While I Praise

"As they began to sing and praise,

the LORD set ambushes against the men

of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir

who were invading Judah,

and they were defeated."

2 Chronicles 20:22

It's not exactly the expected response.  The odds were overwhelmingly against them.  A coalition of armies loomed before them.  The original inhabitants of the Promised Land who God commanded the people of Israel to leave alone all those years ago now threatened them with the war God initially sought to avoid (Deuteronomy 2:4-6,9,18-19). It seemed there was no way the people of Judah would get out of this alive.

In the midst of such a crisis, King Jehoshaphat worshiped the Lord and then he directed his people to sing God's praises.  It would seem the appropriate response would be to form a battle plan, but Jehoshaphat's attention was focused in another direction.  He had no idea how to protect his people from such a threat, but he did know Who held all the answers in His hands (2 Chronicles 20:12).

When I'm faced with overwhelming odds and it seems there is no hope I can do as Jehoshaphat did.  Against all common sense and what appears as a more responsible response to my problems, I can instead turn my eyes to the Lord as my only hope, seeking His will and trusting in His protection.  As I worship and adore Him for who He is and for what He is about to do, I may be surprised at what He does in the meantime.

Fighting my Battles.  It seems like I should be doing something.  The cancer doesn't take a day off from spreading.  My marriage isn't going to mend itself.  A job won't simply jump in my lap.  It's easy to think the responsibility to solve my problems and fight my battles belongs to me.  As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, however, I have a mighty Warrior who fights on my behalf!

There was another man who faced a formidable foe.  His name was David and he was a mere youth at the time of his encounter with Goliath, a seasoned and humongous soldier.  Still, David was not intimidated because his faith in God was strong.  He knew that no matter how great the opponent or large the obstacle, God is bigger still (1 Samuel 17:47).

Whatever giant I am facing, God is not overwhelmed nor is He at a loss for what to do.  When I place all my faith in Him, praising Him in advance for what He is about to do, obstacles will fall away, hardened hearts will be softened and doors once closed will now be open.

As I praise the Lord, He is busy fighting my battles for me.

Providing for my Needs.  The large cat with the fluffy tail sits for hours by the window, watching out for tiny frogs, slimy slugs or flitting birds to cross through his line of vision.  Our cat is not worried about where his next meal will come from.  I never see him fret about anything nor have I noticed him attempt to arrange for his own needs.  He trusts his masters to fill his food dish, replenish his water bowl and clean his litter box, freeing him up for more important pursuits (Matthew 6:25-34).

Midnight knows he doesn't have to worry about his needs.  He is well-cared for by a family who loves Him.  Similarly, I have a Father who knows my needs and delights in not only supplying those needs, but also giving me what I ask for (Matthew 7:11).  Therefore, I can do as Midnight does and focus my attention on more important pursuits (Matthew 6:33).

As I praise the Lord, He is busy providing for my needs.

Paving a Way.  He was scared out of his mind.  Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite troops, oppressed the people of Israel for 20 years with his 900 chariots and cruel ways.  In response to their cries for help, God had appointed him, lowly Barak, to lead 10,000 men to victory against this formidable enemy.  How could he face such a foe?

As he begged the wise and prophetic Deborah to accompany him to war, she reminded Barak of a very important fact.  As she exhorted him to go ahead for God would deliver Sisera into his hands, she asked, "Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?" (Judges 4:14)

Similarly, God has gone before me, preparing the route, marking the path and paving the way.  All there is left for me to do is walk forward in faith.  The problem is, I can't see with my eyes all the preparations He has made.  All I see is the trouble that seems to block my way.  If I trust God, however, and believe He keeps His promises, I will soon reap the benefits of the groundwork He has laid (Hebrews 12:1-2).

As I praise the Lord, He is busy paving the way for me.

Trouble seems to follow me.  It's easy to get discouraged when the obstacles that stand before me look so imposing.  Instead of resigning myself to defeat, though, I can praise the Lord.  As I do what seems entirely inappropriate at such a time of crisis yet pleases God to no end, I will discover that He is at work on my behalf.  While my eyes are on Him, he is fighting my battles for me, providing for what I need, and paving the way for my feet to follow.  It's amazing what God does while I praise Him!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my eyes on the Lord, especially when the going gets rough.

How do I tend to think I have to come up with my own solutions?

When do I most often fail to trust God to provide for what I need?

The Battle is the Lords

"All those gathered here

will know that it is not by sword or spear

that the LORD saves;

for the battle is the LORD’s,

and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Words of David to Goliath just before he slayed the giant with a stone and a sling

1 Samuel 17:47

I'm a warrior at heart.  If someone hurts those I Iove, abuses someone weaker, or takes advantage of another, I'm ready to fight!  Even as a girl of about 12, I did not hesitate to chew out a neighbor man who came to our house to retrieve his dog who had wandered over for a visit.  When he started kicking the sweet-natured dog in the stomach, I let the man have it, getting in his face and telling him to get off our property.  It was war and I was ready for battle!

The problem with the above scenario, is that my emotional outburst accomplished nothing more than to drive the man away with a piece of my mind.  It did not save the dog.  It did not change the man's abusive behavior.  It did not bring glory to God.

David, on the other hand, even though he was probably in his mid-teens as he faced Goliath, did not rely on an emotional outburst, giving this gargantuan bully a piece of his mind.  Instead he relied upon the Lord, knowing that if God would give him the courage to face lions with a sling and a stone, He would do the same while confronting a giant, seasoned warrior.  The result?  David killed the giant, the Israelites defeated the Philistines, and God received the glory!

What battles do I face in the 21st century?  What monsters taunt me and dishonor my God?  Where is my battlefield?

The Mind

There is a constant battle taking place in my mind.  My thought life is like a thermometer of my spiritual health because what I spend the most time thinking about reveals what my god is at that moment.  If I am fretting about the bills, my god is money.  If I am rehashing an old argument, justifying my actions to make myself feel better about my ridiculous behavior, my god is pride.  If I am planning my day, analyzing every detail until I come up with the perfect solution for every possible problem, my god is myself. 

My thoughts are the root of all sin because every temptation is introduced in my mind.  James described the process of temptation in this way.  He said, ". . .each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."  (James 1:14-15)

It has been said that when a tempting thought enters my mind it is just a thought.  But when I revisit that thought and mull it over, it becomes a temptation.  The more I think about it, the more I can justify acting on that idea.  Before you know it, I'm giving in to the suggestion of the enticing sin, seeking to satisfy some fleshy desire. 

This is why it is important to be intentional in my thinking.  the Apostle Paul advised to, ". . . demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and . . . take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5) 

If I let every thought that crosses my mind dwell there, I will fall into temptation and be distracted from the Lord's work.  If, however, I turn this battlefield over to the Lord, drawing on his strength to allow only those thoughts which please God to dwell in my mind, I will be victorious in the battle for my thoughts, and God will be glorified.

Spiritual Realm

The real battle for a believer takes place all around us in a place we cannot see, touch or smell.  It is the battlefield of the spiritual realm.  "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." (Ephesians 10:11-12)

Satan and his minions are busy trying to turn us away from God.  They will try every trick of the trade to distract us from the mission at hand.  CS Lewis described this well in his The Screwtape Letters.  In one exchange that took place between the veteran demon Screwtape and the newbie, Wormwood, a common tactic was revealed. "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

Satan wants nothing more than for me to slowly and gradually give up crucial biblical standards, yielding important battle positions until I am retreating, giving Satan a foothold in my life.  
Instead, I must always keep the milestones and signposts in front of me by staying in prayer with my God, reading His Word and doing what it says, and remembering that "the one who is in (me) is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4b)

The World

It is a great temptation for me to try to save the world.  That, however, is not my mission, nor the mission of any believer.  That is God's job.  My task is to obey Him, following His lead in all things. 

That sounds great in theory, but difficult in the face of a fallen world.  I see broken marriages, abused and neglected children, runaway teenagers, murdered gang members and hurting people all around me.  On the news I see war-torn nations, starving children, cruel and oppressive dictators and terrorism.  The world is an evil place and I want to make it better. 

If only I could talk some sense into the heartbroken wife ready to throw in the towel, or the high school student who hates her parents, or the 15-year-old boy on a fast train to jail.  But I can't.  I can try, but they won't get it until they see their need for Jesus and surrender their lives to him. And no one can come to Jesus until the Father draws him. (John 6:44) 

For this reason, it is vital that I stay on my knees in prayer.  And while I pray, I must be available to let God love a hurting, lost world through me.  This means setting aside my anger and pride, and asking God to give me a heart that sees people as He sees them.  Asking Him to break my heart for what breaks His.  Pleading with Him to save the people from certain death. 

The world may be Satan's dominion, but in this battlefield I can give glory to God by letting Him fight the battles found here.  

The battlefields of the mind, the spiritual realm and the world all belong to the Lord.  This is His battle, and if I can have faith like David, I can be victorious in glorifying God in the midst of combat.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can keep my mind focused on God, allowing Him to fight my battles for me.

Where do I take things into my own hands, thus diminishing God's territory in my life?

How do I give Satan a foothold by being lax in the defenses of my thought life?