The Battle is Not Yours to Fight!

Oftentimes, as we venture through this thing called life, we find ourselves confronted by giants that seek to intimidate us. Often, these are only giants because we have allowed them that opportunity of intimidation; we have viewed them in such a manner through our physical eyes and have allowed them to frighten or discourage our forward progress. But whatever the reason, the fact remains that they are giants to us. Whenever they raise their ugly head in our lives, we become terrified and retreat to a place of safety and security.

In my years in ministry, Satan has often thrown giants into my path. The feelings of being incapable to continue forging on along the path GOD is leading become overwhelming. Fright and discouragement as others who have been strong ministry partners begin to disappear and before long it is as though you are the only one standing any longer. I have been through it many times. I have traversed paths with fear and trembling, wondering if GOD was even there any longer. Wondering if GOD even cared what I was going through. Yet, there was always that calm feeling of assurance inside that He was there no matter how difficult the journey seemed to be.

We can turn to 1 Samuel 17 and there find an incident similar to these giants that come into our lives. David had gone out to check up on his brothers who were in the midst of a battle against the Philistines. As he was talking to them, Goliath the giant stepped out and began to ridicule GOD and the Israelite army. In verse 24, the Scripture reads: “When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.” The giant created quite a stir among the Israelite army, such that they ran from him, terrified.

But David stood his ground. He refused to allow the giant to intimidate him; rather, he determined in his heart to bring that giant down to the ground. Picking up at verse 45 and following we read these courageous words David spoke to the giant: “David said to the Philistine, You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies- you have defied Him. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

David  recognized that defeating the giant would not happen by anything within his own power. Rather, he knew that this battle belonged to the LORD and it would be the LORD who would bring the victory to David. When Satan throws giants in our path, we must recognize that the battle is not ours but it belongs to the LORD. The victory comes through trusting in Him. Whatever you might be going through today, give it over to the LORD and there you will find victory!

We came into this world knowing very little. Through interaction with our parents, siblings and others and by observing the actions of others, we begin to understand the concepts of life. However, if we had never stepped out of our comfort zone and attempted to walk, we would have never learned to walk. The same goes for talking as well as everything we have learned to do. We can observe all day but until we actually practice a new skill, we will never be able to carry it out.

Moses had just come down from his 40 day mountaintop experience with GOD. GOD had given him instructions and laws to teach the people to follow. As he looked out upon the vast multitude of people he was instructed to lead, he said to the Lord: “Look, You have told me, Lead this people up, but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You said, I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight. Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight. Now consider that this nation is Your people. Then He replied, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:12-14 CSB).

Moses recognized his great need for the Lord’s intervention in his life and walk. He recognized he was unable to go it alone. But GOD’s words of assurance came to him, He promised He would go with him and be with him in and through it all. By faith, we know Moses stepped out of his comfort zone and led the nation through their wilderness wanderings for 40 years.

Today, we go through tremendous struggles and hardships in this thing we call life. Through human eyes, it all appears as hopeless. It is no wonder so many turn to the bottle, to drugs, to fornicating and to suicide. Looking around one can easily see life is full of hard struggles and difficulties. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. We have an opportunity just as Moses did to cry out to our loving Heavenly Father for help. In His love and gracious mercy, He will guide and direct our paths. 

Understand, life doesn’t just become easy by turning to GOD, but He will take the heavy weight from our backs and help us through our every day. He will guide and direct us and gives us assurance His everyday that life is going to get so much better. The day will arrive when we leave this earth and its hardships and find eternal rest in His comfort in His kingdom. Remember His words of promise today: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

As I look at the chaotic condition our nation is in, I wonder how long we can continue to go on before judgment falls, before another nation swoops in and takes us over, before somebody flips the switch and all out nuclear war breaks out. Just a few minutes in front of the news makes me wonder how we are even still around today.

As I was thinking about all this earlier today, I recalled how Israel had failed GOD time and again. I remembered how patient GOD was with them and how He endured their godless acts and their overt sinfulness for extended periods of time before He eventually poured out His wrath upon them.

The sinfulness and idol worship had continued for a long time. At last GOD allowed the nation of Babylon to invade Jerusalem and to carry its inhabitants to a foreign land and a foreign people. For seventy years, the nation suffered as servants to the Babylonians. I wonder why GOD didn’t just write them all off, turn His back on them and forget them. But, being a GOD of love and grace, He never forgets His people even when they have forgotten Him. 

At the end of the 70 years, GOD provided a man by the name of Nehemiah. This man was lifted up to a high position in the king’s court. As the king’s cupbearer, he and the king developed a close relationship. Through GOD’s working, Nehemiah was able to convince the king of his heart’s desire to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem that had been destroyed 70 years earlier. The king provided for Nehemiah’s journey as well as offering protection throughout.

GOD is raising up a force of Nehemiah’s across America today. These are those believers scattered across this land who will take a stand for what is right, take a stand against the sinfulness of this nation, humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, raising up a standard of purity and holiness. GOD is calling out for men and women of GOD who will preach and proclaim the absolute, unadulterated truth of His Word and individuals who will stand against those who maintain any theology that is opposed to the teachings of GOD’s Word.

The truth is this: Jesus will return one day for a church without spot or wrinkle. Unfortunately, many of the churches scattered across America today have sold out to the politically-correct gospel, have forsaken the truth of sin, hell and repentance and have chosen rather to preach a gospel that requires no change, no repentance, no turning away from sin and degradation. These churches are spotted and wrinkled and lacking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Their people are unprepared for a coming Lord and Savior. Many will know what happened after the rapture comes but it will be too late. They will cry out but there will be no one to hear them.

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the acceptable day of the Lord. Turn to Him today. Surrender to Him, give your life to Him and seek to live your life in holiness, acceptable unto the Lord. Will you be ready when the trumpet sounds?

If you…come to Christ, he will appear as a Lion, in his glorious power and dominion, to defend you. All those excellencies of his, in which he appears as a lion, shall be yours, and shall be employed for you in your defense, for your safety, and to promote your glory; he will be as a lion to fight against your enemies. He that touches you, or offends you, will provoke his wrath, as he that stirs up a lion. Unless your enemies can conquer this Lion, they shall not be able to destroy or hurt you. Unless they are stronger than he, they shall not be able to hinder your happiness. ~~ Jonathan Edwards

As children, we learn early to trust the strong hands of our fathers. We learn those hands give us protection, love, guidance and direction. We learn that when we are frightened those hands are the place to run to for safety and security.

As we grow older, we begin to drift away from the protection of those hands. But, as we do, we continue to discover a need for the protection, love, guidance and direction those hands once offered to us. We begin to look around for something that will fill in that gap. We turn to things that appear to offer us what we need, only to discover a false sense of hope. We search more and struggle more. The world seems to have the answer for everything; yet, it doesn’t take long to discover these things fall short—leave us lacking—always in need of something more.

We come to a crossroad. We can continue to try out the world’s offerings, and always come up short and wanting; or, we can turn to an Almighty God that has mighty hands that will always be there for us. John 10:28 offers a beautiful promise of hope to all who will trust in Him: “I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (Jn 10:28 WEB). 

As children of Almighty God, we are guaranteed the protection of His strong hands throughout all eternity. We understand that no weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). We also recognize we are able to do all things through Him which gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).

Whatever problem you may be having, whatever dilemma you are facing in life, turn to the strong hands of the Father and trust in His abilities. He will carry you through to victory. Remember, my God shall supply all your needs according to His great riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). 

As one stands out on a dark, cloudless night and observes the celestial beauties overhead, one has a hard time failing to recognize the majesty and beauty of it all. The Psalmist spent the years of his youth living out under the stars tending his sheep and observing the beauty of creation all about him. And from all that observation, he one day declared: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge“ (Ps 19:1-2 CSB).

It is very easy to go through life without ever acknowledging the awesomeness and beauty of nature. It is easy to step completely away from the reality of it all and in so doing fail to recognize the grander scale of things. Certainly, some have taken the celestial beings and created gods of it all in their own human way of thinking. But, it goes so far beyond that. David’s words are meant to bring us back to the reality and the truth of it all. He did not exclaim the heavens declare their own glory; rather, He said the heavens declare GOD’s glory.

In Romans 1:20, Paul wrote: “From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made.“ A look up at the heavenly bodies can reveal some fascinating things about Almighty GOD. Through it, His eternal power and divine nature are revealed. Isaac Newton observed the heavens and came away declaring: “Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.”

It happened by the will and workings of an awesome GOD. Not for His own benefit but for the benefit of humanity. So that in and through these glorious workings, His crowning creation, mankind, could come to experience His awesomeness and desire to be in His arms of love—in a deep, intense, extremely personal relationship with Him.

Understanding that He is an eternal GOD—He has always been and will always be—offers reassurance when one’s world seems to be falling apart or caving in. Psalm 90:2 says: “Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are GOD.”  Understanding that He is an infinite GOD—nothing too difficult for Him, nothing too challenging for Him, nothing beyond His ability to overcome—grants assurance to all who follow Him, that He is capable of handling every issue of life that arises. Jeremiah wrote: “There is nothing too hard for You” (Je 32:17).

As we begin to take notice of all of GOD’s glorious workings around about us, the intricacy of nature and how perfectly sequential everything around about us, including our own bodies, is, we cannot help but carry out the words of the Psalmist to: “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.“ (Ps 96:3). Our GOD is truly an awesome GOD, glorious above all things!

It seems “staying focused” in our lives can often be a difficult reality to attain. So much going on around us. Life passing by at an incredible rate. Raising the family; maintaining the job; keeping up with the chores—all of these and so much more can easily pull our attention away from our main focus. I suppose some of you may be wondering, What is my main focus? An answer to that question needs to be formulated by each of us for when we have nothing to focus on in life, we have nothing to aim for. And when we have nothing to aim for, our life always seems to be lacking.

To help formulate a main focus, let’s take a look for a moment at John 3:29-30: “He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John the Baptist is hearing the rumors going around that King Herod’s household is wanting his head. He realizes his days are short. So, what would you do if this were you? Would you readjust your outlook on life—would your focus change? John had established a life focus that was a rock for him—a strong, unshakable foundation that kept him from wavering around in his life pursuits.

Recognizing his position as a servant to the groom (the groom’s friend), he found himself listening, always watching and waiting for the next move of the groom (Jesus); desiring to hear His voice. In this his joy (his life) was made complete. John focused on Jesus and upon seeing Him increase. He recognized it isn’t about me; it is all about Him! By maintaining such a focus, it didn’t matter what life slung his way. It didn’t matter if the executioner was ready to slay him. It only mattered that the name of Jesus grew more and the name of John faded into obscurity.

In today’s world, everyone is trying to make a name for themselves; yet, the Word of God tells us our life’s goal, our life’s focus, is to make a name for Him—JESUS! When we get focused upon Jesus, we will find the cares of this world, the problems this world throws our way, and life in general simply takes a back seat to His glory and to bringing honor always to Him. Today, stay focused on Jesus and point others to do likewise.

Choosing the Right Path

It is interesting the tangled web we often weave within our lives. We start out on what would appear to be the right trek but soon find we are wandering about aimlessly lost in the chaos of life. Solomon wrote that “a man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). The way I see it is that we make our plans according to the drive or desire of our heart but too often we fail to allow the Lord to step in and direct us down the right path. Maybe our drive or desire was outside His will or maybe we simply took the driver’s seat and assumed we could best get ourselves to the goal.

The real problem lies in the premise we operate under that says “I can do this.” If we are truly children of God, it is not His will or desire that we “do this” on our own but that we allow Him to direct and lead us as we submit ourselves completely over to His will and way.  David Jeremiah addressed this when he said, “Our lives are not our own. We need God to guide our steps to walk us through this thing called life.”  That brings up a very good point for us and that is that we are not our own. When we assume the driver’s seat in our lives, we push Him away from being in control by taking control ourselves. When we do this, we are setting ourselves up for failure and eventual disaster.

The prophet Jeremiah arrived at this conclusion as we see when he writes these words: “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). When we arrive at this conclusion for ourselves and follow in it, we will find that our steps are always in accordance with God’s perfect plan for us. Although we may not understand His direction at times, we can trust in His knowledge of the Big Picture to get us right to the place He always desires for us to be. Choosing the right path simply means choosing to allow God to always be in the driver’s seat of your life, for the right path is always in His perfect plan.