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How To Win The Battle
Have you ever been to war? For many of us the answer would be no. I know our country has been at war for the past few years, and I’m grateful for the soldiers and warriors that are fighting and protecting our country, but I’m not talking about a physical war, I’m talking about a spiritual war.
The Bible says “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age” (Ephesians 6:12) and “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
I’ve been reading the Old Testament and it is filled with many wars that the Israelites fought. All through the OT, they are fighting with this country or that country or fighting amongst themselves. As I’ve been studying, I’ve found a way that ensured them of a successful battle. It surprises me that after all the battles they faced, they themselves didn’t always pick up on this secret.
Do you want to be a successful warrior? Do you want to conquer that enemy that you’ve been facing? Well, read on, and I’m going to show you “How To Win The Battle.”
Joshua had just defeated Jericho. He had trusted in God and did all that God had commanded. They marched around the city, shouted and the walls came tumbling down. They utterly destroyed everything that was in the city according to what God had said to do (Joshua 6).
Now here Joshua was about to take on the city of Ai (Joshua 7). Instead of asking God’s advice, he listens to man’s advice. His spies told him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few” (Joshua 7:3). Joshua heeded their advice and Israel was defeated at Ai. If he would have sought God first and listened to God’s advice, he would have found that there was sin in the camp. Israel suffered an unnecessary defeat because they didn’t first seek God.
After the camp was cleansed from sin, and they sought God’s advice, they were able to defeat Ai. God said to them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it” (Joshua 8:3).
Gideon was another man of God that listened to God’s instructions before going into war. “And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands…Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.’ … ‘Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.’ … ‘By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place” (Judges 7:2-7). With three hundred men, Gideon defeated the Midianites because he obeyed God.
Saul was a mighty man of God when he started off (1 Samuel 11). But God took the kingdom away from him and gave it to David because Saul didn’t completely obey God’s command (1 Samuel 15). Unlike Saul, David sought God’s advice before going into battle and he followed through with that advice.
1 Samuel 23:2 says, “Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.’”
1 Samuel 30:8 says, “So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them…’”
2 Samuel 2:1 says, “It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘Where shall I go up?’ And He said, ‘To Hebron.’”
2 Samuel 5:19 says, “So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.’”
All through the Old Testament there are many more instances where the children of Israel inquired of the Lord before going into battle and God would tell them to do certain things in order to succeed. There were battles where the Israelites didn’t even have to fight. All they had to do was trust in God for salvation.
So what is the secret to a successful battle? It’s seeking God’s advice before you engage in the battle. It’s as simple as that. If we “Put Him First” and let Him show us what to do, and then follow through with what He says to do, we will always be successful.
What battle have you been facing? Does it seem like you can’t get victory over the enemy in your life? Here’s what you do, you put away some time to pray, fast and seek God on what you need to do to overcome that enemy. You wait on His answer and then you follow through completely on what He says to do. If you put your trust in Him, He will fight for you and YOU WILL WIN THAT BATTLE!!!
w/muchluv,
geno
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