Pick Your Fights Carefully!
by Lindsey Hanekom
The Israelites had a daunting task ahead of them when they were trying to take the Promised Land. With enemies on all sides this tired, hungry, rebellious and moaning group of untrained warriors committed themselves to the task set before them.
As we read of their exploits in the Bible, we can see how they not only faced taking new ground but also defending ground they had already taken. They were pressed on all sides, yet they didn’t fight all their battles all at once.
I’m no military historian, but I am aware that if you fight a battle on too many sides then you weaken your stand and you could lose them all. Also, if you fight the wrong battle at the wrong time you can lose the entire war on another front. It seems to me that the way to win the war is to have a commander who’s a mastermind of strategic brilliance and tells you where the next battle’s to take place. Win that battle and you’ll be in a stronger position for the next.
We know that we’re in a battle against our enemy, Satan. We war with him in our personal lives as well as in our corporate lives as the Body of Christ. Our enemy is a dirty fighter; he has no mercy. If he can fight you on many fronts then he will. He will try to weaken you by grinding you down through small but significant battles and take your focus off the battle that our Commander knows is the strategic one to be fought.
When you feel pressed on all sides, stay focussed on God and His strategy for waging war against the enemy. It’s then that you’ll find victory and freedom.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You have won victory over the enemy through the cross of Jesus. Help me to stay focussed on You, listening to Your command to fight the right battle at the right time, with You as my defender, my courage and my strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lindsey Hanekom Lindsey has worked at all of our UK centres over the years and has settled at Ellel Scotland with her husband, Johann and their two young children, Kyle and Zoe. As part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Scotland, Lindsey has a heart for the deeply broken as she oversees the prayer ministry and is an established and passionate teacher with Ellel. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys the natural world, particularly the ocean, and is trained as a specialist medic to assist stranded and injured marine mammals.
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