battles

God’s Promise of Joy

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” – John 17:13 In the next several Positive Minutes, we will explore how to weave the important threads of experiencing God’s joy, into the fabric of our lives. Did you know that joy is a part of God’s promise to us? It’s in the Bible. It’s a part of the promise of our new life in Christ, and it’s not just something we get when we go to Heaven. It’s actually something that you get when Heaven goes into you. This means that joy is there when the Holy Spirit dwells inside our hearts and bodies, even if we’re going through personal turmoil and trials. When we experience God’s joy but fall into adversity there is something inside us

October 17, 2022 No Comments

Jesus Won the War

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” – Ephesians 6:10-12 I believe that as Christians, you and I are in a war with the enemy. It’s imperative to acknowledge that we have an enemy and that he comes to steal and destroy. However, though it sounds contradictory, I don’t want you to be afraid of him because he’s a defeated foe. Don’t tune out teaching about your adversary, but on the other hand, don’t feel discouraged, oppressed or worried about his influence in your life. As a believer in Jesus Christ, baptized into His

February 18, 2022 No Comments

Fighting in Prayer

“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’” – Samuel 1:10,11 Yesterday we saw that God calls Himself Yahweh Tsebaoth, or the “Lord of Armies,” over 250 times in the Bible. Interestingly, one of the most famous usages of this particular name was by a woman named Hannah. Now Hannah’s husband’s name was Elkanah, and he was married to her and also to a woman named Peninnah. Peninnah was fertile and she gave birth to many children, but Hannah was unable to conceive. Even though Elkanah loved and favored her, she was

October 24, 2021 1 Comment

Losing the Battle Isn’t Losing the War

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” – Hebrews 10:36 In the Kingdom of God, just because we lose a battle, it doesn’t mean we’ve lost the war! Life is full of setbacks, and the forces of discouragement are raging to get us to surrender our hope. Nevertheless, we must persevere. Many good things have been forfeited by Christians who lost their grit and gave up because they were discouraged by what they saw. This is why it’s important to remember that faith is confidence in things hoped for and certainty in things unseen. Even when we endure loss, hardship, and disappointment, there is still joy and a future for us — we just need to keep believing. No matter how many trials come our way, our Savior will never abandon us, and He is using

October 12, 2021 No Comments

Divine Deliverance

“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.” – 2 Chronicles 20:22,23 I love how the Lord always exceeds our expectations. We saw yesterday that Jehoshaphat and the Judean army set out to face a trio of rogue nations in a posture of worship. Having heard from the Holy Spirit that they would be granted victory over their enemies — something that seemed humanly impossible — they confidently took God at His Word, and boy, did He show up! Because ancient troops were like desert raiders who had the traits of pirates or Vikings, they were rough and

October 10, 2021 No Comments

Praise Precedes Victory

“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’” – 2 Chronicles 20:21 After Jahaziel prophesied that Judah would win over the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mt. Seir, King Jehoshaphat and his troops marched into war. However, instead of going entrenched in gear and combat strategy, they moved toward their enemies worshipping the Lord. So certain were they that God would make good on His promise to deliver them that they were confident enough to thank Him before it happened. And while we tend to think of conflict and struggle as solemn, the truth is that our greatest battles are often won from a posture of joyful praise. No matter how dire things look, the

October 9, 2021 2 Comments

Overwhelming Obstacles

“After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.” – 2 Chronicles 20:1 Poor Jehoshaphat. It wasn’t long after he barely escaped with his life in the battle against Ramoth-Gilead that three surrounding nations decided to come after him and attack. Because they wanted the wealth that Judah had, they sought to take advantage of his weakness and “get him” while he was down. He must have been terrified when he heard the news, because his enemies — Ammon, Moab, and Mt. Seir — all had huge armies and lots of manpower. On the contrary, his troops were demoralized and weakened from the war they just faught. It must have looked overwhelming from his perspective, yet history says that the enormous odds probably worked in the king’s favor. This is because, instead of “battening down the hatches,” forging alliances with other countries,

October 6, 2021 1 Comment

Satan Is Slick

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” – Romans 16:20 One of the ways we gain victory over the devil’s attacks is to realize that he unfailingly tries to sell us on a shortcut. We talked yesterday about how the Lord moves slowly to fight our battles and that it’s important to stand by patiently for divine breakthrough. Unfortunately, lurking on the other side of this truth is Satan, who knows full well when we get restless. Rather than struggle with waiting, he tempts us to go after what feels good in the moment. Even though it’s just a “quick fix,” he whispers in our ear that endurance and hard work aren’t worth it, especially when no one else seems willing to pay the price. Therefore, while the Lord is busy cultivating in our lives an immovable

September 30, 2021 No Comments

God Works Slowly

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 I’m passionate about history, and one of my favorite periods to study is the Bronze Age, which is when most of the Old Testament took place. Back then, armies were huge — often made up of hundreds of thousands of soldiers — and because they were equipped with a lot of weaponry and manpower, they traveled at a snail’s pace. It would take months for them to move from place to place because hundreds of chariots, livestock, water carriers, and other equipment accompanied them. And though they couldn’t get anywhere fast, when they finally reached their destination, they were a force to be reckoned with. I actually think this is a great analogy for how the

September 29, 2021 No Comments

How We Fight

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7 We should all aspire to fight the good fight and finish our race well, but in perilous times, many of us wonder how it’s possible. That said, I believe it bears stating that one of the foundational principles of the Christian faith is the manner in which we undertake our battles. Over the past few days, we’ve seen that the world’s system is brutal and beastly and that there is just One who has overcome it. The Son of Man ascended into Heaven and took authority over all the kingdoms of the earth, but he did it after He was bitten and smitten. In fact, He permitted Himself to be wounded by the devil — even to the point of physical death — so He could crush his head once

August 27, 2021 No Comments

God’s Promise of Joy

Jesus Won the War

Fighting in Prayer

Losing the Battle Isn’t Losing the War

Divine Deliverance

Praise Precedes Victory

Overwhelming Obstacles

Satan Is Slick

God Works Slowly

How We Fight

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