Tag: battles

The Battle’s Not Yours, But God’s

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Worry, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED: Friday, 2023-03-17
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 20:15-17
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 15 “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s! 16 Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’”

OBSERVATION: It may seem like a daily thing for you to stop and question how on earth will you handle the intensity of your situation. For some, it may be your finances, or a sick relative, or a son or daughter facing imprisonment, or your job coming to an end. But the ongoing effect of these issues may force you to doubt your future. How will you possibly go on from here? King Jehoshaphat was a firm believer in the God who created this universe, but he was right in the middle of his people begging for God’s help when the battle seemed larger than himself. Join me for my full devotional as we look into this.

APPLICATION: I believe there comes a time when each of us will face overwhelming challenges, circumstances, or battles, that appear much bigger than anything we have handled in the past or could possibly handle now. What do we normally do, and to whom do we normally turn to, when these things occur. As a child, we turned to mom, dad or an older sibling. As we grew older, it may still be one of these, or it might be a good friend or a pastor or a counselor. Along the way we may be introduced to Jesus. Some accept Him as Lord, and they choose to seek His help in times of overwhelming challenges. However, some find respite in friends, alcohol, drugs, or prescription drugs given for various illnesses, particularly mental illness. In the latter case, some try to drown, or cover up the challenges, since they have no confidence in their ability to properly handle the irregular, yet challenging aspects of life. King Jehoshaphat was told of an unusually large army headed his way and he immediately got nervous about the ability to overcome the humongous challenge ahead of him. The king called together all of his fighting men, but not to strategize their counterattack, but to pray at the temple. Normally, when we are frightened or very upset over something we nervously go before God and get straight to the point. The king did otherwise, for he reflected on the awesome works of God and His immense goodness. Interestingly, God gave His response to a Levite in the midst of those praying. God reminded the king who was really in charge. Why worry about a counterattack that’s not really yours to worry about? God wanted the king and his people to know that He would handle the situation, since this battle was to challenge His authority. Friends, how often do we immediately cry ‘poor me’, or ‘why is everyone picking on me’? How often do we do like Jehoshaphat and make it a priority to consult with God first and humble ourselves before Him for His kindness in spite of our sin and wickedness? Another point of challenge for us in this story is – how often will we trust God at His word and just believe what He said? Do you suppose that your faith is strong enough in the Almighty that you would leave all your ammunition behind and just head out towards the oncoming army with full confidence that God would do what He said He would do? Will you stop your helpers from bringing their weapons or their medications or any other defenses, because You know for sure that it’s God’s battle you’re heading into and you will simply do what He tells you to do? That requires extreme faith, and confidence in our God, my friend. However, King Jehoshaphat and his army did it, and God was true to His word, just as He always is. There’s no need for us to assume God’s battles, He’s got this. We can relax and just ready ourselves for the victory chant – celebrate His Goodness.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The battle – you know, the thing that worries you most, is not yours, but God might be saying to You to truly trust Him to own it and take it on for the victory that only He could render.

PRAYER: Lord, so often we bring our concerns before You, then we sense Your response to reassure us of how You will assume our battles, but we keep hanging in there, worrying beyond anything we could handle, instead of surrendering the wheel of control to You. It boils down to lack of faith. Please forgive us Lord, for we are so human that we find it almost impossible to believe that You have the wheel and will do more than we could imagine or hope for. You are so much more powerful than us, but with just a small amount of faith, we could stand victorious knowing that You’ve got this. Please forgive us where we fail in this and help us to stand firm in all that You have promised to do for us. The unsaved are watching, so may our faith in the one true God show them why we feel it important to also know Him personally. 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!

Where The Power Comes From

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

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-03-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 17:14-16
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write about this battle. Write these things in a book so that people will remember what happened here. And be sure to tell Joshua that I will completely destroy the Amalekites from the earth.”
15 Then Moses built an altar and named it, “The Lord is My Flag.” 16 Moses said, “I lifted my hands toward the Lord’s throne. So the Lord fought against the Amalekites, as he always has.”

OBSERVATION: We seem to get so hurt and defensive if we don’t receive all the credit for things that we are involved in. Joshua and his men (the Israelites) put their lives on the line to fight the army of Amalekites, and I’m sure that Moses was appreciative of that, but when he erected an altar to celebrate winning the battle, he gave credit and praise to the all-powerful God who truly won the battle. As we pause in the Word of God today, be reminded that we cannot depend on mankind, but on the power of God to win our battles.

APPLICATION: In today’s society we hear a lot about the ‘luck’ of an individual who survives a fiery car crash, or the smart, quick thinking of a dad who directed his family into the basement before a tornado hit and destroyed their home. But how often do we hear about the prayers that went up for protection while traveling, or the hand of God that protected a family who served God with all their heart, soul and mind? Yes, I know that the media would never print such miraculous news or show it on the TV waves, but as an individual, are you truly giving God the credit for His mercies on you and your family? In our biblical account today, Moses knew that He was acting on God’s instructions when he sent Joshua to lead his people into battle. Through mere lack of physical strength, Moses also saw how his army started losing ground in the battle when his arms grew weary and started to fall, but as long as he kept his arms raised in dependence on God and praise to the almighty, his people showed consistent ability to win the battle. You see, Moses realized that it was not by might or any power of the people, nor through any great leadership of Joshua, that the battle belonged to them, but it was solely based on the power and might of the Lord God Almighty to whom he (Moses) lifted his arms. Notice how Moses was not concerned about what the Amalekites thought about his actions in giving God praise, nor if Joshua got his feelings hurt for not being recognized as a fearless leader. It was a recognized fact that it was God, and God alone, who deserved the praise. Join me in applying this principle, and Moses’ reaction to our lives and our challenging situations. The Bible says that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much. Righteous means ‘right with God’. If you are ‘right with God’ and you have a consistent daily commune with Him, who else would you consider giving praise to when you witness miraculous works being accomplished in your life, or in your presence, or in your company? Worry not about what the world will say about you, give praise to the only One who can! Furthermore, don’t let that miracle be so temporary that tomorrow no one will recall what happened. Place a monument, or a marker at the place so that you, your family, your friends and all those around you will stop and recognize that ‘holy ground’ when they pass by. Be ready to take your little ones to that place and explain what happened. Be an instrumental part in their lives, so that they will know, even as a child, that the same God who turned seas into highways, is the same God who working a miracle in your life right at that very spot. These miracles are actions that only God can do, and they give us confidence that we can go to Him over and over again with the challenges of life that we face. If you are reading this devotional and don’t know this Jesus/God that I am referring to, then all of this will sound very mysterious. You can do something about that by surrendering your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, then He will confirm His power, show His love and warm your heart with the overwhelming love of God. Information in my Footnote may help you in your new mission to know my Lord. Please seek Him today, while you are still able to.

PRAYER: Lord, You are amazing and so much higher than us. Through Your power You won the battle for the Israelites. Perhaps only a few of us might be facing military battles today, but most of us are facing challenges of one kind today that far exceeds our abilities, our power, and in some cases perhaps even our will to want the battles won. Lord, we are Your children and we are to love just like You loved us. Please touch our hearts today and everyday to help us live like You taught us to. Our biggest battles can be solved with just one word from You, so please help us to fight pour battles on our knees, and not rearing up like those who do not know You. Please draw us close to You and help us to stay focused on You in every walk of life. Humble us to give You control of our battles so that we don’t make fools of ourselves and fight like children of the evil one. Please fill our hearts with thankfulness, humility and love, so that we may represent You well and stay dependent on You for even the small things in life. Oh that You would be honored and praised by Your children today! 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!