CENTRAL THOUGHT
When we commit our battles to the Lord, victory is guaranteed.
HYMN: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS!
INTRODUCTION:
Battle means fight or problems or threats or struggles or afflictions which everyone must contend with as long as there is breath in that individual. These battles can be physical, spiritual, financial, or otherwise and being a believer does not immune one from them. We suffer sickness, disease, emotional and physical pain, financial problems etc. The battle becomes more ferocious when orchestrated by the devil in his attempts to lure us away from serving the Almighty God.
From our text, David was not a trained soldier so he could not use the armor of war that King Saul gave him. He depended wholly on God who delivered him from the lion and the bear to also deliver him from the uncircumcised Philistine. Thus, with five stones and a catapult, he overcame the giant who terrorized the army of Israel for forty days. It is sad to know that some Christians these days give up or quit in times of affliction instead of trusting God for divine intervention. The answer may delay but God will not deny us our blessings and victory. We must remind ourselves at this point that no matter the battle, our weapons which are not carnal but spiritual, are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds and every imagination that exalts
itself above God. Moreover, we are not alone in these battles, for our God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us at any time. He is a very present help in times of troubles. All we need to do is trust and call on Him, live a life of obedience and holiness and we will never suffer any defeat.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are:
1. To know that our battles are God’s own battles.
2. To understand that as believers we are constantly at war with a
vicious enemy.
3. To list some of the daily battles we face.
4. To know what could hinder our victory
BIBLE TRUTH:
Question 1.) WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY “THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S?
When we decided to turn away from our sins and accept God’s forgiveness we became His children. As God’s children we are His delight and occupy a special place in His heart. The Scripture makes us understand that as God’s children we are the apple of his eyes (Deut. 32:10, Zech. 2:8). This means that we are precious in His sight. In this position the Lord takes special care of us, the believers. The Biblical children of God are the Israelites and we can best understand how our battles, troubles and needs become His when we consider the ways He dealt with them. On a number of occasions, we see the Lord declaring that the battle which, the Israelites were about to face was His. When David faced Goliath at the valley of Elah, he did so with five stones and a sling. With these seeming insignificant weapons, he defeated the giant Goliath who was wearing a coat of mail that weighed five thousand shekels of brass (92kg). David understood that it was only in the strength and intervention of God that he would be able to overcome Goliath, hence he declared “…. The LORD saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and He will give you into our hands” (1 Sam. 17:47). Furthermore, when Jehoshaphat faced an invasion from Moab, he and Israel were comforted when they were told that the battle was the Lord’s, and that they would not need to fight in the battle (2 Chron. 20:15-17). In both cases, the Lord intervened on behalf of His people and they prevailed against their enemies.
Such intervention by God on behalf of those who trust in Him for defense did not end with the Israelites. He is still able to do the same on our
behalf today. When we face difficult situations in which our efforts or ability are insignificant to bring a solution, we must depend on God to sort them out. In such situation, we make the battle (problem) His and He will not allow us to be defeated. Thus, if the battle is the Lord’s we must learn to have our peace in times of troubles, take the back seat and let the Lord do it His own way. Unfortunately, we tend to want to do things our own way without allowing God to intervene on our behalf. We plan to manufacture our own solutions which, in most cases not only delay God’s intervention but complicate matters.
Question 2.) DISCUSS SOME CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN BATTLES/CHALLENGES THAT DESERVE GOD’S INTERVENTION.
Daily, the believer is involved in a warfare that requires divine intervention. This is because the opposing side is stronger than we are on our own without God’s help. The Scripture declares that the devil is our enemy and we know that he is stronger and wiser than any human being. That is why he is able to manipulate man to his advantage. The only way man can subdue this enemy is by being in Christ and facing him in the name of the Lord. Since the devil fights us on all fronts (area) of life, we need God’s divine intervention in all of them. His Word teaches us that He is concerned and desires to intervene in all areas of our lives even those tiny little ones that we regard as insignificant.
Daily, we face the battles of ill health. Because of the sins of man, sickness continues to take its toll on the life of people including believers. There are a number of diseases which medical science has no immediate answers to. Only God can give us healing and secure us with divine health. “… for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exo. 15:26).
Daily we face the battle for the provision of our daily breadwhat to eat and drink. The Lord Jesus knowing that this is a battle we have to face each day encouraged us to pray for our daily bread (Matt. 6:11). Our God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10) can supply all our needs through Christ (Phil 4:19). That we have something to eat and drink daily is due to His benevolence. The Scripture teaches us that of our own we can do nothing. Daily we face the battle of spiritual oppression and rulership. The devil is constantly battling to possess our hearts and souls in order to turn us away from serving the Almighty God. This is the greatest battle that believers face and we must be aware that we cannot go very far without God’s intervention and protection. We must be kept by Him daily and always (John 17:12).
The fact of the matter is that we need God’s intervention in every area of our lives: home, children, marriage, jobs, profession, aspirations,
finances, and our spiritual lives. We can face these with determination only when God is beside and with us. Let us give room to God to fight these battles of life for us and we will have more success and peace than we can have right now. Remember the Lord said, “…for without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Question 3.) WHY MUST THE BELIEVER MAKE HIS BATTLE THE LORD’S?
The Scripture teaches us that our God is almighty and no event occurs without His express authority. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it…” (Ps. 127:1). No one knows of the happenings around him while he sleeps. In those hours of great vulnerability, God watches over us. In the hour of our defenselessness He is our sure defense. Thus, except God fights our battles for us we will always suffer defeat as humans that are helpless and weak in the face of ferocious battles which the enemy brings to our doorsteps each day. In Psalm 33:18-22, we understand that God watches over those that fear Him and trust in His mercies. This is not to do them any harm or pass judgment but to deliver their souls from death. Consequently, the believer waits for the Lord’s help and defense. The result of this is victory that makes us to rejoice. In another part of the Psalms we read “The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in…” (Psalm
21:8). This assures us of His safety in all our daily movement about our profession or occupation. God guarantees our safety as we travel in the air, on the highway and along the busy streets. What shock it will be for us to know how many times God has delivered us from orchestrated accidents and attacks.
Another reason why the believer must let his battles be God’s business is that no one can work against Him. The Bible in Isa. 14:27, declares, “For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out and who shall turn it back?” That which God has said and proposed about the believer must surely come to pass. No one can change it or turn it around. It cannot be made of non-effect, (Lam. 3:37). It must accomplish his purpose (Isa. 55:11). The devil’s activities are attempts at changing God’s purposes for us. But then, it is all a futile exercise. It is exciting to know that the offer to fight our battles is an initiative of God. Consequently, He is not an unwilling or reluctant partner in our battles. It is God’s desire to give His people victory in every area of their lives. A challenge to God’s people is a challenge to Him. He says in Isa. 49:25-26, that He will contend with those who contend with us. Thus, anyone who decides to become our
enemy is also God’s enemy. This is because God has made all our troubles His. That is the depth of God’s love for the believer. God does this for His own glory so that others will know that He is God who cares about those who place their trust in Him. He will not watch helplessly while His people are pummeled by the enemy. God has also promised us in His Word that He will always be with us at all times no
matter the gravity of the battles (Isa. 43:2). Pains become less when we have someone to share with us in such hours of distress. It is therefore very comforting to know that God is with us even when the battle is raging like wild fire and deep like the ocean depths. He cools the effects of the flames so that we are not burned and helps us to swim to safety so that we do not drown in the waters. Just like the Hebrew children in Daniel 3:19-27, who could not be burnt by Nebuchadnezzar’s flames or the children of Israel who did not drown in the Red Sea.
Another assurance of God’s present help in times of need is that He is never tired of helping His people. There are times we become fed up with someone who keeps coming for assistance over and over again. We look for excuses to get rid of that person so that he can stop being a pest on us. The Bible teaches that though many may be the afflictions or troubles of the righteous. God is never tired or fed up to deliver him from all of them. Psalm 34:19. Thus, we are assured of immediate and constant help whenever we face any battle.
Question 4.) DISCUSS SOME OF THE HINDRANCES TO GOD’S INTERVENTION.
It is certain from the foregoing that God is willing and able to fight for us but for him to do this we must cooperate with Him. There are som principles which must be upheld for us to receive God’s promises. God’s intervention on our behalf is based on these same principles. They are the principles of faith, obedience, and holy living. Whenever any of these principles are violated, His intervention on our behalf could be jeopardized. All Biblical personalities that God intervened on their behalf had faith in common. Each of them believed and trusted God’s ability readiness and willingness to come to their assistance. They gave up their own efforts and ability and trusted in God’s effort and ability. They never doubted God’s word no matter how “delayed” the manifestation appeared. Abraham waited for 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son to him. David in our text trusted that the God who enabled him kill a lion and a bear will also deliver Goliath into his hands. Thus, we must never doubt God’s ability and willingness. He is faithful who has promised and is also able to perform it.
Another hindrance is that we always want to solve our
problems our own ways rather than allowing God do it His own way. We struggle with God for a situation in which we are completely helpless. At times we behave like a child who is being tormented by a bully at school who calls for help from his father but instead of allowing the father to take care of the bully, turns to the face of the bully himself leaving the father waiting for action. Thus, we attempt to take care of our battles
ourselves while keeping God out of the picture. In doing this we just prolong our suffering just as that child prolongs the activities of the bully by not allowing his father to take care of him once and for all. There are those who want to fight their battles through other
means such as their “good” name or that of their family. Others want to depend on their status or the influence of friends, acquaintances, relatives etc. There are also those who want to depend on their financial well-being. Others still seek help from native doctors, prayer houses, fake-prophets, or indulge in all forms of spiritism. The Scripture declares “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God (Ps. 20:7).
Our readiness to accept defeat is a sore issue that hinders God’s intervention on our behalf. We want a quick-fix solution. Any short cut is acceptable at any cost. What a delusion and self-deception. Such ideas emanate only from the pit of hell where the devil dwells. The Bible says that only those who endure to the end shall be saved, (Matt. 10:22). God teaches our hands to war, 2 Sam. 22:35. No war is short-lived; hence, we must persist and hold on till the last breath. Esther said, “…. If I perish, I perish…”, (Est. 4:16), but she never perished. The walk of faith is a risk that is worth taking. We must always be optimistic and not utter words to the contrary because we create and destroy with the words of our mouths. Believers at times create territories which they guard jealously to the extent that God is not welcomed. In this zone, they do things their own ways no matter the consequences. At times they consider some issues too minute for God to be involved in. At other times they indulge in self-deception, doing nothing and trying to wish problems away. The sooner we realize that we cannot face the battles of our life in our own strength or through other clandestine means, the better for us. Our heavenly Father desires above all that we lean on Him at all times so that we can always live a life of victory.
Daily Living Application:
Each one of us is involved in a daily battle with both seen and unseen enemies. Most of these battles are beyond our individual capability. At times the battle becomes so fierce that we are tempted to wonder if God is still on the throne. At these very hard times we find Christians seeking help from sources that will eventually compound the problem, even though such sources may bring temporary relief. We must be convinced of God’s unending love for His people. He will not standby to see us who trust in Him become the laughing stock of the world. He cares too much about us to let us suffer beyond our strength. Our God is a very present help in our troubles (Ps. 46:1). Our own part in this equation is that we uphold the principles of faith, obedience and holy living. The men of old held firmly to these and they always had victory. If He did not fail them then He will also not fail us now. Believers should learn to lean on Him no matter how hot the flames or deep the waters may be. No flame can burn Him and no water, no matter how deep, can swallow Him. Outside Him are danger, defeat and disaster.
Memory verse:
Exodus 14:14
“The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace”.
Daily Devotional Guide:
Monday: The battle is the Lord’s.
1 Sam. 17:45-52, 2 Chron. 20:15-17
Tuesday: He does not fight by numbers.
Judges 7:1-8, 21-25
Wednesday: You are special in His sight.
Deut. 32:10, Zach. 2:8
Thursday: He is a present help at all times.
Ps. 46:1-3, Isa. 49:25-29
Friday: Make your battle His own.
Ps. 33:18-22, 121:8, 127:1, Isa. 43:2
Saturday: He will always fight for you.
Dan. 3:19-27