The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Life for the believer is often a battleground; many days, we feel like we are in the middle of an all-out war. We face opposition from the world, from satan, and sometimes from the people nearest to us. David was a man who understood battles. He stood tall against Goliath as a youth. He fought for Israel even while the king fought against him. He led his men into many skirmishes before and after he claimed the throne. David knew how to fight, and he knew how to prepare for battle.

Psalm 20 was written before one of those battles and it gives us great insight into preparing ourselves for the fight ahead. Grab your Bible and read all nine verses of this Psalm.

David knew that the first and most important step is prayer: “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you” (v. 1). The only way that God can answer you is if you ask Him for help. And the help you and I need comes “from the sanctuary” (v. 2), from His holy heaven (v. 6). He also knew that God’s ears are attuned to those who consistently love and worship Him before they are in distress (see v. 3). He remembers and He responds.

Verse 4 is challenging. Is that a guarantee that God will “give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed?” If we have called on Him, sought His help and counsel, and have committed to follow His battle plan; if our heart’s desire is His will, our plan will be His plan and it will succeed.

And when the battle is done and victory is ours, then fellow warrior – it’s shoutin’ time! “We will shout for Joy!” Oh, how that resonates in my heart! And we will declare the victory in the name of our God who heard our prayers and granted our requests (v. 5).

David also reminded himself of what he knew was true – “The Lord saves His anointed,” and when we call on Him He responds with all “the saving power of His right hand” (v. 6). He also declared that God, not earthly powers, that will bring the enemy to their knees.

When we face a battle, we must remember two things: God, not you or I, will win the day, and “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12). So “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mat 5:44). Then get your armor on, (Eph 6:10-18). Beloved, “the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam 17:47).

The Battle is On!

Lately, the Lord keeps taking me to battle stories in the Bible, where Israel is overwhelmed and threatened in the face of a powerful enemy. Today I’m in 2 Chronicles 20 and the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites are coming against Judah (the southern half of the Kingdom of Israel). The king, Jehoshaphat, did two things right: he proclaimed a fast for all the people in his territory (v. 3) and he prayed (vs. 5-12) It’s an awesome prayer and you really should read it. The king declared the sovereignty, power, and might of the Lord God and reminded Him of His promise to hear His people and save them. Only then did he point to the enemy and their threats. And he said, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.” And here’s the part I am holding onto with all my strength: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (v. 12).

I heard a preacher once say, “You are either in the middle of a spiritual battle, coming out of a spiritual battle, or are about to go into a spiritual battle,” and he was dead on. As I said before, spiritual battles are part of the Christian life as long as satan roams the earth. And we may be outmatched but God is not. Listen to the word of the Lord through His prophet: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (v. 15). And there’s more: “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you . . . Do not be afraid: do not be discouraged . . . the Lord will be with you” (v. 17).

The next morning the king told the people, “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld;” (v.20). Then he ordered the oddest battle plan: “Sing to the Lord and praise Him for the splendor of His holiness” (v. 21). As they sang His praises “the Lord set ambushes” against their enemy and they turned and destroyed one another” (v. 23).

God still fights for His people. And He hasn’t lost a single battle yet. Yours won’t be the first. Trust in the name of the Lord your God Beloved and get ready to shout for Joy when He brings the victory!

Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual battles are part of the Christian life, and they come in many forms, but always with the same purpose – to destroy God’s mission. Satan is the hand behind spiritual warfare and his chief battle plan is to make God’s servants back down from Kingdom work. He has a great variety of weapons. He frequently uses fear and sin. But his favorite fiery dart is discouragement. And he will often use people close to you. I know this one personally.

After the Israelites were granted their freedom from Babylonian captivity, Nehemiah lead the people to rebuild the walls that protected Jerusalem. But Israel’s enemy (led by Sanballat and Tobiah) did not want those walls back up. They started their opposition with ridicule (Neh. 4:1-3). But Nehemiah and the people called on God to “Turn their insults back on their own heads” (v. 4) and they continued the good work. “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height,” and I love this part, “for the people worked with all their heart” (v. 6). The Israelites were not discouraged or distracted.

But neither were Sanballat and Tobiah. They attacked with more anger and “plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it” (v. 8).  The Israelites still did not lay down and quit. “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” (v. 9).

Even the neighboring Jews warned them that the attacks would continue and the persecution did begin to wear on them, (v. 12). Nehemiah told them, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your homes” (v. 14). And so “we all returned to the wall, each to his own work” (v. 15) with building materials in one hand, weapons in the other, and a sword at their side (v. 17-18), and the assurance that “Our God will fight for us” (v. 20).

Five times Sanballat tried to stop the work, even writing blatant lies, “trying to intimidate me” (6:19). But Nehemiah knew “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’” So he prayed, “Now strengthen my hands” (6:5-9). The wall was completed in fifty-two days (v.15) and the enemies “were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (v. 16).

Spiritual warfare is real and it’s ugly, but do not be afraid of the enemy or anything or anyone he uses. Pray for strength. Keep your hand to the work and your Sword at your side. Beloved, God will help you. He will fight for you, and the enemy – and his weapons – will lose. “No weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me.” (Is 54:17).

Dig a Ditch

The nation of Moab was on the attack. The armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom set out to fight Moab in the desert. After a week of marching, they ran out of water – a deadly thing to face in a desert. Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel turned to God’s prophet Elisha for the Word of the Lord. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make this valley full of ditches’” (2 Kings 3:16). Jehoshaphat assumed God was going to send rain to fill the ditches and provide water. Not so. Elisha said, “You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water” (v. 17). Water is going to magically appear in the desert? Right! The prophet answered, “This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord” (v. 18). Not only will God provide water for Israel, but “He will also hand Moab over to you” (v. 19). The armies obeyed and set to digging. In the morning the ditches were flowing with water! The army and the animals were refreshed and ready to press on.

But remember God’s second promise? When the Moabite army began to take up their battle positions in the early morning, the rising sun was shining on the water. “To the Moabites, the water looked red like blood” and they assumed that the armies had turned on one another and slaughtered each other. Their battle plan changed – “To the plunder, Moab!” (v. 23). But Moab walked right into the revitalized armies, and the few that survived turned tail and ran.

I confess I sat down to write with a heavy heart this morning. I am facing some tough things right now. I feel the press of the enemy against me. I feel his hot, nasty breath on the back of my neck. I was flipping through my Bible for inspiration and God stopped me here on this page. This is what He is speaking to me right now – and to you. “Yes, the enemy has put a bullseye on you, but I will help you. Watch Me easily do what is too hard for you. Dig a ditch and prepare to receive My blessing. Watch Me use that blessing to overthrow your enemy.”

I don’t know what the enemy has up his evil sleeve against you. But I know Who has your back. Beloved, dig a ditch.

Hebrews: Kill That Sin!

Last week as I was driving I spied something in the road up ahead. When I got closer I realized it was a vulture enjoying his road kill. I thought he would fly away when I got closer but all he did was take two hops to the other side of the road until I passed by and then he hopped back to his feast. I guess his appetite was greater than his sense of danger. Or he was just a fool.

The writer of Hebrews warned them about the dangers of ignoring the gospel, rejecting Jesus, and falling into apostasy and unbelief. Now he warns them about becoming lax about sin. He said, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4). The fight against sin is a life-long struggle. We cannot let our guard down, even for a moment. We must remain diligent and ready for battle. Armor on. Sword and shield in hand.

In context, the writer was speaking against the sin of apostasy, of walking away from Jesus. His readers were facing persecution and even death for their faith in Christ. Many would sin by turning away from Christianity. They chose not to struggle with the temptation of apostasy, they just abandoned Jesus. They loved their lives more than they loved the Lord. But most of us (at least in the west) do not face the prospect of death for being a Christian – yet. But we do face sinful desires.

And let’s be honest. We don’t really struggle with our sin, do we? Oh, we may give a wimpy word of protest, but we still give in to it more often than we want to admit.  We call it a “stronghold” a “lifestyle” or even a “right.” David called it cherishing sin in our hearts (Ps 66:18). We also don’t look for “the way out” that God provides, because we don’t want to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Like the vulture on the road, we want to stay close by. And that’s dangerous. Deadly even.

It is time to be brutally honest about your pet sin.  It is not your friend.  Paul said we must, “put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed” (Col 3:5). You need to kill it, Beloved, before it kills you.

Know Thine Enemy

Sun Tzu, a Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher in the early 6th Century wrote the classic, “The Art of War,” From which we have taken the phrase “Know thine enemy.”  Paul cautioned believers with similar words saying that satan will not outwit us if we are aware of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11 paraphrased). We need to know our enemy to the degree that we recognize his evil hand in situations we face.

I thought of this yesterday as I was writing out a passage from Job. “God has found fault with me;” Job 33:10. This is one of Job’s detractors summarizing Job’s lament. Yet in the very beginning of his story, God said of him: “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8; 2:3). The truth is, God didn’t find fault with Job. Satan did.

One of Satan’s favorite schemes goes like this: he presents a temptation, dangling the carrot of pleasure or power or wealth before us, enticing us until we bite. And as soon as we do he changes his tactic from temptation to condemnation. “Look at you! You call yourself a Christian? God is disgusted with you! He will never love you after what you’ve done!” Pretty soon we’re crying, “God has found fault with me.”  Sound familiar?

You and I need to know the difference between satan’s guilt trips and the Spirit’s conviction. When the Spirit speaks to us about our sin he does so with the goal of restoration. Conviction from the Holy Spirit brings “godly sorrow [which] brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. But satan brings “worldly sorrow [that] brings death”  (2 Cor 7:9-10). Satan just wants to tear us down and bury us under a load of shame. Here’s how you can recognize one from the other. Satan’s attacks turn our attention to ourselves and what horrible creatures we are. The Spirit will always turn your attention to God and His mercy, forgiveness, and grace. And love.

In heaven, satan is called “the accuser of [God’s people], who accuses them before our God day and night” (Rev 12:10). But God’s not buying it. And neither should you Beloved. If you are in Christ, God sees His Son when He looks at you. Not your sin. And so should you.

VBS and the Armor of God

Today kicks off our church’s Vacation Bible School week. I am doing the mission lessons for the elementary school students – trying to plant some seeds of sharing the gospel into the minds of wiggly, giggly bodies will be a fun challenge. I am sure I will need therapy by the end of the week. I loved VBS as a kid. The churches in our community scheduled VBS on alternate weeks throughout the summer to give exhausted moms a break. My brothers and I went to all of them.

I am reminded of one summer when a friend and I created a VBS program based on the Armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18.  We learned about the heroes of the Bible and their great exploits for the kingdom of God. We studied each piece of the armor, created them as craft projects (man, that was a lot of aluminum foil!), and taught the children to “put on” the armor every day by touching their heads to remind them of the helmet of salvation, touching their waist to remind them of the belt of truth, crossing their arms over their chest to remind them of the breastplate of righteousness and so forth. 

The day we studied the shield and the sword we spent hours blowing up hundreds of balloons and writing words like sin, anger, jealousy, disobedience, cursing, unkindness, etc. First, we took away their shields and swords and tossed them to the kids who had no way to protect themselves. Then we handed them back their armor pieces and “attacked” them again as they blocked the balloons with their shields and batted them away with their swords. It was a simplistic way of explaining the armor, but I think the kids got it and I knew it was a powerful visual to me.

So much of ‘putting on the armor” is mental – but still very practical. It is intentionally wrapping ourselves in truth, remembering that our heart is protected by the righteousness of Christ, that satan’s words have no power because of God’s salvation.  It’s building up a store of “swords” to fight the enemy and reminding ourselves to stay safely behind our faith in God. It’s leaving footprints of peace wherever we go.

Beloved, are you fully dressed to face the day in this world? The Armor of God is not just good theology, it’s good practice every day. Because we’re not just battling balloons out there.

How to Make the Devil Run

Is there anything more precious than the “Cherub Choir” – those little preschoolers singing “Jesus Loves Me,” and “This Little Light of Mine” (won’t let Satan blow it out-whoosh!)? Precious to you and me, but a sight and sound that makes satan tremble. That’s why I love these words from the quill of King David: “From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2).

It is a sweet image with a powerful truth: Praise silences the enemy!

What is the devil’s most powerful weapon against us? Verbal abuse. He throws a constant barrage of words, thoughts, doubts, fear, condemnation, lies, lies, and more lies at us. Jesus said that lies are satan’s “native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44) This verse gives us the secret to disarming the devil and shutting down his lies: Praise the Lord! Praising God puts Satan in his place by reminding him that he is a defeated foe and that Jesus will soon return to complete his destruction.

It seems too easy to be real, but it works. Just open your mouth and pour forth praise. Search the scriptures, especially the Psalms where expressions of praise abound. Write them out so they will be handy. Better yet, commit them to memory. Let your praises drown out the lies of Satan. And surround yourself with songs of praise and worship. I know this works because I’ve experienced it in my own life. Several years ago during a deep and serious bout with depression, “After All/Holy” by Crowder came on the radio. I tried to sing, but all I could do was sob until the 2nd verse and slowly words began to replace my cries, and by the end of that song I was singing with full voice and a face full of tears. It was the turning point in my depression. 

When the enemy of your soul is berating you, when he’s pouring condemnation and doubt into your mind,  resist him with songs and words of praise. Not only does it stab at satan’s evil heart, but it refocuses your mind and lifts your own heart.  And the best reason of all to praise God? Because He is worthy. Beloved it’s time to stand on the Name and the Praise of God Almighty and make the devil run!

Spiritual Battles

Do you ever feel like life is a war? That’s because it is. Believers in Christ are in a battle, a constant fight of good vs. evil.  The enemy launches his attacks every day, from the culture, from the unbelieving world, even from our friends and family. Anyone who is trying to live a holy and righteous life in these evil days is standing on a bullseye. And our enemy fights dirty. So how do we gain victory in this battle?

I like the example of one of David’s “mighty men” who fought by his side in his many battles.  The Bible says that Eleazar “stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword” (2 Samuel 23:10). Eleazar had a literal sword with a sharp blade and a hilt that was shaped to fit his hand. You and I have a better sword, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph 6:17). If you study the armor of God in Ephesians 6 (and I strongly suggest that you do) you will find that this is the only offensive weapon we have, but it is all we need because Satan trembles at the sound of Scripture. It cuts him to the quick and it cuts through his lies. Like Eleazar, we have to keep the sword in our hands at all times, until our fingers are permanently shaped to grasp and use it. The enemy doesn’t take a break so we can’t just pick our sword up and put it down. By the time you reach for it the enemy has already struck. The Word of God has to become part of us, written on our hearts, planted in our minds, and always on the tip of our tongues. That requires an investment of time and discipline. But it’s the best investment you’ll ever make.

But there’s one more thing about spiritual battles you and I need to know. The victory has already been won. The enemy has already been defeated. When Jesus took our sins to the cross and the grave, satan thought he had won. But when Jesus’ chest rose with his first resurrection breath, the devil was forever defeated. And he knows it. He just doesn’t want you to know it. Everything he throws at you has no power against you – unless you drop your sword and shield. God has “given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). His Word and His Spirit are the weapons that will give us victory. Beloved, be assured, you are not fighting a losing battle.

Thus Saith the Lord

This morning I was reading in Proverbs (a great source of practical and spiritual wisdom) and came to this: “Every word of God is flawless, He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). Immediately my mind went to the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and the Shield of Faith, and a light went off in my mind. I’ve always understood that the shield of faith is my confidence, my trust, my determination to stand strong behind my faith in God. Do you see the weak link in that chain – my. It’s all dependant on me. And I am not that strong. My faith is feeble on my best days, and I’ve had some pretty rough days of late.

But if my shield is God’s own words – what a strong and study defense I hold in my hand. If my confidence is in God’s promise to “never leave you nor forsake you” (Jos 1:5) and to “be with you where you go” (v. 9), the enemy cannot penetrate God’s faithfulness.  If I am clinging to His declaration that “You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you . . . I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Is 41:9-10), I know satan cannot defeat me. And if He said “Remain in me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4), it’s His hand in my hand that is holding strong to that shield and nothing and no one can break His grip. When Jesus was in the wilderness, what was His response when the devil tried to tempt Him? “It is written . . .” (Matt 4:4, 7, 10).

Just a side note: did you notice the second part of Proverbs 30:5? Go back and read it again – I’ll wait for you. When your faith is crafted from the very Word of God, God Himself takes up the position of defense. He is YHWH Magan – The LORD the Shield. If that Shield of Faith is going to protect you it must be made of something stronger than steel – the mighty Word of the living God. Beloved, if you will put your faith in “Thus saith the Lord” you will see your Shield standing between you and the enemy (see 2 Kings 6:15-17). That’s a position of security and victory.