Impending Defeat or Certain Victory?
He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:16, 17 ESV) Elisha’s servant went out early in the morning, looked up and saw the enemy’s army surrounding them. Isn’t it true that we all have… Read More
When a Man Fights in Faith
And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:32 ESV) Goliath was intimidating. Backed by the Philistine army, he came out every day for forty days to taunt and threaten the army of Israel. Fear paralyzes even warriors. The men of Israel, along with their King, Saul, were at an impasse. Their fear kept them from going any further. They were face to face with an enemy they weren’t confident they could defeat. So, rather than… Read More
What do you do when following God leads you straight to the devil?
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1 ESV) What do you do when following God leads you straight to the devil? Having just been baptized in the Jordan River, Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit to restore God’s kingdom rule on earth “just as it is in heaven.” But the first place the Spirit of God led Jesus was to the wilderness to confront the devil himself. Not quite the utopian “Eden” so often proclaimed today – “Give your… Read More
The Battle
Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. (Psalms 144:1 NLT) We often think of David as a young shepherd – and he was; but David also grew into a fierce warrior. His victories in battle were impressive and innumerable. Some of the earliest beginnings of David’s combat training came in the form of a lion and a bear, both of which had made attempts to kill the sheep. Armed with his slingshot, David defeated each of these foes –… Read More
