The War of Discontent.  We wake up each day to new opportunities to declare the glory of God.  We also rise each morning with groans from aching bones while wondering how we will get through another day’s agenda.  We should praise God for waking us up at all.  But, do we?   We also wake to another day to battle an enemy who hates all who love God.  This enemy is the enemy of God who works diligently to distract us from God, deceive our thinking about God, as he and his demons plant thoughts in our minds in his efforts to dismantle and destroy our faith in God.  We have heard it said: “The devil is in the details;” but the Bible says God delights in all the details of our lives and will be with us in this battle over our souls with power—the same mighty power that resurrected Jesus from death to life on that third day!

The War of Worry.  Friends, we worry over small things and big moments to come not knowing the outcome of either.  We all do it.  But Jesus has wisdom for this battle, too and simply says, “do not worry about tomorrow; each day has troubles of its own.”  Are we hearing what Jesus is really saying?  We tend to look for trouble beyond today and stew over how we will respond with what we will do before we know it will even happen about things that are not in our control anyway! This isn’t a skill to obtain for living but a habit that wastes precious time and needs to be eradicated!  Simmering over troubles causes our creative minds to overthink while our lives go into overdrive which is an exercise of futility that only makes us weary and accomplishes nothing.  Vessels that simmer on the stove never come to a boil—they just keep the contents warm—neither hot or cold. Stew on that truth for a bit.  Worry slanders the promises of God to always love us and be with us—EVERY day of our lives!

Another war strategy to consider:  Look to God first, seeking His awesome power, wisdom, and strength.  Ask Him what He wants for us for this day, leaving self-interests and desires out of the equation.  Pray like Jesus taught us.  Ask God to help us to walk through whatever the circumstances around us will be each day while we trust and obey His will and agenda. May His will be done.  In Jesus Name, for our good and His Glory!  Do we really believe that God knows us, knows what is happening, knows what is best for us, is with us not against us, with powerful help from His Holy Spirit to guide our responses to life?

God knows the battles we will face.  Moses reminded the people that the Lord had successfully brought them from the land of Egypt to the plains of Moab and defeated every enemy that had attacked them.  Just as the Lord had defeated Pharaoh and his army in Egypt, so He would defeat the nations in Canaan.

Deuteronomy 20

Going to War

When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. ² When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. ³ He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. ⁴ For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

⁵ The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. ⁶ Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. ⁷ Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” ⁸ Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” ⁹ When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

¹⁰ When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. ¹¹ If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. ¹² If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. ¹³ When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. ¹⁴ As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. ¹⁵ This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

¹⁶ However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. ¹⁷ Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.

¹⁹ When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them? ²⁰ However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The words, “do not be afraid” (over 300 times in the Bible) are what every believer needs to hear when confronting the enemies of the faith.  Remember, write it down, post this truth where we see it each day: Jesus defeated the Enemy when He rose from the grave and walked among his people with his scars fully visible.  He said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Even though the war has been won, skirmishes with Satan and his demons still go on until the final war of judgement when Jesus comes back for his own.  For those who “have not seen but yet believe;” Satan battles with intensity by turning up the heat!  Satan battles our faith in Jesus daily with the same, tired tools of his trade with limited power that he has had from the beginning when he manipulated the thinking of Adam and Eve. “Satan is a liar,” declares Jesus adamantly as a warning to us to avoid and dismiss all that he says. Jesus follow up with this Truth: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4, NIV

However, the SAME GOD who helped Abraham, Jacob, and now Moses lead His people in war against all things detestable to God is the same God who leads us!  His love for us never changes and His faithfulness to us lasts a lifetime the prophets declare!  When we walk by faith and keep our eyes on the Lord, God will give us the peace we need (Phil. 4:4–9). We, too are heading for victory when we know and truly believe that the Lord is with us, fighting for is as we trust and obey His will and purpose.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

What promises!  That’s why we sing, “I’m Standing on the Promises of God”!

Got Wisdom for War? —Paul give us guidance for these daily battles:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within us as we seek you first today. Show us the way we should go for today.  Thank you for being with us always to learn from you as we grow our relationship with you. You are God. We are not. I trust you with my life because you are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen