The Battle is God's

Judges 7:9

And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

The story of Gideon (Jerubbaal) reminds us that the battles in life we face should not be dependent on human strength and ability. God took down Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 to prove to him that this battle he was facing is not won by the arm of the flesh, but by the hand of God, when we follow His ways. This does not mean that we don’t have a part to play in seeing God move. Our faith is challenged and we act on what God leads us to do. God helps those who act on their faith to put the outcome of the battle in the hands of God. He should not be our last resort when we find ourselves in a difficult situation. His ways are not always conventional, and may at times seem to be out there beyond reasonable, but learn to trust your heart when your heart is following God. He just may ask you to break some pitchers and blow a trumpet!

Confidence in God

 1Sam 17:46

This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand…

 

Confidence in our ability to fight the giants in our lives at some points becomes unattainable. There is only so much we can accomplish in our own strength and self determination. Yes, we must be strong, and we must decide to take a stand against the enemy that oppresses us. But our human abilities come short when facing giants that are bigger than us. The confidence that David had was not in his ability to swing the rock, but his trust in God that the Lord would deliver the victory. If it did not happen on the first swing, he believed that God would find a way to deliver this giant into his hands. He had five stones. He only needed one as God guided the stone to hit the forehead of the giant. The metaphor here is that we face giants (problems and difficulties) that take divine intervention. Through prayer and faith we can overcome those giants. Today, the Lord will give the victory.

Triumph In Christ

2 Corith 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ…

We all like to be winners and no one likes to lose. Whether we are the players or spectators, we want to come through victorious. Being on the winning side of a sports or game activity is short lived and the emotion of triumph soon dissipates. There is never a guarantee that we will win again the next time we play. Such is not the case when we fight or battle for the cause of Christ. Christ, our general and chief is leading the battle and He is undefeated and has never lost a battle. As followers of Him, we also can be triumphed in our fight against sin, our battles or temptations, and victorious during troubled times. At the end of life, we can look back and see through every trial and hardship, Christ was there to carry us through, He was there to fight for us. There is victory in Jesus, He will go before us, and we will raise our hands in victory when we cross on the other side.

Great is the Lord

1 Chronicles 29:11b Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty:…

How great is our God, how great is His name. The heaven declare His glory and the elements of the earth His praise. The rocks cry out His praise for He is all powerful and through Him victory is won. We magnify the Lord for He is worthy of praise and glory. We only need to look around us and marvel at His creation. He is the creator of life. All life is given to us by Him. “In my mother womb was I made and formed” declared the Psalmist. Great is the Lord and worthy to be praised.

Temptation is Real

Heb. 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Temptation is real and everyone born into this world faces them. Our faith in God is often tested when we face temptation. It is seen as a time of trial and hardship. We are tempted to give up and cast our faith away when it appears that God has forsaken us or does not care for us. Why would God allow such tragedy to come into my life? Then there is the temptation to give into our fleshly desires. Desires that are selfish and are forbidden in God’s word. A man is tempted to look upon a women and lust after her, fulfilling the sexual desires of the flesh. A person is tempted to take that which is not there, coveting possessions of others, and one is tempted to lie to avoid unwanted consequences or to get something they want. Whatever kind of temptation or test we face, we are not able to handle it on are own. We need a Savior who Himself has faced temptation and knows what we face. He is able to come to our aid and rescue us in the hour of our need. To overcome temptation, we must practice the presence of God, we need the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us the power to overcome our weaknesses. We our just earthen vessel, but God has promise to be with us and fill us with His presence. In the face of temptation, let us depend on His grace and the blood of Christ to give us the victory. 

Wretched Man That I Am

Roman 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

As a born again Christian, I was taught that Christ died for our sins and also died to save us from sinning. I was saved in a church that preached that the Holy Spirit comes to the believer to purify the heart of inbred sin. That He comes to live and dwell in the heart, keeping the believer eternally secure by His power through the blood of Christ. There are those that say that it is impossible to live without sinning, that Paul says that we continue to fight the carnal flesh and sometime it is inevitable that we will lose the fight. Because we live in these sinful fleshly human body it is our nature to do what is not right. “We can’t help ourselves, we are only human, the blood of Christ will cover these flaws that come out and manifest themselves at times” Such teaching has a thread of truth. For if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” The question then is, can God deliver the Christian from the carnal freshly desire and keep them from living a life that causes them to sin. The answer is given in vs 25. “ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” we can have victory over sin if we trust in the blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit to give us the victory!

Keeping The Faith

2 Tim 4:7 “ I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith.”-

 A testimony of perseverance, victory, and faithfulness. The battles of life are not easy, Paul faced things in his life that required him to stand up and fight. Fighting the good fight of faith, holding on to truth no matter what the world says or does. Standing up for what is right and doing what we can to share the gospel of Christ. We can know that we are doing and completing the work that God has given us. He puts all of us on a journey, a course, and there is a finish line. None of us know for sure when that time will come, but we can be confident that the purpose of God has been fulfilled. As we approach the coming of Christ for His bride, we can believe that God the father has all things under His control, we believe the Jesus will walk with us even in the most difficult times, and we believe the Holy Spirit can keep us from being led astray and lead us into all truth. Keeping the faith in the One and only true God. We believe! we have kept the faith!

Jesus Understands

John 11:33 “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled”- 

The sorrow of death touches the very heart of all people. We sorrow because life as we know it has been silence and our loved ones are no longer able to respond to our touch and our expressions of love. We weep for those who feel the pain of loss and separation of relationship on this earth. Jesus wept, for He was moved with our own feeling of infirmity. He understand that loneness of separation. But, we sorrow not like others, for in our weeping we can rejoice in knowing that Jesus is the resurrection of Life. For those, who put their faith and trust in His death and resurrection will someday be made alive and live with Him for ever. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? We live today for Christ that we may die tomorrow to live with Him eternally.

Faith in God

Judges 7:13-18
January 27, 2008

Gideon, a might man of courage and fortitude realized his inability to overcome the enemy. God stripped Gideon of any plausibility that the battle would be won through his own strength. The Lord takes the weak and empowers them with His Spirit to overcome the difficulties of life. We must have faith in God that He will enable us to see victory.

Willing Soldiers (Gideon prepares his army)
• Releasing the fearful
• Releasing the careless
• Retaining watchful
Weak Made Strong (vs13. Cake of barley)
• God takes the weak elements of our lives and uses them
• His power is made manifest in our weakness
• As a church, we are weak, but God is in control
Worried Enemies (vs14. God had delivered his enemy)
• The Lord was working and preparing the situation
• The enemy trembles when the saints start to believe God
Worship the Lord (vs.15. Gideon…worshiped)
• We draw our strength by worshiping God
• Through worship we begin to realize our weakness
• God is exalted and lifted up in the place of worship
Weapons of the Lord (vs16. Trumpet, lamps, pitcher)
• God’s weapons are not carnal- (man depended)
• God will often use the insignificant to His glory
Watch and Wait (vs17.19. Look on me…set the watch)
• Gideon’ men needed to obey to see the victory
• Don’t get ahead of God when doing battle-Wait for His orders
War Cry of the Saints (vs20. Sword of the Lord)
• Praising God for the victory that will be won
• Shout your faith- dare to go out on a limb
• With God ALL things are possible-Claim God’s promise
Warfare with the Enemy (vs22. The Lord set everyman against…)
• The battle is not ours, but God's
• We must rely of God to give us the victory
Winning to the Glory of God (vs23. Pursued after the Midianites)
• There is no god, compared to Thee O God!
• To God be all the glory

The God of Host

Deborah and Barak
Judges 4:4-9, 12-16
January 13th, 2008

The oppression of sin soon becomes hard to bear, for the way of the transgressor is hard. It is not long before there is a cry out for deliverance from bondage. God in His mercy, once again, raises a man or women to fill in the gap and to make up the hedge. Deborah and Barak were willing to heed the call of God, picking up the sword and to go forward in battle. Their confidence and trust were placed in the God of Host who promised them victory.

Prophetess of God (vs1. Deborah, a prophetess)
• A woman close to God
• Women in leadership positions.
Proclaimed God’s Commands (vs2. Hath not the Lord…Commanded)
• Deborah know the mind of God
• It was assumed that Barak should also know what God wants
Procuring God’s Leadership (vs8. Go with me.)
• Barak- a weak man? Or a wise man?
• May all glory be reflected away from self.
Pursuit of the Enemy (vs13. Sisera gathered together all…)
• The harassment of the enemy
• The intimation of Satan- It does not look good.
• The enemy wants us to stay afraid and discouraged
Promise of Deliverance (vs14. Hath not the Lord gone out…)
• The Lord said He will give the victory
• Our we willing to let go and let God be God
• God’s promises are ours for the asking
Power of the God of Host (vs.15. The Lord discomfited)
• The Lord brought confusion to the enemy
• The Lord still used his creation for His purposes
Profound Victory (vs16. There was not a man left)
• It was God who gave the victory
• He destroys those who fight against His purposes
• Celebration of Victory (Deborah’s Song)

Key to Spiritual Victory

1 Peter 5:1-11

Review: The last two lessons, living as a Christian, and being a good steward. What applicable and practical lessons were learned?

The Key- The combination of “actions” making it possible to enter. In this case, we want to enter into a life of spiritual victory, where we can maintain a right relationship with Christ at all times. What “tumbler-cut” combination is needed to see us through to eternity?

What does it mean to be established in the Lord?
Steadfast in the ways of God
Faithful and loyal to the Lord
God can depend on you.
Circumstances in life will not separate you from the love of God.
Your life is centered around Christ and what He values.
Lastly, you are totally submitted to God and to others.

Peter’s addresses the Gentiles in Asia Minor:
The Responsibility of the church leaders (elders)
Feed those who God put under your care- Nurturing them
Oversee- protect from pitfall allow the way- Warn them
Motivated by compassion, not control or favor- Love them
Leader, not a task master- Lead them.
The Response of the newborn (young in the faith)
Submit to the teaching of the elders (this assumes the above)
Submit one to another. Preferring one another.
Spirit of humility- clothing- you are identify by what you wear.
Stay humble before God
Total surrender to God- Give it all to God- Cast it all to Him
The Readiness of the believer- Stay alert- Watch out!
Be sober- a sharp mind and not impaired or distracted. Serious.
Be vigilant- Alert and awake and keenly aware of danger
Resist the devil and remain steadfast to the truth
The Resources of the believer
The God of all grace
He knows what you are going through
He is able to make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you