Focus: The Lord's Battles

Text: 1Sam.18:17

"Fight the Lord's battles."

What Saul demanded from David thousands of years ago, God also demands of us today. He is saying to us, 'Fight my battles."

When Saul said that to David, he did not mean well for David. He hoped to see David killed in the hands of the enemy. He did not want to be the one to kill David, but he wanted him dead by all means. But when it comes to our God, He means well for us. Even if we die in the course of fighting His battles, He has a plan to make it up to us in the future life. There will be absolutely nothing worth regretting, serving as a soldier in the army of the Lord. Stephen died, fighting the Lord's battle and being a witness for Christ, but the Lord Jesus Christ stood up in heaven to welcome him into the presence of the Father.

The Lord's battles are fought by the Lord through us. The Lord says to Jeremiah, and to us too, "Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms" (Jer.51:20). The psalmist says, "Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" (Ps.144:1). 

God uses His people to fight His battles and execute His enemies.

David stood up for God against Goliath, and he said to him, "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands" (1Sam.17:47). It was the Lord's battle, but David was the instrument that God used to fight and effect the victory. God discomfited and subjugated Goliath and the Philistine army through a human instrument by the name of David.

God is known as the man of war. He is a fighter, and he fights through his own people. Isaiah declares, "The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like A MAN OF WAR" (Isa.42:13). We are His battle axe and weapons of war. The writer of Hebrews tells us of God's men who "quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Heb.11:34). These men toppled kingdoms and raised the Lord's banner of victory.

Paul says, "Fight the good fight of faith" (1Tim.6:12). Then in his second letter to Timothy, he boldly states, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2Tim.4:7). Paul even fought with beasts at Ephesus (1Cor.15:32).

The question to ask is: what is the Lord's battle? I believe that when we stand for the truth we are fighting the Lord's battles. When we fight in defense of the faith, we are fighting the Lord's battles. When we fight the Lord's enemies - the principalities and the powers - then we are fighting the Lord's battles. Paul says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph.6:12). In this battle we are assured that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. 

The church is Christ's invincible army. We have behind us the whole military might of heaven.

Also, when we stand up against the evils of injustice and oppression, then we are fighting the Lord's battles.

Stand up and be counted! Fight the Lord's battles! It is said that those who stand up for nothing will fall for anything. Let your life count in the kingdom of God! Stop wasting your life on frivolities! Make a mark on earth, don't die with scars! I assure you, if you fight God's battles, He will fight yours. He will make sure that no force can withstand you. Rise up and fight the Lord's battles!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter