Deuteronomy chapter 20.
God is speaking with the Israelites about going into battle with the enemy. Some advice he gives them is:
1. Don't be afraid because The Battle belongs to the Lord.
2. God will make their numbers smaller so he can get the glory and not the Israelites.
3. Fear and evil amongst the team will hinder the work of God. Get rid of both.
How I feel this advice from God relates to us is:
1. When we go into the battles of each day, I know there will be obstacles we will face but trust in the Lord for The Battle belongs to him.
2. Just as God removed soldiers from the army, so God will remove circumstances in our lives that will make it look impossible for things to be accomplished.
3. Don't let the fear keep you from trusting God and remove evil so our holy God will work his miracles.
Everyday we are in a battle. There are spiritual wars going on all the time. What are we going to do about it? In our everyday endeavors we face obstacles. We have plans for how we think the day should go or will go. But all of a sudden, something totally goes wrong. It catches us off-guard. We look at our circumstances and feel like everything is messed up and there's no hope. We wonder, “Now what am I supposed to do?”
It's during these times God wants us to know that The Battle belongs to him and we can trust him completely. It's during these times that when God shines through that we know we have to give him all the glory because it certainly wasn't because of what we did.
I have also learned that sometimes when obstacles come it's because God wants one of two outcomes:
1. We can trust God to bring the outcome that we were planning on. Or
2. God brings the obstacles so that he can redirect us in a New direction for his planned outcome.
Either way, we can trust God!!
The bottom line is this…
AM I GOING TO TRUST GOD FOR TODAY NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS?
Chapter 20 talks about how Israel will be facing their enemies. I was thinking about how there is so much fighting, bloodshed and violence in this world. It’s not something that began in the 21st century, but has been happening throughout history because of sin. We can expect to face battles, trials and adversity in this life. God can help us like we read that He did for David in Psalm 18:39. “For You equipped me with strength for the battle; You made those who rise against me sink under me.”
God always wins! The question is whether we have surrendered to Him and are we choosing to let Him fight for us? Check out Proverbs 21:30-31. “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.”
We can walk in victory today because of Jesus. We read this in 1 Corinthians 15:56-58. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Again and again we hear the battle belongs to the Lord. So despite the evil around us, despite the heartbreak that is happening our number 1 job is to TRUST that the Lord will deliver us through whatever is happening around us. Our focus can’t be on the fear that we have, but on our FAITH and the faith of others and reaching others with the good news of the Gospel.
Today I turned to a favorite verse when it comes to trusting…
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Our answer to the evil in our world…
“32 For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.”