We face battles every sing day and sometimes they leave us filling defeated or overwhelmed. We look at the circumstances around us and instantly see defeat. Thankfully the nation of Judah had a king on the throne who “did right in the sight of the Lord”. And because he did, when the Assyrians came knocking, he receives divine help and God fights the battles for them.
When the Assyrians came knocking, Judah had a king on the throne who “did right in the sight of the Lord.” Therefore, the Lord was on his side and helped them and fought the battle for them.
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At this time in Judah’s history, Hezekiah was king in Judah and Sennacherib was king of Assyria. Sennacherib entered Judah and made camp against the fortified cities of Judah. Assyria was used to winning its battles and Judah was no match for them
Hezekiah faced a battle against Assyria – We face a battle against Satan
As Christians, we face battles against our enemy, Satan and all his army of demons. Our enemy is constantly filling their bows with their fiery darts and they aim for our most venerable areas. We no sooner defend ourselves against one before another is already zinging through the air to find it’s mark. Sometimes, if feels as if we are defending ourselves against multiple fiery darts at once. As Hezekiah looked out at the vast Assyrian army, he had to be overwhelmed and afraid. Like Hezekiah, we have two choices to make: surrender in defeat or allow God to fight our battles for us. When Hezekiah saw the Assyrian army, he went into action to protect his nation with four battle strategies. We can apply these strategies to the battles that Satan brings to our doorsteps.
Hezekiah’s battle strategies: 1) stop up the water from the spring so the Assyrians had no water 2) fortify and get battle ready 3) organized and activated the army 4) reminded the people that Assyria was no match for Yahweh
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Battle Strategy #1: stop up the springs so the enemy has no water and dig a tunnel to send water inside the city
First, Hezekiah instructed his leaders and commanders to stop up the water from the springs that were outside the city. In doing so, they cut off the water supply for Sennacherib’s army. But the people inside the city would need water, so he built a tunnel. Water would then flow from the springs underground and send the water inside the fortified city.
When we are in a battle against our enemy, we need to stop up extra and unnecessary activities that are draining us. Satan loves to keep us so busy that we don’t have time to drink from the Living Water of Christ. By freeing up our time, we can get alone with Jesus through His Word. We can focus on prayer and Bible study. As we seek God’s will, claim His promises, and draw on His strength, we renew our strength and our faith. Through the eyes of faith we can then see God at work in our situation.
When we are feeling overwhelmed or in a battle, we need to look for areas where we can stop up extra, unnecessary activities that are draining us so we can spend more time soaking up the living water of Christ.
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Battle Strategy #2: Fortify and get battle ready
Second, Hezekiah strengthened himself so that he would be battle ready. He built up the wall that was broken, added another wall outside, repaired another fortification called the Millo, and made weapons and shields in abundance.
In Ephesians 6, Paul tell us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and that we are to put on the full armor of God so that we can withstand the wiles of the devil because we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The battles we face are spiritual battles. So we need spiritual armor. With the Armor of God, we are able to stand. This armor includes the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. These pieces of armor include five components of defensive armor and only one offensive weapon. But if we are going to “put them on,” then we need to know how they work. Let’s look at how each of these pieces of armor helps us fight in the battles against Satan:
The armor of God that fortifies, strengthens and gets us battle ready:
Belt of Truth:
The belt of the Roman’s soldier’s armor is the piece that holds all the other pieces in place. For the Christian, Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life. We find all the truth we need to fight against Satan when we obliterate his lies with the truth of God’s word. It is these truths that set us free from Satan’s lies.
Satan wants us to believe that we have no hope, that we could never measure up to be good enough for God, that we are sinful and could never merit God’s grace. He wants us to see ourselves as failures, not worthy of God using us to advance His kingdom. But the truth of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrificial death, burial and resurrection sets us free from sin and give us eternal life. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus counterattacked with Scripture and for every lie Satan tempted Jesus with, Jesus quoted back truth. Truth conquers Satan’s lies.
We find all the truth we need to fight against Satan when we counterattack his lies with the truth of God’s Word and it is these truths that set us free from Satan’s lies. Truth conquers Satan’s lies.
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Breastplate of righteousness:
For the Roman soldier, the breastplate covered the heart and provided protection to it and other vital organs. For the Christian, Christ’s righteousness protects us from Satan’s accusations and charges. It is only the righteousness of Jesus (not our own!) that is given to us when we accept Him as our Savior that covers and protects us.
Shoes of the gospel of peace:
Any soldier marching into battle needs strong, dependable, comfortable shoes. But what is the gospel of peace? The word “gospel” means “good news,” referring to the sacrifice Jesus made for us so that we can be saved. As a result, God’s judgment for our sins is satisfied, which sets us at peace with Him.
For the Christian, Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is lamp unto my feet and light unto my path.” 1 John 2:6 tells us that if we abide in Jesus, we ought to also walk just as Jesus walked. Satan is constantly trying to set up traps and obstacles to get us off course. And as we set our feet on the paths that God has given us, using the Word of God to light our way, we can advance the Kingdom of God as we obey the orders He has given us and keep steadily walking forward as we take the gospel of peace to others.
As we set our feet on the paths that God has given us, using the Word of God to light our way, we can advance the Kingdom of God as we obey the His orders and keep steadily walking forward as we take the gospel of peace to others.
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Shield of faith:
Out of all six pieces of armor, Paul says, “Above all…take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Our faith defends the blows of doubt and temptation that Satan hurls at us continually. Our faith will keep us steadfast in our walk with Christ. Romans 12:3 tells us that God gives each one of us a measure of faith. As we depend on Him, our faith will grow and become a shield that protect us and enables us to live a victorious life
Helmet of Salvation:
Our mind is one of the most venerable parts for Satan to attack. Every soldier knows that battles are won and lost in the mind. Satan wants us to doubt. He wants us to doubt our Salvation, that God is real, that God could love someone like me, that I’ve done too much bad for God to save me.
The Helmet of Salvation protect our minds and gives us a sure knowledge of our salvation. We can fill our minds with promises like 1 John 1:9 and 1 John 5:11-12. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 5:11-12 tells us, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life.” We can memorize these verses and others like them so that when Satan wants to throw the fiery darts of doubts, we can throw back the promises of God.
The helmet of Salvation protects our minds when Satan wants us to doubt. Memorizing Bible verses and hiding them in our heart gives us an arsenal of weapons so that when Satan throws his fiery darts of doubt, we can throw back the promises of God.
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Sword of the Spirit:
This is the only piece of our armor that is an offense piece. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” When Jesus faced the temptations in the wilderness, he used scripture as his weapon. This is why Bible study is so important for the Christian. You can’t use your sword if you don’t know the truth and power that it contains.
Battle Strategy #3: organize and activate the army
Third, Hezekiah organized his military, setting captains over the people. When we are facing spiritual and physical battles, we need to pray. Daniel 10:12-14 says, “Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
Matthew 18:10 teaches that angels are assigned to represent believers to God and that these angels have access to the heavenly throne and constantly present our needs to God. Psalm 103:20-21 says, “Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will.” Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
What activates the army of God?
The angels make up God’s army, and they are activated by our prayers. Angels stand at the throne of God waiting to do His bidding and when we pray, God dispatches them to fight on our behalf or work out a need that we have. When Daniel was praying, an answer to his prayer was delayed by 21 days by an evil supernatural being and the arch angel, Michael, had to come to help him defeat the demon. Just as Hezekiah organized his army, our prayers organize and activate God’s army.
Just as Hezekiah organized his army against the Assyrians, our prayers organize and activate God’s army against Satan.
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What if Daniel had stopped praying? Would help from Michael not come and the angel never get to Daniel? Possibly. It’s certainly a sobering thought to wonder how many times we stopped praying and because we did, we didn’t receive the help that was sent. If you’re facing a spiritual battle, don’t stop praying. If necessary, dig a tunnel for the Living Water to come rushing in to refresh and renew your faith then pray even more. Pray harder. Enlist other believers to pray with you and for you.
Battle Strategy #4: Remember that the enemy is no match for the strength of Yahweh
Lastly, Hezekiah gathered the people to him and to reminded them that Assyria was no match for the strength of Yahweh. Because of the strength of the eternal Yahweh, the people had no need to be afraid or dismayed. Their courage and strength was found in God. All the Assyrian King had on his side was his mighty and vast army made of mortal flesh and blood – but the people of Judah had the Almighty Eternal God on their side. Because God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we can know that the same Almighty God is on our side. Just as he fought for the people of Judah, He will fight for us.
Over and over again in the history of Israel and Judah, we see God fight for His people. But he fights for them when they are humbly surrendered to Him, honoring Him with their worship, and following after only Him. But, when they strayed into idol worship and turned away from God, the people met with defeat.
If you feel like you are losing the battle, can you identify any area where you have turned away from God? Are there areas your have not surrendered to Him? Do you have any idols in your life? Are you a person who does “right in the eyes of God?” You may want to spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal to you any thing that could hinder God fighting for you. Quickly confess and repent from sin and surrender totally to God. Then we need to suit up in our God-given armor, pray, and allow God to fight the battle for us.
#Godwillfightforyou #suitup #armorofGod #prayeractivatesthearmyofGod
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