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The spoils of every war are death, shattered dreams, and absence of freedom. The idea of nationalism is pervading, while every strong nation is wanting economic and territorial gain. Every power earned death is the reward for most civilians. The value of life is declining and the worth of humanity is now just a plain silhouette in a pale light.
War is no longer a new topic. It is a long overdue issue of every country, in fact, the world. It already existed all throughout human history. When battles are fought through guns and bullets and liberty is achieved through pool of bloods then death is just a token.
On a biblical note, we do not only deal with global conflicts, in point of fact, there were also several accounts in the Bible that mentioned about war. To mention few, the Fall of Jericho (Book of Joshua) led by Joshua where the impossible became possible right before their very eyes when the wall of Jericho fell and they won the battle without guns and bullets. When God asked Joshua with the Israelites to march around the Jericho walls once a day for six days in pure silence and seven times on the seventh day and to blow their trumpets. The power of God revealed as the walls of Jericho fell down and Joshua with the Israelites conquered the city.
Another biblical narrative, when Moses with the Israelites escaped from the pursuing Egyptians (Book of Exodus) by crossing the Red Sea. The miraculous intervention of God when He commanded Moses to part the sea through his staff (“rod” in other version) and the Israelites walked through the dry land and crossed the sea. When they safely crossed the sea then Moses lifted his arms again and the sea engulfed the Egyptians.
These remarkable episodes in the Bible forever embossed in our hearts that our battles are the Lord’s, not ours. How could you win a battle in silence? How would you walk through the robust sea? It is by faith and not by sight.
If there is perhaps one battle that had won without even fighting, it can be found in the Book of 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat’s battle with the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites. When King Jehoshaphat received the news, he was terrified and afraid at first, but he immediately sought God’s guidance. 2 Chronicles 20:17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”. So, the King and armies obeyed what God told them. They were praying and praising God while watching God fighting for their battles by making these enemies destroying one another.
When King Jehoshaphat cried out for help, it does not mean it is an acceptance of defeat but an acceptance of us that without God, we are powerless; we are helpless; we are hopeless; we are nothing without the Creator. His cry is not a question of doubt but an assurance of God’s promise and his confidence to the Lord. It’s a victory cry!
We all deal in spiritual warfare and the armies surrounding us are unseen and death is just inevitable. But how are going to win these battles? That is if we turn our lives to God- Our Greatest Savior. Odds may seem overwhelming; our battles may seem too big to fight but do not forget that if we are surrounded by multitude of armies here on earth, we have the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that will surely fight for us.
To win every war, you need to be at the right place to avoid bullets. In our quest to salvation, for us to win every battle, we also need our hearts to be at the right place and if we place our hearts to Him we will never fail because His love and promises are unfailing.
If your battle is full of roaring guns and bullets, do not envelop your battlefield with an eerie silence, instead get up and move and fight through prayer and watch Him fight your battles. In war, kneeling is a sign of defeat. To God, kneeling is victory. Just kneel down, praise and pray. He will fight our battles; He will win every battle.
Victory in every war as long as you have God in you is very obvious but that doesn’t make it automatic. We still to need to do something, ignite our faith. What makes death as the icon of war? If we fight the wrong battle. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The message is not only a bare assent of truth to be shared but to let them experience the promise of God.
Mark 16:16 "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." In hell, death as the eternal condemnation is the icon of war; in heaven eternal life is the reward of faith. The sincerest declaration of this passage is not only to give every people the wonderful purpose of the Gospel but also the awful warnings of unbelief which a dead faith will not profit every man to salvation.
Lastly, our battles had already been won by Jesus when He died on the cross for the salvation of every mankind. His blood became our shield from death. But experience is not default, it must be gained through acceptance of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection in our lives -The Gospel. Indeed, our battle belongs to the Lord!
They say, choose your battle, well I say choose the One who fights for your battles – Our Almighty God Jesus.
Now, who do you want to fight for your battles Jesus or Satan? The answer is very obvious. A choice is now yours to make.
