“19 They will fight
against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you,
declares the Lord, to deliver you.” ~ Jeremiah
1:19
God never says that trouble won’t come. He never says that the enemy won’t strike, but instead God promises the enemy won’t prevail over us because God is with us, and He will deliver us from all attacks of the enemy. The enemy may not leave right away, but when we add the worship aspect, as Jesus did, He feels, for God is enthroned on the praises of His people.
Don’t give up when struggles and temptations show up because you will be able to overcome through the blood of the Lamb, the Holy Spirit, and your testimony. God never sends you out into battle alone, so don’t run out into combat without back up. No war and no battle is won with just one person, and spiritual battle is no different. Fight the good fight.
“He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.’” ~ 2 Chronicles 32:6-7
Judah was being threatened by Assyria, and yes they were the leading world power. Yes they had a large, mighty, experienced, and well-funded army. But Hezekiah reminded them of the God-factor. And today, you may be facing your Assyria. Maybe you’re being bullied at work or at school. Maybe it is a health issue or a problem only God knows about, and it’s overwhelming.
Or maybe you just need to be reminded this morning of the greater power that dwells in you. For greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. Don’t be afraid you are an overcomer because you are a child of God. Be strong; you can do all things because Christ strengthens you. You are blessed and highly favored, because you are a creation and child of God.
Heavenly Father, pour out Your love today on Your people. Encourage hearts and strengthen minds. We are Your people and the sheep of Your pastures. Cover and provide for each household that reads and believes this message this morning. In the name of Jesus, amen.
“19 Or if I send a pestilence into that
land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast,
20 even if Noah, Daniel,
and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would
deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by
their righteousness.” ~ Ezekiel 14:19-20
Often, we have this idea that we can save our loved ones if we’re good enough. If we can just do enough good and love God enough, our loved ones can enter in on our good name. But they can’t. We each have to give an account for our own lives, not the lives of someone else. Not even Noah, Daniel, or Job could deliver someone else from their own fate.
Just as we can’t win a race for someone else, we can’t receive Salvation for them either. All we can do is stand in the gap. Intercede on their behalf as Moses did. Teach them the ways of righteousness, as Abraham did. Be an example of righteousness and faith as Daniel was. Take the good and the bad as Job did. Preach the Truth, even if no one listens, just as Noah did. We may not be able to deliver someone else from their fate, but we can show them another way and pray that they follow it.
Stand in the gap for your loved ones. Be an example for them. And maybe they will be able to stand for themselves on the Day of Judgment without fear because they have been saved.
“25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” ~ Lamentations 3:25
Sometimes we look to the LORD for a short while, and when nothing happens when we want them to or expect them to, we get upset. We give up. And we turn away. We expect God to do things immediately the very first time we speak to Him or ask something of Him. We treat God like a genie in a bottle meant to give us our wishes as we ask them. But God is so much more, and He desires so much more. He wants you to seek Him, not for what He can give you, but for Him.
He desires a relationship with you. From the garden, He desired a relationship with us. He would come down from His throne and walk and talk with Adam and Eve. He doesn’t come on our time, but He comes when the timing is perfect. If we would only wait for Him and seek a relationship with Him diligently, we would see things begin to happen. We would see doors opened that were once closed. Miracles take place. Prayers answered. When we seek God first, He will then give us the desires of our hearts.
“15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” ~ John 14:15-17
We often don’t quote all of these verses together. We often forget the first part, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” We have to first love Jesus. How do we do that? We keep His commandments. That means we resist temptation, strive to live a life mirroring Jesus’, share the gospel with the lost sheep, and live exemplary lives. We don’t just choose the verses we want and ignore the ones we don’t. We hold all scripture as God-breathed, then, and only then, will we receive The Helper. The Holy Spirit.
Through Him, we will be able to overcome any obstacle. When
we don’t know what to pray, He intercedes on our behalf. When we don’t know
what to say, He speaks for us. The Holy Spirit guides us, teaches us, and protects
us. But the only way to reap the benefits of The Spirit is by sowing into
Jesus.
“4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” ~ 1 John 4:4
John said we have overcome because we are from God, with the Spirit of God living inside of us, and there is no power on earth that can match. Do you need power to overcome? There is power in the blood. Once you accept Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior, you are empowered with the Holy Spirit. No matter what obstacle stands in your way, or what sin is keeping you in chains, you can overcome with the help of God, for you are not alone. Jesus overcame so we shall overcome as well.
Our Father, help us to forsake the wrong and choose the right. Teach us how to connect with your power so that we can indeed overcome, for there is forgiveness, healing, peace, and joy in your presence. Help us to receive today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” ~ Ephesians 6:10-18
Since the war we are fighting is a spiritual one, let us get
spiritually ready with our spiritual armor on and march boldly into the enemy’s
camp and take back that which he has stolen from us. Let’s take back our
families, our children, our peace, our joy, and our happiness. Let’s take back
our finances, our health, our creativity. We are children of the Most High God.
Therefore we are more than conquerors! We are mighty upon the earth! We are
victorious!
Our Heavenly Father, I come to you this morning on behalf of the saints, which are Your people. I pray for spiritual and financial breakthroughs today, for victories, and for the unity of families. Give back to Your people what the devil has stolen from them, O’ our God, and place them in positions of authority that they may take their rightful stand and bring You glory.
“3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites,
‘If you are returning to the Lord with
all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and
commit yourselves to the Lord and
serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’4 So the Israelites put
away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.”
~ 1 Samuel 7:3-4
If we continue reading, we’ll find that the Israelites assembled at Mizpah. There they gave an offering, fasted, and confessed their sin. They then denounced all foreign gods and served the LORD only. When the Philistines heard about it, they marched out against Israel to fight them. This is a good example of what happens in the spiritual.
As long as we’re not serving God, we are alright, but as soon as the enemy hears we have assembled ourselves in order to serve God only, he goes on the offense. He will assemble all the forces of darkness to war against us, and there is where we become overwhelmed and lose heart. We begin to believe that the struggle is not worth it.
But my friends, I’m here to let you know it will be worth it. Be encouraged because if we continue reading, we’ll see God came to their aid and delivered them out of the hands of the enemy, and He will do it for us also. So don’t give up, but instead fight harder.
O LORD our God, protector of all that is true and right, defender of the weak and the lifter of heavy burdens. We cry out to You today for mercy. O LORD that You would look and see, that You would listen and hear, that You would ride on the wings of the dawn in pursuit of our enemy. As we seek You today, bring about a great deliverance on our behalf.
So Jacob was left alone, and a man
wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower
him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he
wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is
daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless
me.” ~ Genesis 32:24-26
The struggle may be long, it might be hard, but don’t let go. God does not show favoritism; if He blessed Jacob because he would not let go, then God will bless you as well if you don’t let go. So hold on, don’t let your struggle end in defeat, but rather, let it end with a blessing from God. Wrestle with God. Hold on to Him. God will not disappoint you. He will never let you down.
Heavenly Father from whom all blessings flow, let today be the day for a blessing for Your people. Let the long hard struggle of Your people end in blessings. Let them taste and see that the LORD is good, that they may know You care about and love them very much. Gather them around You as a mother hen gathers her chicks. Give them spiritual protection and strength to continue in the spiritual war before us. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.
The LORD turned to him and said. “Go
in the strength you have and save Israel out of Median’s hand. Am I not sending
you?” “But LORD, Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan
is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The LORD answered,
“I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites
together” ~ Judges 6:14-16
God told Gideon, “Go in the strength you have.” In other words, you have all you need to achieve greatness. God has created you to be a success. Stop looking at who you think you are. Stop believing what others say you are and start living who God created you to be. Do not let anyone or any circumstance dictate the end product of who you will be.
All you need to know is God is for you, so who can be against you? For Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Sometimes it’s our own family who keeps us down because we don’t fit the mold in the beginning, but remember it’s not the starters that win the race it’s the finishers. Therefore, it is not how well or how bad you start, but how well you finish.
Father God, would You please rebuke the vicious lie from everyone who believed that they are weak, worthless, and no good. Let them see and realize they are worth the shed blood of the very Son of Almighty God. Let them see that You loved them so much that while they were still Your enemies, you chose to die for them. Help them to recognize the strength You have endowed them with and enable them to achieve great accomplishments today because that is the inheritance of the Christian believer. We are not poor losers, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God.
