The Battle Belongs to the Lord
2 Chronicles 20: 15 - 16, And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. NKJV
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16: 7, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." Are you in a battle with someone today? Conflicts come to believers in many different forms. I've shared the verse from Proverbs with you today because this is the scripture that I live by as a minister of the gospel. Pastors have to constantly face battles of all types. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter the number of battles a person has to face. However, it does matter how we approach them.
In today's text, the Lord instructs Jehoshaphat and the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem not to be afraid or dismayed at the great multitude that had set themselves against them. Instead, God told them exactly the same thing that I'd like to share with you: "The battle is not yours, but God's." As Christians, we can lose a battle simply because we ignore God's advice about letting Him handle the problem, and instead, we take the situation into our own hands. Therefore, we must learn that when we are confronted by a hostile situation, we submit to God's ways, resist the Devil, and he will flee from us. Remember, we don't war with flesh and blood, but with demonic forces that use the flesh of humans to make the attack personal so that we will engage our flesh in the conflict.
Let's suppose that someone launches a vicious attack against you that also happens to be a spiritual attack because you're a Christian. Now let's suppose you ignore God's wisdom, and out of your emotions, you decide to retaliate against your adversary. You have just taken the battle out of God's hand. You have chosen to walk in defiance to God, who is there both to protect you and to lead you into victory. When we take "matters" into our own hands because we want to get revenge, then we are only adding "more fuel to the fire" that we're trying to extinguish. God requires us to be humble and to remain that way by submitting to Him during times of conflict. If we refuse to submit to Him, humbling ourselves through the process, it ties His hands (as far as Him helping us) and places us under the Law. Once we refuse to obey by faith, then we go back under the law, and God will have to judge the situation... not according to grace, but according to the law. As a consequence, your case might not hold up in His court because it is based on your "rights" and not His righteousness by your faith. Jesus gives us new covenant believers some practical wisdom when we find ourselves in a spiritual battle.
Matthew 5 : 21 - 22, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. NKJV
Matt 5:25-26, Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. NKJV
You can win the battle as long as you allow the Lord to fight it for you, and you are to still and listen to Him. Whenever the enemy throws the fiery darts of poisonous thoughts against you, trying to get you to react in your flesh nature, use your shield of faith to protect your heart from taking the thoughts personal. If God be for you, then who can be against you?
Standing Still,
2 Chronicles 20: 15 - 16, And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. NKJV
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16: 7, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." Are you in a battle with someone today? Conflicts come to believers in many different forms. I've shared the verse from Proverbs with you today because this is the scripture that I live by as a minister of the gospel. Pastors have to constantly face battles of all types. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter the number of battles a person has to face. However, it does matter how we approach them.
In today's text, the Lord instructs Jehoshaphat and the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem not to be afraid or dismayed at the great multitude that had set themselves against them. Instead, God told them exactly the same thing that I'd like to share with you: "The battle is not yours, but God's." As Christians, we can lose a battle simply because we ignore God's advice about letting Him handle the problem, and instead, we take the situation into our own hands. Therefore, we must learn that when we are confronted by a hostile situation, we submit to God's ways, resist the Devil, and he will flee from us. Remember, we don't war with flesh and blood, but with demonic forces that use the flesh of humans to make the attack personal so that we will engage our flesh in the conflict.
Let's suppose that someone launches a vicious attack against you that also happens to be a spiritual attack because you're a Christian. Now let's suppose you ignore God's wisdom, and out of your emotions, you decide to retaliate against your adversary. You have just taken the battle out of God's hand. You have chosen to walk in defiance to God, who is there both to protect you and to lead you into victory. When we take "matters" into our own hands because we want to get revenge, then we are only adding "more fuel to the fire" that we're trying to extinguish. God requires us to be humble and to remain that way by submitting to Him during times of conflict. If we refuse to submit to Him, humbling ourselves through the process, it ties His hands (as far as Him helping us) and places us under the Law. Once we refuse to obey by faith, then we go back under the law, and God will have to judge the situation... not according to grace, but according to the law. As a consequence, your case might not hold up in His court because it is based on your "rights" and not His righteousness by your faith. Jesus gives us new covenant believers some practical wisdom when we find ourselves in a spiritual battle.
Matthew 5 : 21 - 22, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. NKJV
Matt 5:25-26, Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. NKJV
You can win the battle as long as you allow the Lord to fight it for you, and you are to still and listen to Him. Whenever the enemy throws the fiery darts of poisonous thoughts against you, trying to get you to react in your flesh nature, use your shield of faith to protect your heart from taking the thoughts personal. If God be for you, then who can be against you?
Standing Still,
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