beats faster and stronger
in rhythm to yours. I pray Lord that we would all persevere through the trials
and the challenges, that you would refine us and make us stronger, make us
deeper, make us love more and love each other well. I pray Lord that love would
erupt out of us in streams of living water....I pray protection over all of
our hearts. I pray revelation over the enemies refined attacks.
Marshall said
to the reporter, "The ones that meet the challenges of these assignments
will be pushed ahead...and those who fail will be gone immediately" I pray
that you would find all of our hearts to be a worthy dwelling place Lord. I
pray that we can walk in Your holiness and purity. I pray against the little
splinters in our hearts...the ones we have gotten used to. Jealousy, regret,
offense, bitterness. We have all been through the Fire - and we know not to
hold onto the "BIG ONES"...but, Lord, I pray for those little
splinters...the ones that are uncomfortable - bleeding just a little bit. I
pray that we would see the attack of the enemy to defeat us through a death by
1000 cuts...all dripping our life blood...our hearts...out- absorbed in self,
not focused on you.
I pray Lord,
that we would all find ourselves worthy to be
placed in Your black book. I pray protection over all of us as we walk out this
season. I pray against the assignments of the enemies on our hearts, on our
marriages, on our families.
Joel 2:12
12 “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate.
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate.
We turn, and RUN back into Your arms
Lord! We rend our hearts...transformation from within....seeping into the
atmosphere, bringing Your Kingdom to Earth. Oh, Lord...that you would find our
hearts to be a worthy dwelling place....
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