F4S: Wanna Defeat Your Enemy?

Monday, March 15, 2010

Wanna Defeat Your Enemy?

When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people.. who had come against Judah. ~2 Chronicles 20:22

Do you want to prevail against the real enemy. Sure you do!

Well Christian, have you tried thanking and praising the Lord lately?

Bad idea? No way, on the contrary—this is a very good idea ..just to turn your attention away from the problem-people or situations around you for a few moments ..even if you don't feel like it.. and then as an act of your own volition, to deliberately choose to express your love and gratitude to the Lord. You know that He more than deserves this. Satan hates this so much! 

Please be reminded of the time when King Jehoshaphat of Judah became threatened by massive enemy armies (I personally love to be reminded and to remind people of this 'cause any of us can forget so easily). So, how did that go for him? Check it out...

He understood well that the people were powerless to defend themselves from those military forces, and he still refused to give up in spite of the real circumstance. Like that.

So Jehoshaphat first cried out in prayer to the Lord for His intervention (Good idea! See 2 Chronicles 20:12). And what happened after that? Welllllllll good question! The Lord's clear response came to Jehoshaphat through a man named, Jahaziel, when he said, "Do not be afraid nor dismayed... for the battle is not yours, but God's" (v.15). You know, we would all do well, first off, to pray, let the Lord fight our battles.. and to trust Him for protection. If we opt to be our main protection.. He will let us.

Then how did Mr. Jehoshaphat respond? Here's how... he started to worship to God of all creation. He also appointing praise singers if you will, to lead the army out (vv.18, 21). And as the people of God sang, "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever," what did God do for them? Interestingly enough, God started to confuse the invading armies. And when they were mixing big time guess what happened next?  You got it. The soldiers started to kill one another (vv.22-24).

Now how much physical work did Jehoshaphat do to gain the victory. None; God did the work. Listen, no matter what battles you may be facing right now, no matter what oppression or opposition is before you, Jesus Christ by His Spirit is right there to help you when you simply cry out to Him. We don't do something to get Him to act, He is the Great Initiator. We simply respond to Him in simple childlike faith.

I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
~Psalm 22:22, nkjv

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. ~Psalm 22:3, nkjv

Does all the world seem against you and you're in the battle alone?
It's often when you are most helpless that God's mighty power is known. ~Anon.

I try not to be into instructing Him on how to do what I am asking Him to help me with. The Lord doesn't need me to help Him in this way. I can't promise you that the Lord will do things exactly as He did for Jehoshaphat but I can promise you that you won't regret it. When the outlook doesn't look so great, try the uplook! When you feel like fixating or concentrating on solving the problem in your own power, then step back, pause, pray and praise Jesus! What do you have to lose really? Nothin'!

Yeah, instead letting panic or fear get a grip on you, hold your ground and worship Christ with all your heart! It will get easier the more you do this. I'm telling you that it won't be long before you can advance and take more ground for the Kingdom! Expect a harvest too.

We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us so; the Christ who dwells within us is the greatest power we know. ~A. Carmichael

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ~Romans 8:37

"Yet You are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne." ~Psalm 22:3, nlt

The way to drive Satan (doesn't his creepy name even have an ugly hiss to it?) to distraction, towards confusion and towards defeat in the battle is not through extended conversations or arguments with him... it's not through practicing extra biblical hyper-weird or religious incantation-jive! It's through simply obeying and praising Jesus Christ.

We aren't seeking for the anti-Christ, witches or devils cuz we are busy seeking Christ Himself. So regardless of whether the enemy is messin' with you through depression, oppression, worry, fear ..or by popping up in your face as a physical foe like the cold-blooded religious Pharisees would do back in the day.. to majorly go off on Him with accusations etc.. or as a non-physical foe from outside of us like the demons might try to do (remember, no demon or Satan can attack you from within or even be in a born again believer ..PERIOD), you calling it to thank, praise, and worship the Lord who is much stronger than all demons. Wait I say upon the Lord. God will drive the fallen angels away because He has already conquered Satan on the cross!

How exactly does God do it? I don't know all aspect of this. The Bible remains silent as to how He kicks Lu-Cifer to the curb. But I do know that in some supernatural kinda way, our praises offered to Jesus will usher in the authority of God into any given situation. I think it's a good thing to begin any time alone in prayer by thanking and praising the Lord first ..yup, for who He is.. for what He has already done ..and not for what you can get from Him.

Don't put this off. It's important stuff.