God Grants The Victory For Us In Our Battles

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits;" Psalm 103:1-2 Among his benefits is the fact that those who are his will live a life totally different from those who are in the world. To those who are in the world: you're on your own. To those who are the Lord's, it will be an adventure. You'll find yourself out on the battlefield, and you'll find that the enemies are "giants." Victory over those giants will be a joy the world just cannot supply. "For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to hold fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves." Deuteronomy 11:22-23 Those "greater and mightier nations" the Jews faced as they came to the promised land -- were giants. And this is what we will face too. Yes we will encounter giants, enemies greater and mightier than we are. Israel was constantly facing giants, and that's a picture of what our walk with the Lord will always be; what we are confronted with will be far greater and mightier than we are. BUT - we are guaranteed the victory over them ... IF ...we carefully keep all that the Lord commands us to do. The steps of the believer are ordained by God, and he will never lead him to a place without providing what is needed to succeed in that place. We are never, EVER, left on our own. But this will be a call to faith because the challenge will always be greater than what we can handle, and we will constantly need to be in the will of God knowing that that is our everlasting protection. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way." Psalm 37:23 Many believers are familiar with this verse, but there is one word mistranslated. "A good man" is the Hebrew "gever," which would be better translated "warrior." We are to know that we are indeed in warfare, but that our steps have been ordered by God himself. Wherever he brings us, he will grant the victory over all opposing forces if we are abiding in him. "No man shall be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as he has said to you." Deuteronomy 11:25 But the victory necessitates that one be in good standing with the Lord, that there remains no rebellion in his life, that he is totally obedient to the Captain of the Hosts. What soldier on the battlefield would dare refuse the command of the General? If that's so obvious in the natural, how much more necessary is it in the spiritual warfare we are in? Obedience is crucial! King David was in such a conflict when he stood against the giant Goliath. Picture that arrogant Goliath taunting the Israelites. Forty days, morning and night, he'd strut before them and taunt them with insults, and they were terrified. Then along came David. He was the "man after God's own heart," and he did not fear the giant. Listen to the confidence in his voice: "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26 David went and stood before the giant and said to him: vs 35: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." David took a stone and toppled that giant, and then - and this is so great - he killed the giant with the giant's own sword! Sort of like Haman hanging on the gallows that he built for Mordecai (Esther 7:10). The Israelites feared entering the promised land, the battlefield, because they cried that there were giants in that land. They had complained at every step forward and the Lord was sick of it. For that, the Lord waited until every last one of them died out, and then Joshua led their sons against the giants and took the land. The Lord looks for Davids and Joshuas to carry out his will. Those who live in unbelief won't dare to venture into that minefield. But those who know their Lord will proceed because they know that it is the Lord who sent them, therefore the Lord will obtain the victory. Do not hang back because of fear, otherwise you'll never know the savor of the victory and the awe in which you will stand before God with a heart filled with praise.