Tag: battle

Obedience Leads To Victory

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, Surrender, Victory, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-05-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Judges 7:9-11; 13; 15;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you’re still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you’ll be brave enough to attack.”….
13 Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent, and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let’s go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”

APPLICATION: As a parent, we are used to the idea of running to help our kids overcome simple obstacles in life. As adults, we tend to continue that parental instinct to help coworkers and friends win a battle they might be struggling with. However, as long as we remain here on earth, we will always face challenging times when either we don’t have the authority to throw in our ‘two cents’ or the ability to do anything constructive in certain circumstances. Gideon must have had a good relationship with God! Because God knew that with enough convincing Gideon would eventually follow-through with His instructions. Gathering a fair sized army may have been the easy part, but Gideon saw God eliminate 10,000 of his good men. In spite of the increasing, and perhaps impossible, task that Gideon was beginning to realize, he saw God further reduce his army to 300, even while Gideon kept his eyes fixed on the very large army that settled in below the mountain where he was located. I’m sure that Gideon must have been shaking in his boots even after God convinced him of His presence and His power, but Gideon reluctantly stayed committed to the battle God led him into. Just as God knows how badly we need convincing at every step when we face our battles here on earth, He was also well aware that Gideon needed one more opportunity to be convinced that God knew what He was doing. Notice that God spoke through the enemy in a dream so that Gideon could be convinced that he was hearing instructions from the Almighty God. Doesn’t that sound so much like us? We are fine to sit in the confines of the four walls of our church surrounded by like-minded Christians, but don’t we tend to question God when we feel like He is challenging us to do things like: helping with prison ministry, street evangelism, teaching a Bible Study; sharing our testimony with an unsaved coworker or friend, or visiting His kids living out their final hours in a Hospice bed? We go on endlessly with the ‘what-if’ scenarios, to try and find the best excuse we could offer to God. Gideon had many excuses he could have used, but God convinced him to the point of bringing him to his knees in praise to the wondrous acts of his loving Father. All doubt was removed and he was confident that if God said it, he could afford to go with the plan, knowing that God was fully in control. I still get very nervous when doing any of the things I mentioned above, but I truly believe that God placed that sense in us so that we will stop and be reminded that it’s by God’s power that the sick are healed; His power that comforts the family and a loved one with only hours remaining on earth; His power that nudges us to the left or to the right as we are redirected on the right path to victory! Let us always remember that God don’t need any help from us, He just wants to see that we are convinced of His power, His love, His wisdom and His protection as He allows us to participate in His victory over life’s situations. Join me as we make every effort to let go, and let God – just as Gideon did!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of the many battles we face, God in His infinite wisdom and power has all the answers, and He is willing to fight those battles – for His glory. Through our obedience to God’s perfect commands, may we trust Him more and celebrate in the victory!

PRAYER: Lord You are good, and Your mercies endure for all times! Who is man, that you should be mindful of, care about, and consider resolving our battles? You alone are worthy of our praise Lord! You alone are God, and without You mankind is doomed for a treacherous eternity in Hell. Thank You for Your continued protection over our ancestors, even through Gideon, who needed a lot of reassuring. We are convinced of Your power, and also that our battles are in good hands when we surrender them to You. Just as You were patient with Gideon, I have no doubt that extra patience is needed when You deal with us and our possessive attitudes. Oh Lord, have Your perfect way in our lives and teach us to always surrender our whole selves to You so that we may rest in the peace of knowing You, and all that You can accomplish in our lives. May others see Your works and be convinced of their need for the Savior of this world. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

It’s Not Your Battle – It’s God’s

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-03-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 20:12-15
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel…..
15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

OBSERVATION: King Jehoshaphat was extremely concerned about the large army heading his way, so he had a very serious prayer meeting together with his people, asking God to protect them. However, God spoke through a Levite named Jahaziel, who then went to Jehoshaphat and shared the words in our Scripture today. What a message, and oh how applicable it is to us today!

APPLICATION: Take your time and think about your most urgent prayer request. You’ve shed many tears over the matter, and you’ve made this the top priority in your personal prayer time for days.  You’ve asked your pastor to join you in prayer; you may have asked the church elders to anoint you with oil and pray over you; and your family is equally as burdened with you about your worry. What must you do now? Friends, reflect on our Scripture today, and spend some time letting that sink in. Our God’s not dead, and you’ve given your problem to Him. You’ve asked Him to hear your prayer – know your concern; heal your body, take care of the problem you are facing, or guide you into saying the right thing to your relatives in need of the Savior. But wait a moment, don’t we often hear doubt in our minds as we pray? In our Scripture, the king and the people were told that God had responded to their prayers (their pleading), so they needn’t worry any longer, but that the Almighty God now owns the problem and the outcome. What’s different with you? Oh that’s right, God is not doing what you told Him to do. Child of God, may we all be reminded today that our God is not a puppet. Yes, He’s still a prayer answering God; He’s still in control of what our tomorrows will look like, and yes, He is still very capable of guiding us in the right path. But always be reminded that we are asking God for His will to be done. Let me share a story from a friend, that may serve to illustrate my point. He had a relative who had been in a bad wreck. The family prayed endlessly that God would keep this young man alive. They had their church join them in the same request of God. Years later in reflection, my friend questioned if they prayed the right way for this younger family member, as the young adult lived many more years, but was a mere ‘vegetable’. Friends when we plead with God in prayer, let’s please be willing to ask God for His perfect will in the situation, and as His obedient children, let’s respect His decision. It may be right in line with what we are asking, but I believe that the end result will cause us to shout praises to our Lord and King, for He alone is worthy of our praise. Friends, our God created this world; He made the animals and us humans, with all our complexities; He also created a heavenly realm for us to live with Him eternally. Is there anything that He can’t do? Do you suppose that any of our problems are too big for Him? In our Scripture today, we know that God proved Himself to Jahaziel, the king and the people, for He won the battle that they were so worried about, and He did it without them lifting a finger. Why is our faith so small, the battle’s not ours, it’s God’s. Trust Him with your battles today, won’t you?

PRAYER: Oh Lord, please give us the faith to surrender our needs to You at all times. Just like any kid would do to their parent, may we be willing to plead with You for our needs and concerns, and to always return thanks and offer up praises for Your response to our requests. Lord, help us to be so attuned to placing our needs before You, that when we come with the urgent, earth shattering cases, that we would be comfortable in presenting yet another case at Your feet, knowing that You will hear our prayer and respond in Your way and in Your best timing. Please help us to be comfortable in surrendering our battles to You, knowing that You’re in charge of everything that goes on in this world, yet our humble request is a top priority to You, because of Your love for each of us. Thank You Lord for saving my soul! You’re my King! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!