Tag: the battle belongs to God

How To Fight Our Battles

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-08-12
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people 4 or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ. 6 And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.

APPLICATION: Try to imagine serving on a church board where you might be asked to pray for, encourage and give godly wisdom to your pastor on what you feel God would have his role be as a humble and obedient servant. Some among his disciples would want him to be more aggressive, but some may want him to be more docile, with hopes of calming down the rough edges of those who are very vocal. Some leaders will want the pastor to stand firm against all apparent wrong-doing, while some will want him to ‘roll with the flow’ and try to accept this modern age of unusual adult and children behavior. But I want to encourage you to join me in looking at what Paul exampled before us as a mighty warrior for the Kingdom. In our Scripture today, Paul is responding to claims coming back to him from the church at Corinth where they felt like he was bold, and very critical to say anything in his letters to the church, but not so much when he visited them in person. I immediately thought of an old saying ‘idleness is the Devil’s workshop’! For if this congregation was busy about the mission of Jesus Christ, and determined to tell the world about His love and His saving grace, will they possibly have time for such petty accusations against this proven man of God? But before you become any more judgmental of the Corinthian church, let me encourage you to examine yourself, and then your church. How many conversations have you had, or been a part of, where the pastor was being criticized for something very petty? Perhaps the clothes he wore; perhaps condemning him for the example used in his sermon; the song he wanted sung that morning; the hug he gave to Sue, but not even a smile or handshake to you; I’m sure you get the picture. Do you get the impression that Paul would have nipped much of this in the bud, seeing that nothing good could come out of such conversation and accusations? Isn’t it obvious that Paul promoted the positive impact of what the church should have on its members and in the community in which it serves? I was so impressed with the very last sentence in our verses today. It is so easy for church leaders to condemn their pastor, but wouldn’t things change a bit if they were told that they should get their act together and be in full compliance with God’s laws before trying to impose even stricter laws on their members? For those readers and listeners who do not attend a church where they are aware of similar challenges to these, please rejoice in the fact that you are far enough removed from church politics! I am convinced that unless you are able to worship God together with other believers and be of one mind and spirit, then Satan will easily find room for a wedge to cause division and fraction between you. And that’s where you personally, and the church collectively, loses its witness to the lost for which you are intended to save. I love the new contemporary Christian song that includes the lyrics about solving your issues on your knees – that’s where God can open your eyes, and the eyes of any offender. Live in the world my friend, but be a light in the darkness to those with bad intentions.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Paul said that he used God’s power, that can destroy fortresses – those that Satan erects to destroy the witness of the church and its members, to destroy arguments and division!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You are worthy of our praise and greatly to be glorified here on earth. In so many cases, we have not been good stewards of Your church, and we have not touched the hearts of the lost because of our own disobedience and lack of commitment to You and Your kingdom’s work. Please forgive us Lord and raise up leaders around us that will totally commit themselves to You and be in full compliance to Your Word, so that they will be respected and obeyed in Your church. The world is watching, because they want to find proof of what a blood saved church looks like. Lord may the words from my lips, and the thoughts from my heart be acceptable to You, my Rock and my Redeemer. May I then, be the first of many who will say like Paul, do as I do and not just what I say. May they always see Jesus in us! 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!