THE LORD IS A WARRIOR

Exodus 15:3, “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.”  

     

It’s easy to find the joyful words after the victory is won; it’s another to maintain during the battle.  It’s important to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, it’s vital especially when we are encountering an attack.  Regardless if you have been saved for an hour or twenty years, eventually spiritual warfare will be encountered in your life.  As children of God we must be alert, prepared, and trust in the instructions of our Commander-Jesus Christ.  If you would follow along with me in Exodus 14:1-20, to learn some important battle strategies to prepare for warfare.  First, we must understand God has a plan for this battle.  God isn’t un-prepared, surprised of the enemy’s tactics, or sleeping.  God is working out a plan to bring victory in your life.  It doesn’t always make sense what’s happening, but God is placing you in perfect position to defeat you enemy.  According to Exodus 14:1-3, God counsels Moses to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol by the sea.  God reveals His purpose to Moses in powerful move: to confuse his enemy and to lure the enemy to believe we are powerless to attack.  Keep in mind, the children of Israel are in the middle of the desert with no weapons or protection.  Yet, it caused the enemy to march right into God’s trap!

Second, God truly knows how to destroy your enemy with a SECRET WEAPON.  If you haven’t discovered it already in Scripture, God knows our hearts perfectly even our enemies.  According to Exodus 14:4, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them.  God is aware of the enemy’s pursuit to destroy you-it’s revealed in the heart.  Our words will reveal our heart, it’s that simple.  It’s the quickest and surest way to reveal our level of faith in the battle.  If our faith is weak, we need the nourishment of God’s Word to stand.  Pharaoh’s desire was to place the children of Israel back into bondage.  It’s NEVER God’s desire for us to return to the way of the past or our weakness.  God doesn’t desire for us to walk in bondage but in the light!  We must be willing to trust in who God is and His power to rescue us.  God will never neglect to protect His children, but His plan will always REVEAL HIS GLORY.  God’s not only going to reveal His power to you; He will reveal it to your enemy.  God wants to reveal Himself to build your faith, show He can be trusted, and to bring about a fearful reverence. 

Thirdly, if we lose the battle; it doesn’t mean we lost the war.  God is in our midst even when the enemy savagely pursues us.  As the Egyptians boldly pursued the Israelite's with six hundred of the best chariots and more chariots with officials, they were overtaken. (Exodus 14:7-9) Our enemy will always use our physical circumstances to intimidate us to surrender.  Yet, our greatest weapon is our voice!  Satan wants us to remain silent, be fixed upon his power to attack us, and will place us in a powerless state-we will feel surrounded.  Nevertheless, our greatest weapon when we are encountering spiritual warfare is crying out to God!  When we look up; Satan will always fall.  A vital key to walking in victory is refusing to speak words of defeat, fear, and blaming others.  Sadly, the children of Israel attacked the leadership of Moses and God himself.  Yet, Moses taught the children of Israel a powerful strategy to defeat the enemy in Exodus 14:13-14.  Quit being afraid!  Stand firm in God’s Word so it will bring about the deliverance you need.  It’s only when we stand firm; the enemy can’t gain any ground.  God has provided the weapons, His protection, and His promise.  God hasn’t left you during the battle; He is standing in your midst.  He is just waiting for you to look to Him with confidence.

WHAT ARE YOU CRYING FOR?

Have you ever had a Bible story stick in your head?  No matter what, it seems the Spirit of God just keeps pressing it into your heart.  Obviously the Spirit is wanting to speak into your life about something, so it’s important to pay attention.  The Word says, “He who has an ear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying.” (Mark 4:9)  I admit regardless if it’s writing on my blog or preaching the Word, the message is for the appointed time in my life.  Although my heart yearns to minister to those who read or listen, I can’t escape the power of the Word of God.  No matter how hard we may run, God’s Word can’t escape our heart, it’s planted by the Spirit.  Even if we have wandered from God, the Spirit and God’s love will always draw us near to the Word.

Recently I have been battling with the direction of my life, God’s calling upon my life, and maybe battling the midlife crisis.  As I started to reflect upon God’s calling, I felt as if I missed it.  Sadly, I started battling with serious questions, reflecting on every Scripture or prophesy, and giving the enemy opportunity to speak into my mind.  Never in life, I felt so lost and alone.  I felt as if I disappointed the Lord or I missed the call altogether, I felt hopeless.  On one hand the greatest joy of my life is ministering to others, writing, and preaching.  It’s my time to worship the Lord, it’s my gift back to Him.  Nevertheless, I felt how could I offer any spiritual guidance or be a leader if I felt so lost.  So, I withdrew.  Maybe it’s not the best solution but my heart is tired, broken, and I couldn't cry anymore about it.  Maybe you can relate to how I feel.  Yet, I can’t help but ask what is making you cry?  What is keeping the midnight oil burning in prayer?  Oh, I can testify I have cried myself to sleep several nights about God’s calling on my life. 

 Completely stuck with no guidance, no direction, or unwilling to destroy the covenant of God with my husband, I stand before a brick wall.  It’s just standing there, it’s powerful and unmoving.  Yet, how is a brick wall formed?  It is  formed with man’s hands laying a brick down, covering it with concrete, and laying another brick until it creates a wall.  In other words, it’s created by what we lay hold of.  What’s in our hands?  What’s in our hearts?  If we are truly children of the King, God’s Word is the most powerful weapon to demolish strongholds.  We are standing at a brick wall; it doesn’t move but it blocks the view.  Maybe why we stand in front of the brick wall is to see who is stronger!

 Well, the Bible story I am thinking of is Hannah, a woman who was crying out for a child.  She naturally can’t conceive a child; although it’s her heart’s only desire.  In her time and culture, a woman was disgraced if she didn’t have a male child.  It was her protection, security, and an honor to continue a family name.  Yet, Hannah wasn’t physical capable of conceiving a child, it was beyond her ability.  Scripture reveals the reason, the Lord closed her womb (I Samuel 1:5).  It wasn’t the lack of love or intimacy in her marriage, her husband adored her.  Elkanah offered a “double portion” for Hannah for their offering, he wanted God to bless her. 

 As I have been meditating on this Bible story I realized how desperate, broken, and determined Hannah was.  Sometimes God has to break our spirits to cause us to grow desperate for Him, so desperate for Him to intervene.  If we want the vision of God or the desire of our heart, we have to follow the heart of Hannah.  First, the vision of God is conceived in our brokenness.  He can’t plant the Word unless our hearts are open to Him.  Our desperation should drive us to our knees until God moves; Hannah didn’t stop coming to the temple to pray.  When she came to the house of the Lord, she wouldn’t eat but wept bitterly.  The Bible says “yearly” they came to worship the Lord and offer their sacrifices. 

"Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, and knock and the door will be open unto you" Matthew 7:7

Faithfulness shows our devotion to God even when we don’t understand our circumstances.  It doesn’t mean we are not broken or don’t cry, it’s turning to God completely.  Second, Hannah remained faithful to God without a child, however; the enemy taunted her.  When we decide to be faithful to God even when our heart’s broken, the enemy will whisper in our ear.  “You are too old for God’s promise to come to pass.”  “You will never receive your promise; I know what your past holds.”  “God has forgotten all about you, why don’t you walk away?”  Sadly, the enemy can use people close to us who can speak damage into your heart.  Recently I had someone who I looked up to speak into my life, he was being used only to echo what the enemy was already saying to me.  It hurt so deeply especially when I have waited for mentorship to be denied due to difficulty, my age, and being attractive.    

Third, Hannah didn’t stop praying to God, she wasn’t moving until He did.  Our prayers are not always instantly answered, sometimes God makes us wait.  During the waiting period the enemy will taught us with questions, fears, and tempt us to quit pursing God.  Don’t get weary!  God always answers our prayers; He isn’t deaf to our cry.  So, what are you crying for?  What is your heart’s desire?  God ALREADY knows it! 

God will grant the desires of our heart if we seek Him!  Hannah’s name means “favor” or “grace” according to the Hebrew Language.  Although at times we don’t feel “favored” in the eyes of God but we are.  Grace always leads us to the presence of God, it opens the door for God to reveal His Word to us.  God hasn’t forgotten His promise towards you but He is watching to see if you will remain faithful to Him.  Hannah didn’t commit adultery or stop serving God, she remained faithful to what was right in the eyes of God.  She remained faithful to her husband who loved her, it’s an interesting fact Scripture points out about their marriage. 

     God doesn’t want you to remain in a broken state, He will answer your prayer.  Hannah’s countenance changed the moment Eli said, “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” (I Samuel 1:17)  We have a faithful high priest who intercedes on our behalf!  May this lift your heart I pray, “GOD WILL GRANT YOUR PETITION!”  Keep worshipping Him!  Although the Lord closed Hannah’s womb, He is also the One who opened it.  Right now the brick wall is standing before your eyes, it’s not moving.  Either you can walk away or you can knock it down with a heart of worship.  It’s time to cry it out before the Lord, give it all to Him.  Once the crying is done, worship Him.  It’s what brings down the walls, a shout of worship to Lord!  God will bring forth His Word, it will make all of the sceptics speechless.  It will be such a powerful word; it will never fail because God fulfilled it.  Samuel was the most feared prophet before the children of Israel, he walked with God.  Samuel was so anointed; his word never fell to the ground.  Oh, let those brick walls crumble!  God’s not done with you!  He is just waiting to see if you will push through in faith!   

    

WRESTLING TO RECEIVE

If you want to move the heart of person, speak the Word of God.  Nothing will transform, heal, or bring truth to change the situation expect the power of God’s Word.  It’s truly what changed my life!  God’s Word is the richest treasure I possess, it’s filled my heart with life.  Yet, I also hold another book dear to my heart, it’s my purple journal.  Why is this journal so important to me?  It holds every prophetic promise ever spoken over my life and Scriptures during my prayer time with God.  Its truth for my life or precious reminders when I am wrestling with believing them.  During my difficult moments of doubt, trials, or when the enemy tempts me to quit I will read those precious words to encourage myself in the Lord.  We must understand our life is a journey but the promises of God will keep us on the right path.

As I have been waiting for God’s promise to come, God has been preparing me to receive it.  It’s a Scriptural principle displayed in the life of anyone who you study in Scripture.  Inside her womb Rebekah was very uncomfortable and she inquired of the Lord about it.  When she inquired of the Lord, He spoke a prophetic word about the twins inside her womb. (Genesis 25:23)  Instead of trusting God to bring the prophetic promise into Jacob’s life, Rebekah deceived her husband and taught her son to do the same.  As a result of their unwillingness to trust God, it destroyed their family.  Esau lost not only his birthright but his blessing through Jacob’s deception.  As a result Esau wanted to kill Jacob for his deception, so he had to flee.  Fleeing from your sins will lead you to a place of isolation from family, friends, and into the desert.  Yet, what’s so remarkable God is greater than the desert we enter.  God spoke to Jacob in a dream about his life.  (Genesis 28:10-15)  God will give us dreams and visions to follow, so we run after Him. 

 

Nevertheless, God’s transforming us through the process so the dream turns into a reality. 

Before our weekly Bible study my husband and I were sharing with our pastor about a house we wanted to buy.  We couldn’t wait to place our offer on it but it wouldn’t be until the following day.  As our Bible class got started, I was trying to find a passage of Scripture on my phone to share, I forgot my Bible.  So, I went into the sanctuary to get a Bible, so I could read it.  As I was walking back into the class, I found a dollar bill inside.  My facial expression looked confusing to my husband but he didn't inquire.  So, I walked over to my pastor, I slid the dollar near his hand.  I wasn’t focused on the dollar bill but the Word.  When pastor looked at it he said, “Tina, this if for you!”  Read what’s on the dollar bill.  It read, “You have been blessed.”  At that moment my heart was rejoicing!  God’s promise was upon me!  Nevertheless, it hasn’t been an easy journey to get to the blessing but it’s been worth it.

Jacob had to learn how to handle the blessings before he could inherit the promise.  It was a journey started with an encounter with God at Bethel, training under his father-in-law, and eventually lead to his promised destination.  Jacob’s promised destination was his homeland.  God’s always on the road to bring reconciliation to our life’s but we have to confront "our Esau." Oh, we don’t want to confront Esau!  It’s a reminder of who we deceived, hurt, and painful memories of the past.  Keep in mind several years have passed, Esau and Jacob have married and have children.  Yet, Rebekah never called back for Jacob, it was God who led him back. 

It’s not always easy to close the door of our past but we must if we want to enter the future.  Jacob’s fear brought him to his knees; Esau was coming with an army of men.  So, Jacob prepares for the worst, he divides his flocks, herds, camels, and his family.  If we truly want the blessings of God, we must understand an important fact-they come with a price.  Are you willing to pay the price for the blessing?  What if God asks you to make amends with your family?  Or work for your father-in-law’s business?  If we want the blessings of God, we have to walk where God instructs us.  Or are we really willing to to wrestle in prayer for a night?  Jacob wanted God’s protection, promise, and provision for his family but he had to be changed to receive it.  Read Jacob’s prayer in Genesis 32:9-12. 

Humility causes us to realize we don't have the power to change the circumstances, we have to seek the Lord.  If our circumstances cause us to fall upon our knees; we are in position for victory.  

Jacob went to a place called Jabbok (which means wrestle) to be alone in the dark.  So, what's causing darkness to enter your life?  Do you feel alone in this dark hour?  When the night is cold, dark, and tiresome it's time to wrestle with God!  Each day is filled with new opportunity, to grow deeper in our relationship with God, and to receive God's blessing but we have to be in position.
  
All of Jacob's thoughts were worrisome, coming to face his mistakes, and the responsibility of protecting of his family weighted heavy upon him.  He sent his family and possessions ahead of him, he wanted to be alone.  He was trying to make plans without consulting God's will or remembering what God promised.  Being alone with God is so vital; he learn how to wrestle in prayer until he touched God.  So, many questions, so many doubts, and burdens would be lifted if we learned to seek God until peace is found.  It seems we no longer what to pray through; we just what a "bless you."   If we truly want to be blessed or favored of God, we must be changed.  Our heart must be so hungry for God we will wrestle until daybreak.  Light comes only when we receive the light! 

Yet, it's at daybreak, we realize God was always present!  He was with us during our darkest night!  He didn't leave our side, He was so close.  Although our desperation caused us to fall upon our knees; we arise walking in blessing for touching Him.  Jacob's identity was change; he had a new name-Israel which means "triumphant with God."  Dreams are God's handiwork to drive us to hunger for His will but the greatest change is our heart.  It's only when we allow God to change our lives, our enemies can't touch us.  No matter if the past is brought up, it doesn't define who I am.  Nevertheless, the true change of my life will be evident when we met, our enemies will see our blessings.  How do we know Jacob was really changed?  Jacob’s hands wanted to give a blessing to his brother, he returned what he stole. 

Never Give Up

“When is this trial going to be over?”  “Why should I pray?”  “God’s not listening to me!”  “I can’t fight these issues anymore, it’s too much!”  “Where is God?”  As the problems mount upon us, we can quickly become terrified in the situation.  So, terrified we decide to waive the white flag of defeat!  Retreat!  Well, it’s easier to wave the white flag; instead of continuing to pray. Recently a young believer approached me with a question, “If I approach God’s throne again about an issue does it show a lack of faith?”  My response, “How badly do you want an answer?” 

 When we approach the Throne Room of God in prayer, we expect an answer.  It’s not a wrong expectation; we should expect God to answer because it’s a promise of His Word.  Yet, who hasn’t had the cricket noise experience during our prayer time?  We pray with urgency, faith and read the Word but God’s presence can’t be felt or His voice is silent.  It’s very alarming to us, why does God seem distant?  Why isn’t there any response? We can't give up praying because we don't see the answer.  Daniel prayed the first time, God heard his request. Yet, it wasn't answered right away because of war in the heavens. Daniel stayed persistent in his request until the answer came, so we must do the same. 

Daniel 10:12 says, “The he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel.  Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God, you words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”

     Is it easy to keep praying without any evidence of an answer?  No it’s not easy but that’s what faith is all about.  “We walk by faith and not by sight.”  Like Daniel, we will sometimes get delays in our answers to our prayers.  God's not ignoring you or your situation, He sees all.  Right now, you may feel abandoned, rejected, or alone but that's a lie from the devil. Don't stop praying! God hears every word we pray, I am confident of it because of this promise found in Psalm 34:15, "The EYES of the LORD are on the righteous and his EARS are attentive to their cry."  In other words, God is PRESENT! 

     Although you may not “feel” God is present because He feels distant or silent, it doesn’t mean God is ignoring your cry.  God is acquainted with all your way because He made you.  God knows when you sit, when you rise, your thoughts from afar. (Psalm 139:2-4) Besides all of this, He has every single hair of your hair numbered. (Luke 12:7)  He is aware of what’s going on right now!

“Cast your cares upon the Lord for HE CARES FOR YOU!” I Peter 5:7

So, keep seeking Him!  Don’t lose heart or get frustrated with requests yet to be answered.  If anything it’s time to dig your heels in the ground with a determined heart, I will touch the Lord!  Don’t give up!  Christ said not to give up!  “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should ALWAYS PRAY and NOT GIVE UP!  

     We must understand some important truths in this parable to gain insight to prayer.  First, “Christ is not likening God to an unrighteous judge.  The parable is on the ‘How much more variety.”  If a wicked man will sometimes do good, even if from bad motives, how much will God do right?” (Luke by Leon Morris) 

     Second, we need to understand the key characters of this parable: judge, widow, and the elect.  The judge doesn’t fear God or worried about the vengeance of God upon his life.  Also, he doesn’t care about the people he serves or what’s happening to his town.  Yet, he is only one with power to change or bring deliverance.  Next, we have the widow woman who is being oppressed by her enemy.  Why is this so important?  In Biblical times, if a woman didn’t have a husband she had no protection or voice in society.  Also, if she didn’t have a male child, she was considered cursed or looked down upon.  It’s not how God viewed the women or widows, so let me be clear on that.  Nevertheless, this widow needs relief from the oppression, so she seeks the only One in her town who could grant her request.  She doesn’t just ask once for her request but until her desire was granted.  She was going to wear him out!  The judge recognized her persistence to the point of her “bothering him” so he grants it.  Yet, Jesus teaches us an important principle about prayer from the elect: persistence pays off.  Our Heavenly Father loves us; we are His chosen ones who cry out day and night.  It’s only those who are diligent in prayer will see the rewards.  (Hebrews 11:6)  Our Father will not put off our request, He will answer us quickly.  Keep in mind; God’s timing isn’t like ours.  A delayed answer doesn’t mean God is absent or unaware of the situation; He is working behind the scenes to show His glory to all.