Wonderful Jesus!

Category: Battle plans

• Battle Fatigue!

  Posted at 2:04 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 28, 2020

  Isaiah 37:3 – They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.” NIV

  If you have been following me through this battle with Hezekiah and Sennacherib, you know that a lot has been going on. This has been a battle that has spanned months, if not years.

  Hezekiah has cleaned up Judah, getting rid of the idols and restoring the worship of the One True God. That was a battle in and of itself! Then he rebelled against Sennacherib, in essence, letting him know that he wasn’t going to do his bidding anymore. Then Sennacherib attacks all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them, taking the people into captivity. Hezekiah repents of his rebellion to Sennacherib and pays him tribute, or compromises. Sennacherib isn’t satisfied and he sends a large army to take Jerusalem. Whew! A lot is going on!

  With all that Hezekiah has done, restoring righteousness to Judah, building up the city against war, encouraging his people to trust that God was on their side, he has shown himself to be a king whose trust was in the Lord. He may have gotten a little frightened and compromised, but at the heart of all he had done, was a king who believed in God.

  Now, with our key verse, we see a king who is weary. He has grown tired of the constant need to be on guard, the constant need to be battle ready, the constant need to encourage himself and his people, and it’s the worst time ever to be weary because war seems eminent.

  The Bible doesn’t explain to us where Isaiah has been during all of this time, but now Hezekiah feels like he needs some encouragement. He sends messengers to Isaiah and tells them to say to Isaiah that he is at a place of distress, rebuke, and disgrace and he feels like a mother who is about to deliver a baby but she has no strength left to deliver it.

  Now, you have to have given birth or at least been with someone who has given birth to fully understand this. I have had three children and I totally understand what Hezekiah is saying.

  My second child was my longest labor. It felt like forever, but it was really about 30 hours. Most of that time I was in the hospital on pitocin which was used to help my contractions become stronger. I kid you not when I say my contractions were hard and frequent for so many hours I thought I was going to lose my mind!! The nurses kept coming in to check on my progress but nothing was happening. Finally, my sister-in-law, who worked in labor and delivery at that hospital, but who was supposed to be watching my firstborn, showed up. She took one look at me, knew I didn’t have the strength to deliver my baby, and she turned around and got me a surgeon who could give me a C-section! I was delivered!!! And I was oh so grateful to be done.

  Back to Hezekiah! He is saying the labor has been too long and he has grown weary and he needs help in delivering this baby! Do you know how Hezekiah felt? I know this feeling naturally and spiritually. And if you have never experienced it, just keep living!

  Spiritual battle fatigue is real. There are some battles that end so quickly you don’t even realize you were in a battle; but there are some that seem to go and on and on. I’m thinking of a battle of sickness, or a battle in a relationship, or a battle with finances, or a battle with a boss. You have done every thing that you can think of and every thing that others can think of. You have prayed and you have stood on the word. You have confessed and you have put a praise on it. You have bound the enemy and you have put him under you feet, but the battle still rages! What do you do?

  It is at this time that you need a word from God. You may need to seek out someone who can intercede on your behalf. You may need to go to your pastor. Whomever the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, you need to get with them and trust them to be able to hear from the Lord because your strength is failing you. I’ve been in need and I’ve been the mediator and it’s a blessing to have people who will help you win a battle.

  That’s what Hezekiah did! He sent his people to the prophet Isaiah, and Isaiah had a word for him from the Lord. God sent Hezekiah a word that He had heard the blasphemous words of the Assyrian king and that Sennacherib would return to his own country and be cut down with the sword.

  That word encouraged Hezekiah and he was able to pray what was on his heart to the Father and continue in the battle. You know what happened! It ended for Sennacherib as Isaiah prophesied. Sennacherib’s own sons killed him! I’m not saying that God is going to kill anybody on your behalf, but He will come through for you. When you are feeling your greatest fatigue in the battle, know you are about to win your greatest victory. Stand strong, call in reinforcements, and don’t give up on God. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Hezekiah’s battle, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, hard times, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living

• Talk Back to the Enemy!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 25, 2020

  Isaiah 36:7 – “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?”’ NKJV

  talk-back-to-the-enemy_.mp3

  I think I’ve mentioned before that this battle is one of the most detailed battles in the word, written in three different books of the Bible. The first thing I noticed, the first time I read this battle is that the Assyrians were nothing more than bullies! They spent the majority of their time throwing insults, hoping to intimidate the Israelites into submission. If there is one modus operandi of the devil, intimidation would get my vote as his specialty.

  Let’s look at a few of the insults hurled at the citizens of Judah:

  • What are you trusting in?
  • I heard you are making plans for a war, but they are mere words.
  • Are you trusting in the assistance of Egypt? He’s a broken reed and so are those who trust in him.
  • Are you trusting in God?
  • Didn’t Hezekiah take away His high places and altars and said you could only worship here in Jerusalem?
  • Come on, surrender and make a pledge and we will give you 2,000 horses, if you have men you can put on them!
  • Didn’t the Lord say to us, “Go up against this land, and destroy it!
  • Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, he won’t be able to deliver you!

  And the insults continued on and on, with one intent, to intimidate the people of God. And the devil has been using this form of attack on the people of God for centuries; often times quite effectively.

  Today he would more likely say things like:

  • Do you really think God will heal you? He didn’t heal Brother So and So. As a matter of fact, he died.
  • Do you expect Jesus to come from heaven and marry you? You will be waiting until eternity.
  • Do you really think that by giving that church ten percent of your income, you are going to make it to the next paycheck and have more than enough? Are you stupid? You can’t pay your bills now!
  • Why would God want to use you? There is nothing special about you. Get real!
  • Don’t you dare go over and tell that person that! That wasn’t God. He is not talking to you. That’s you!
  • You think because you said that prayer that you are saved. That is so not true. If that’s all it took, everybody would be saved.
  • You are a worthless, low down, dirty, rotten sinner, and that’s all you will ever be. God can’t possibly love you!

  And the list can go on and on and on. And some nights, and some times in your head, it does! And it seems as if you can’t shut the lying, hateful words up and so you begin to feel tormented in your mind and in your spirit. And when you start thinking like that, he is being effective against you!

  Hezekiah’s advice to his people was not to respond. This makes sense, because this was not an individual battle, but a battle against the masses. And maybe, just maybe, it is good advice when the devil is using an actual person. But generally, I would say that now is the time to go on the attack!

  How? The same way Jesus went on the attack! With God’s word!

  • Every lying thought needs to be cast down! You need to open your mouth and declare that “by His stripes you are healed!” That you will live and not die and continue to declare the works of the Lord! He is your healer!
  • You need to take a firm grip on the word that says, “It is not good that man is alone!” God’s idea, not mine! So He will work it out! And until He brings you together, you will use your time and talents to promote His kingdom and trust that your future spouse is waging war on him also!
  • Bring all the tithes into my storehouse, God said, and He will rebuke the devourer. So devil, you are rebuked in Jesus’ Name! Wealth and riches are in your house and you are blessed!
  • God has plans, a purpose, an expected end for you to get to, and God will bring it to pass! Therefore you can trust in Him to direct you, lead you, guide you. And you can become the enemy’s worst nightmare.
  • God manifests Himself, by His Spirit, to His people that they might be encouraged. A word of knowledge is a gift of God. And at the very least, you will encourage your brother, or your sister, so you will share what has dropped in your spirit and trust God with the rest!
  • All those who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved! You called! You are saved! You are redeemed of the Lord and are saying so, because He told you to!
  • You are loved by God! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. And equally as importantly, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, not a low down dirty sinner. Satan is a liar, and the Father of lies and you are to resist every negative thought and comment and hide under the shadow of the Almighty God! You are His sheep and you only listen to your Shepherd, now put the devil behind you!

  You cannot be silent when the taunting, tormenting, intimidating spirits of the enemy come knocking at the door of your mind or your heart! You must make a decision to attack him with the only thing that works! God’s word! It worked for Jesus in the wilderness and it will work for you! This is your time for talking back! Get sassy with it! And let him know that you are not taking this mess anymore! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, Christian, encouragement, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, righteousness, Sinner, Spiritual warfare, Tithing, Victorious Living, victory, word of God

• Don’t Count Yourself Out!

  Posted at 3:38 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 21, 2020

  “2 Chronicles 32:8 -With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. NKJV

  As I mentioned in my previous post, a lot is going on in this battle. I have already mentioned that Hezekiah was a righteous king, doing all that he could to restore the statutes of the Lord in Israel. He tore down everything that was contrary to the Lord, and rebuilt all that was destroyed in an attempt to stomp Him out.

  I like what verse 1 in this chapter of the Bible let’s us know. “After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah…” I wrote about this in my last post, but here we see in the word that the attack came after his righteous stand. Just like it does with us today! And at first he compromises with the enemy to try and get him to back off from the battle, but verse two lets us know that Sennacherib had come with a purpose to make war against Jerusalem.

  Each telling of the battle has some really interesting points, but tonight I want to deal with what happened after the compromise. According to verses 3-8, Hezekiah came up with a plan. That plan was not to give in and let Sennacherib totally destroy all that he had accomplished, but to prepare for battle!

  First, Hezekiah realizes that the Assyrians came to battle and he consults with his leaders and commanders. Can I stop for a moment and say that Hezekiah was wise enough to know that he didn’t know everything, or that he could accomplish far more with his team alongside him? Too many leaders in the church and in the world have a complex about what greatness looks like. For some reason they feel that because they are the leader, they know better than anybody else what to do. They need to go back to the school of feet washing so that they can understand that in His kingdom we are to be servants first. I have known a lot of bad leaders and only a few really good leaders. I tip my hat to them! Can I also point out that he recognized that the Assyrians came to battle. It’s time we recognize that every time the devil shows up, he comes prepared to do so battle. So we need to make sure that we are prepared, also.

  Together they decided three things: to shut off the water supply, to rebuild the walls, and to rebuild and equip their forces. There were springs near Jerusalem and a brook that ran nearby. All of this was stopped up to keep the Assyrians from having an ample water supply. They rebuilt the walls, and even built an extra wall outside of that one. Archaeologists have discovered a portion of wall that they think is from this time frame that was strong enough to withstand the battering rams and enclosed a reservoir of water. And lastly, they made weapons and shields to fight the battle.

  But the most important thing that happened was that Hezekiah took courage and talked to his military commanders. He encouraged them to be strong and courageous; to not be afraid, nor to be discouraged. Then he reminds them that the One who was with them, was greater than the one coming against them, and that He would be with them.

  Now how does this help us in the battles of life? After you compromise with the devil, the enemy wants you to think that it’s over for you. You gave up on God, or trusted in your flesh, or your money, or whatever, and now you are on your own. But Hezekiah realized that he was about to face a serious battle and he needed help from God! And so will you!

  One thing that you can do to get ready for war is to get over yourself. You messed up, now get up, repent and prepare for battle!

  Then, you shut off anything that will aid the enemy’s attack on you. That could be an ungodly relationship, or unforgiveness, or idolatry, hatred or selfish ambitions, or drunkenness to name a few. Just shut the door to those things, that the enemy will not have a place to get comfortable and habitat in your life.

  Rebuild the walls. Fix whatever is broken. Get things in order. Repent and recommit your life to Jesus. Get re-established in your church. Let go of ungodly soul ties. Restore godly relationships! Move in the direction that encourages a healthy life in Christ!

  Lastly, get those weapons ready! You have weapons of warfare that are mighty in God (2 Corinthians 4:10)! Those weapons include praise, the name of Jesus, the Blood of the Lamb, the living word of God, and prayer. You will not win this in the flesh. That’s what Hezekiah said that Sennacherib had, the arm of the flesh, but he and Judah had the Lord! So do you!! So see yourself as a winner, and not as a loser.

  And after you have done all of that, you stand! Stand knowing that greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world! (1 John 4:4) Stand knowing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it. (Philippians 1:6). Stand because the word said, and having done all, you stand! (Ephesians 6:13). Don’t let the devil ever convince you that it is impossible to regain your place with God. In some cases, things could actually get better because you could actually be more committed than you were before having gone through a bad experience. Keep your head up and don’t count yourself out! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, God, hard times, Hezekiah, Judah, Prayer, Sennacherib, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living, victory

• Don’t Compromise With the Enemy!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 17, 2020

  2 Kings 18:14 – Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. NKJV

  The battle I will look at today is a very complicated battle with a lot going on. It will take several blogs to do it justice. It is a battle that is mentioned three times in the Bible, so I don’t want to rush through it, although I probably won’t get to all of it. It is mentioned in 2 Kings chapters 18-19, in 2 Chronicles chapters 32-33, and lastly in the book of Isaiah in chapters 36 through 37. I have always felt that the events that happened in this battle had to be important because it is written about more than any other battle. And I have always thought many of the things Sennacherib said and did reminds me of the enemy, so I am looking forward to sharing my findings.

  We are immediately informed by the authors that Hezekiah was a king who honored God. As a matter of fact, he is mentioned as a king who did right in the sight of the Lord. When he became king, he was intent on getting rid of everything that dishonored God, even destroying the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness. (See Numbers 21:8). Hezekiah brought about great reforms to Judah. He ordered that they clean the temple, destroy idols, sanctify the priests and reinstitute worship in the temple. The tithe and the sacrifices were restored and the people were so excited that they gave an abundance of supply to the temple. He also had them reinstate the Passover, and they had such a wonderful time of worship that they held the Passover for two weeks instead of one.

  Then Hezekiah rebelled against the king of Assyria. The Bible doesn’t tell us if this was God’s leading or Hezekiah’s plan for freedom, but it does say that he rebelled. Apparently, Hezekiah was king of Judah, but Judah was under Assyrian control or threat when Hezekiah said he wasn’t going to submit to Sennacherib any longer. This brought the wrath of the Assyrian king to Judah and he conquered 46 cities and towns surrounding Jerusalem and took the spoils and sent the people into captivity. When Hezekiah realized what had happened, he told the king that he had done wrong and would do whatever he asked of him. (This information is recorded in Assyrian history also). So Hezekiah paid tribute (or gold) to the king to be left alone.

  This reminds me so much of how things work out spiritually for the believer. When a person is radically saved by the power of God, they make radical changes in their lives. They throw away drugs, they turn away from sexual sins, they walk away from immorality, as they allow God to conform them into His image. This is their rebellion against the previous ownership of the devil. But he doesn’t just let them walk away from him (anymore than Sennacherib was going to allow Judah to walk away), he goes on the attack! An attack that can sometimes make a person feel like he/she was better off unsaved. But that is not the truth! As a matter of fact it is a lie that has been used against the members of the body of Christ for far too long! Don’t fall for the lie!

  Hezekiah fell for the lie. Sennacherib had already defeated Israel, three years previously. He had already stomped on the Egyptians who was supposed to be Hezekiah’s back up plan. He had destroyed the surrounding cities of Judah. And now he has turned his attention on Jerusalem! Hezekiah becomes a little nervous about all of this and begins to fear that he has brought destruction to Judah because of his plans to clean up the place! Maybe the devil caused him to think that all of his plans for restoring righteousness to Judah brought on these problems, so he needed to pull back on some of his reforms, namely rebelling against the king. So he compromises and tells the king he will do whatever he wants if he would just leave them alone. The king of Assyria demanded three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver from the temple and from his own treasures and stripped the gold from the doors and pillars of both places. But this compromise does not stop Sennacherib, nor does it appeases him. So the first major point I want to make from this battle is that it doesn’t pay to compromise, so don’t do it! Ever!

  When the enemy comes against you, making you feel like it doesn’t pay to live a righteous life, it’s an attempt to get you to compromise on the principles of your faith. Don’t give in to it! Single women, who love God passionately, and want to get married, I implore you to not compromise in your stand to stay pure for a godly mate. The devil is lying when he says to you that there are no single godly men and all the girls who are having sex are the ones getting married; and all the women living for God are single and will always be single. That’s just not the truth! But even if it is your current reality, to compromise will not bring you what you are looking for, just like it didn’t for Hezekiah! It will only bring you heartache that will last a whole lot longer than the wait for God to bring you a mate.

  Have you been faithful on your job, working hard and believing for a promotion? But you were passed over for the guy who doesn’t work nearly as hard as you, but he parties with team? Be thankful that you were passed over because any job that will cause you to compromise your principles, to live contrary to the will of God for you life, is not a promotion that you want! Don’t compromise your stand for the Lord for money and position! It will not bring you the job satisfaction that you want! God still is the only one who promotes His children. There may be a wait, but it will be worth it!

  When you are doing all that you know to do to live for God you will attract the attention of the enemy, as surely as Hezekiah did. Israel was overtaken because of their disobedience to God, but Hezekiah’s attack was purely because of his stand for righteousness. Don’t let this be a block to your living for God. Don’t let this be a reason for compromise. Know that God left a record for you of how the enemy will put pressure on you to compromise and that it isn’t worth it! Ever!

  Hezekiah lost many cities because of his compromise. He started out doing so well. He was turning the hearts of the people back to God and God was with him while he was rebuilding the walls, restoring the temple, and calling people to worship. And as he was doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, he was trusting Him. But when he heard about his cities and his people being taken into captivity, it was just too much of a burden and he ended up paying tribute to Sennacherib because he stopped trusting God. The compromise that was supposed to make his life easier and his kingdom safer only made things worst. And any compromise you make will make things worst for you. Stay tuned for what happened next. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Hezekiah’s battle, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged 2 Kings 18, battle, compromise, freedom, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Spiritual warfare

• I’m Melting, I’m Melting!

  Posted at 3:14 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 14, 2020

  Joshua 2:11 – And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

  I had the privilege of ministering recently about the battle plans. I was so excited, because it’s a subject that has stirred in my heart for years. I will blog some more on the battles and maybe even update my previous blogs, because as I ministered, God showed me some other things that I feel are pertinent to the battles I have already blogged about.

  But as we were headed home, my husband mentioned to me that one thing he found interesting was that Rahab told the spies that their hearts melted when they heard about the children of Israel and what that must have looked like. And that got me to thinking about my next blog.

  Have you ever seen the Wizard of Oz? They used to play it every year and I made sure that I never missed it. There was something fascinating about the City of Oz. But the most memorable part to me was when they poured the water on the wicked witch and she yelled, “I’m melting! I’m melting!” I just got a kick out of the fact that someone who had caused Dorothy so much trouble, melted before her face!

  We never see what is happening in the spirit realm when we pray and take a stand against the devil, but I believe Jericho gives us a unique insight into that realm. Long before Joshua and the people of God entered Jericho, the inhabitants of Jericho had heard of the great victories that God had given His people. Rahab said that the terror of the people of God had fallen on Jericho and they had grown faint hearted because of the children of Israel and their God. She told the spies that the inhabitants of Jericho had heard how the Lord had dried up the Red Sea, about the destruction of the Amorites, and of the kings on the other side of the Jordan. And when they heard these things, their hearts melted and they no longer had any courage because God was on their side.

  I think we give way too much credit to the enemy. Notice, I said we! I think that when we know who we are and stand against the attacks of the enemy in the Name of Jesus, we cause demons to tremble, for we are their worst nightmare. People who know and trust their God!

  Moses prophesied in his song, Exodus 15:15, that all the inhabitants of Canaan would melt away and that fear and dread would fall on them. And that is exactly what happened. When I think of a heart that’s melting, I think of a person who has embrace total defeat. That person has no more strength and can’t see anything but the loss that they are expecting, so they are paralyzed in that state of fear and hopelessness.

  The battle of Jericho was really not a battle that Joshua can take credit for. He literally just walked in to finish what God had started. If you think their hearts fainted at what they heard about the Red Sea, the Amorites, and kings of Og and Sihon, what do you think happened while they watched the procession for seven days? People probably started having heart attacks and dying, suicide rate probably accelerated, and everyone was casting blame on everyone else for them being in this predicament of hopelessness. There was probably a lot of sacrificing to their dead gods trying to find some help, some relief. The place was probably in total chaos and fear was running rampant as the citizens of Jericho were wondering what was really happening outside those walls with all of that marching!

  Then came the seventh day! The Israelites didn’t go back to camp after the first round of marching and trumpet blowing. Something was going on! Aren’t they playing a new song? What could it mean? Neither did they return to camp after the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, or the sixth round! They just kept going around and around and around playing those trumpets until finally there was a loud, long blast and then pandemonium breaks out! The walls of the city started falling around them. But not at Rahab’s. Rahab and her family sat huddled together in hope, waiting for their deliverance. Forty years prior, the Canaanites had made many of the Israelites hearts to melt. They had felt like grasshoppers and had missed out on going into the promised land. But now, the Canaanites had become the grasshoppers, and the grasshoppers had become the giants!!

  In Daniel 11:32, the Bible states, “…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits!” I believe it is sufficient to say that Joshua knew his God! The exploits that he led the children of Israel through are still talked about today with great awe. But Joshua is not an anomaly! We are the people of God also, and we are to cause fear in the heart of the enemy.

  When we get in the word, when we pray, when we praise God, when we come together, when we get out of bed, the enemy ought to become very worried about what is up with us today! Our hearts should never be the hearts that are failing. We should not be afraid of the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that walks in darkness! A thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but our stand should be that it will not come near us! We may see it and hear about it, but it shall not come near us!!

  Decide today that you will not be like the people of Jericho. You will be like Rahab!Even though her heart melted at first, faith rose up on the inside of her and she determined that her fate would not be the fate of the people of Jericho. She reached out to the true and living God and found Him receptive to her plea. She saved herself and her family! Fear will bring you destruction but the hand of faith extended to the loving Father will bring hope, deliverance, and great exploits! Next time the enemy attack you, just see him saying, “I’m melting, I’m melting!” Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged battle of Jericho, Believer, encouragement, Faith, Joshua, Spiritual warfare, the devil, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

• The Shout of Victory!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 11, 2020

  Joshua 6:16 – And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!

  You would be hard pressed today to find someone who has not heard of the battle of Jericho. Songs and movies have been made about this great victory; but just in case you are one of the few who have not heard, I will give you an abbreviated account.

  The children of Israel had arrived at the Jordan. It was time to go across into the land of Canaan to take possession of their promised land, their inheritance. Joshua sent two spies to check out the land, and while they were doing reconnaissance they met Rahab. She hides the spies, lies to her countrymen, then makes a deal for her life and the lives of her family members (chapter 2).

  Then the children of Israel arrives at the Jordan and again God parts the waters as He did with the Red Sea. Do you think the people of Canaan was oblivious to this parting of the river? I don’t think so! I think this only heightened their fear of Joshua and the children of Israel. Sometimes when we are in a battle, all we see is the obvious; but we have to realize that God is strategically handle the situation on our behalf. The Canaanites were already afraid of the God who parted the Red Sea and now He is parting the Jordan! This was no coincidence!

  After they cross over the Jordan, the manna ceased. The interesting thing to note about the manna is that God had miraculously supplied manna for them while in the wilderness, but in the promised land, provision was waiting and they had no more need of manna. Some say they no longer needed a miracle so it stopped! I think that the possessing of the land was quite miraculous and the miracles didn’t stop, they took on another form!

  The city of Jericho was on lockdown! There was no natural way to get inside the city without assistance. Archaeologists have proven that the city was surrounded by two walls and that houses were built in the walls. They also discovered that the Canaanites could have lasted for years under siege because they had a great water supply and had stored up many provisions. This was probably known to the spies and told to Joshua, Joshua didn’t know how he was going to win this battle, he just knew that he would!

  God gave Joshua some unusual instructions for attacking Jericho! Joshua was told that they were to march around the city once for six days. When they marched, the procession was to be led by the men of war, followed by seven priests playing seven trumpets in front of the ark (continuously), and behind the ark bearing priests there were to be more men of war. Not a sound was to be made otherwise! Then they returned to the camp. I can just imagine the look on the faces of the people of Canaan. They had to be wondering what in the world were the children of Israel doing? What kind of battle strategy was this? Why do they keep blowing that horn? And the sounds of the feet marching was probably magnified to them inciting fear beyond reason! What were they waiting for? What did they hope to accomplish with all of this marching? Simple instructions and frightening at the same time.

  However, on the seventh day the instructions changed. They were to march around the city seven times and when they heard the sound of the trumpet, all the people were to shout with a great shout, then the walls would fall flat! Can I just stop here to say that I wonder what Joshua was feeling at these instructions? Joshua, a mighty warrior, who have fought several battles with the Lord, is being told that his strategy for his first major war as leader of Israel is to march around the city?! Whatever he was feeling, he obeyed God! That’s a lesson all by itself!

  I remember reading a testimony of a person who was told by God to hit someone with a banana and they would be healed. Of course, the person thought that this was pretty ridiculous and couldn’t possibly be from God. Later that day, I think he was at a conference, the speaker said something like, “If God tells you to get a banana and hit someone with it, you need to obey God!” He instantly knew he was being rebuked, but moved to obey God and saw a miracle! Joshua needed no such confirmation! He trusted that this strategy would get the job done! There is no record of a discourse like Moses had with God at the burning bush when he said he couldn’t speak! No, Joshua simply obeyed God and the walls came tumbling down!

  Battles are tough! But they don’t always have to be. One word from God can turn your entire situation around. That’s why I love reading about the battles in the Old Testament. They help me to understand that God’s instructions are as unique as the situations. He is no cookie cutter God and what He told Bertha to do to win her battle, may not be what He tells you! Some battles are won with much fasting and prayer! Some are won with speaking the word! But some are won with a shout! Joshua understood that his sure victory was in hearing from God! And that’s the lesson I take from this battle! If you are facing a battle or in the midst of a battle, your victory will depend on your battle plan! Make sure it’s the one the Lord is backing! Shout,for He has given you the city! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Victorious Living | 1 Comment | Tagged encouragemnt, Joshua, miraculous, Prayer, provision, testimony, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

• The Battle For Family!

  Posted at 5:58 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on February 8, 2020

  Genesis 14:14 – “Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.” NKJV

  Family creates an interesting dynamic to the lives of believers. Some of our family members keep us on our knees praying, confessing, and believing God for their deliverance. If it wasn’t for the fact that we know worry is a sin, some of us would live in the place of worry. But this is nothing new! And there is some great news ahead!

  Abram had been given a directive from God to leave his country, his family, and his heritage to go to a place chosen by God (Genesis 12). And he did! Kinda sorta! He took his nephew, Lot, with him. It wasn’t that Lot was some little kid that needed Abram to raise him, but when Terah left Ur, he had taken Lot, so maybe Abram felt responsible for Lot. Whatever the reason, whatever the case, they are together.

  Both men are prosperous. Verse 2, of chapter 13 lets us know that Abram was very rich in livestock, silver and gold. And we find that Lot is prosperous when the herdsmen of Abram and Lot begin arguing over the water and the land. Not only do they have to share with each other this land and water, but we are told that they have to share with the Canaanites and the Perizzites as well.

  This causes them to have to separate from each other. Lot was given a choice by Abram in verse 9, “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot chooses to go to Sodom. Some translations of the Bible states that Lot moved near Sodom, while others refer to him moving into Sodom. Which ever way it really was, he eventually ended up living in Sodom.

  In chapter 14, a battle is gearing up, and Sodom and Gomorrah joins with three other kings to fight, five agains four. During the battle, Sodom and Gomorrah are overtaken, along with Lot and his goods. Someone escapes and tells Abram, and he gears up for battle. If you have not read this in its entirety, you should do so, because I can only give highlights. In our key verse, Abram, with his trained men, go in pursuit of Lot to recover him and his goods.

  It doesn’t matter to Abram that Lot made his own choice to live in Sodom. It doesn’t matter to Abram that five kings lost to four. It doesn’t even matter to Abram that in helping Lot, he will end up helping Sodom and Gomorrah, whom I am sure he understood the nature of their lives. No! The only thing that mattered to Abram was that his beloved nephew was in trouble and needed his help!

  I’ve lived long enough to know that we all have that family member that can get into some situations. Not always of their own making, it just seems that trouble follows him or her. But family is family! And if you are a believer, your heart for your family is to see every one of them delivered from the enemy, as Abram felt. Abram pursued those kings, rescued Lot and his positions, and all the prisoners and possessions. In other words, they went into that battle and recovered all, returning quite victorious!

  I am from a large family. I had seven sisters and two brothers. All with families of their own. So we have seen some things. I also married into a good sized family. My husband had five siblings. So our families combined with siblings, with nieces, nephews and cousins are quite extensive. We’ve fought many battles over the year. We’ve lost some (seemingly in the natural), we’ve won all (in the spirit), and we find that we have become trained warriors. There is no sitting back on our family members saying that they got themselves into that, or it’s their lifestyle, or we are tired of them. We fight for our family!

  My mother died from lupus while in her forties, leaving all of us very young. Many years later when my sister was in her forties, they diagnosed her with lupus. She called me and told me about it, saying that she was going die in her forties like mama. Something rose up on the inside of me, we know it was the Holy Ghost, and I decreed the devil is a liar! I prayed for her on that phone and continued to pray until I felt the victory. She went back to the doctor and they couldn’t find it! Glory!!! She’s in her sixties. Another time, she was about to lose her job (not sure why she keeps coming to mind) because a patient lied on her. I want you to know we got to praying and she never did lose that job! Years later, she is still on it!! God is such a good God! We’ve gone to battle against sickness and diseases, financial attacks, legal battles, setups, and put downs, and we find that there is nothing God won’t do!

  I have friends, church members, acquaintances, with similar victories. As a believer, I have noticed that when the devil really gets messy, he starts attacking our family members when he wants to get at us. But we have to have the same mind Abram had, “not my family” knowing that God will go with us! Abram had no fear of losing his life or the battle. God had made a promise to him about inheriting the land of Canaan. He couldn’t inherit it if he was dead. So he went out sure of his victory. God has made us similar promises. Promises of victory! Promises that greater is He that is with us, then he that is in the world! A promise that we are more than a conqueror! A promise of household salvation! A promise of generational blessings!

  Don’t you quit on your family! Even if you believe or know you are the only one praying, the only one standing on the promises, the only one who believes! God cares about your family, because He loves them more than you do! I believe this is the first physical battle mentioned in the Bible and it’s about family! What does that say? God is aware that family can get into some altercations, but He is for you and your family! Don’t accept drug addiction, alcohol addiction, unemployment, sickness and disease, and no other lying attack the devil comes up with! This is your family! Fight, for you are inked in as the winner! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Abraham, Believer, Christian, consequences, encouragement, Family, Genesis 14:14, hard times, Prayer, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living, victory

• Battle Readiness!

  Posted at 2:52 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 5, 2020

  Deuteronomy 20:1 – “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” NKJV

  There will be a time in each of our lives when we feel as if we are in a major battle. That battle can come in many forms: financial issues, medical issues, relationship issues, family issues, and a host of other issues. But no matter what the issue, it’s a battle that must be won. I want to share today and in the next several blogs what God has to say about our battles.

  At this time, in Israel’s history, God is teaching them how to go into a physical battle. He told them when it was time to go to fight against their enemies that they would see some things. He said they would see the horses, they would see the chariots, and they would see the people. Then He told them that they would be outnumbered. That doesn’t sound all that encouraging! But even with this, God said, “Do not be afraid of them!” I’ve taught history, and I know that the invention of chariots took war to another level. As a matter of fact, having chariots often ensured your victory. But we hear God saying, don’t look at those things, don’t be afraid!

  Today, we don’t have to go to war as they did in the Old Testament. We having a standing military ready to defend our countries. Probably at that time, most men fought in the war and left their women behind with the children. So I know that everything about the wars in the Old Testament will not be applicable. But some of it is!

  As a matter of fact, our war is not a physical war at all. Paul, in Ephesians 6, wrote that we wrestle not against flesh and blood! Our battles are more likely spiritual battles. Battles that are waged against us by our enemy the devil. And we cannot fight him in the flesh. But the things that God spoke to the children of Israel about their natural battles are things we need to know to win our own battles.

  When we go into battle we see things too: the people, the medical reports, the symptoms, the bills, the challenges…and they can overwhelm us! Yes, they can! But God is still saying, “Don’t be afraid!” And typically, that is easier said than it is done. I am sure that the children of Israel didn’t always find it easy to be courageous in the face of untold obstacles and being outnumbered. But God told them to not be afraid! And when we get a negative medical report, or the symptoms are unbearable, or the financial pressure is weighing us down, God is still saying, “Don’t be afraid!”

  Some teach today that we are not to even be concerned about spiritual warfare. They suggest that God has already won the battle and there is no need to “fight”. I will concur that the battle has already been won, and that we already have the victory! But the devil never hides in a cave saying, “I’ve already been defeated, so there’s no point in messing with them!” And he is fully aware of the truth that Jesus defeated him. But he attacks anyone he can to see if he can steal their victory. For he knows that every one, who is unaware and unwilling to fight, can become his prey and his war trophy. I don’t plan on that being me! I plan to fight!

  After God tells them “don’t be afraid”, God says to the children of Israel, “for the Lord your God is with you!” That’s why we don’t have to be afraid! Because God is with us as He was with them! Jesus echoed this truth when He said, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). And in Romans 8, Paul wrote, “If God be for you, who can be against you!” Over and over again, God has said that He is with us, and yet, we still wrestle with fear.

  If you are honest, if you are like me, it’s easy to forget this truth when you are bombarded by the enemy. Sometimes I really do believe that I am wrestling with flesh and blood! Sometimes, all I can see is the person who is attacking me. Sometimes, I am overwhelmed by all of the negative reports that I hear. Then God lovingly reminds me of His truth that He is with me.

  When you go to battle…We will all have a battle to fight some day, or we have fought a battle, or we are in a battle. It escapes none of us. I cringe when my pastor reminds us of this. But today I just want to remind you that part of getting ready for the battle is remembering that God has told us to not be afraid of what we see, even when it is overwhelming, because He is with us!

  Maybe you are facing a battle right now! Well, get in battle readiness and embrace the truth that God is with you and you don’t have to be afraid. Even if things are at the worst that they have ever been, or you are feeling more devastated than you could imagine, it is time to take God at His word! “For the Lord your God is with you!” You are not in this battle alone. You don’t have to fight it by yourself. Over the next few blogs, I plan to look into my favorite battles in the word of God and learn more about winning every time! My prayer is that you will allow God to show you that He is with you by releasing fear and beginning to trust Him like never before! He is with you! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged battles, Believer, Deuteronomy 20:1, encouragement, Ephesians 6, hard times, Matthew 28:20, Romans 8, Spiritual warfare, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

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