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Victory In The Heat Of Battle

Sometimes, we forget about the heat of battle. We are tempted to think everything should go smoothly for a child of God.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." [Joshua 1:9, NKJV]

Why would God issue this command? If the Christian life is a bed of roses and Jesus instantly answers all our requests/prayers, why must we be strong, courageous, and not afraid? Are we God's little darlings leading a sheltered life, or are we front-line soldiers undergoing the heat of battle for the cause of the Kingdom of God? [By the way, if you have never read "Hudson Taylor - God's Man In China," you should. Here is a man who, through faith and prayer, brought the gospel to China, but not without cost. Hudson Taylor learned to rely on God alone.]

Trouble Comes

There is a balance in all things, but I want to briefly look at why things still go wrong when we do everything right. We have to face the fact that if we are going to possess our land in God [personally, nationally, or worldwide], we will face opposition, suffering, and trouble. It is not a sign that we are doing something wrong or out of God's will. Jesus went to the cross in the will of God; Paul went to prison and had other sufferings in the will of God; Job underwent tremendous trials as a faithful man. None of these suffered because God was displeased with them; in fact, God was very pleased with them. He even "bragged" about Job to Satan!

After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and intended to break into them for himself. 2 Chr. 32:1, NASB.

Because Hezekiah was faithful [one of the most Godly kings Judah ever had], God allowed the most cruel nation available [Assyria] to invade.

Why is this so? Why does the Kingdom of God advance with the blood and suffering of the saints? There may be many reasons, but I will focus only on one. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross. As the saints of God [and that is you if you are born again] stand faithful and thankful in the face of suffering, Satan is humiliated in the presence of God, and one more demon power falls. God has allowed us the privilege of sharing in the defeat of Satan and the Kingdom of darkness. The greater the trial, the greater the confidence God has in us... and the greater the reward for us at the end. Job ended up with twice as much as he had at the beginning. When Hezekiah stood firm against the violent hordes of Assyria, God sent an angel [only one was needed] and wiped out the Assyrian army.

Going Through The Heat Of Battle

If we are going to experience victory, we must go through the heat of battle. There is no other way. The hotter the battle, the greater God's trust in us, and the greater the victory. However, we must stand strong and courageous and remain faithful to God even when it appears we are being overwhelmed. If we lose heart, abandon God, whine and complain, we will lose the battle and the reward. [There are Christians in the world today giving up their lives for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Christians are dying for their faith, and 82% of North American Christians can't even "suffer" enough to pay their tithes.] That is not to say God abandons us. He was with the Israelites [although not impressed] all through their 40 years of wilderness whining. He continued to love and work with them. But it was when they were ready to go into the heat of battle in Canaan against the most demonized armies in the world that He got excited.

The experience of faithful men and women in the heat of battle has ultimately been a greater joy and relationship with Jesus [although sometimes, in the midst of the heat of battle, we feel abandoned by God]. The three Hebrew Children were thrown into the fire because they were faithful... and in the fire, they walked with the Son of God.

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Phil. 3:8-11, NASB

There are two wrong responses to Godly trials and suffering. One, we can become discouraged at the thought of battle [or in the heat of battle]. If you have been faithful and God allows you to go through a battle, He trusts you, loves you, and will see you safely to the other side. God will never allow anything to happen that you [through the power of the Holy Spirit] cannot handle. Stick with God, and you will possess your land. The second wrong response is to have a martyr complex or go out looking for trouble. We don't go looking for or create our own problems.

The correct response is to follow God faithfully, obey His leading, and courageously face whatever battles He leads us into. We don't look for trouble, we don't fear it, but neither are we surprised when it comes. If we are to reach our destiny and possess our land, we will face suffering, but through it all [as we remain faithful], we will come through victoriously with a greater relationship with Jesus than we had known before.

For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.

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