​Deuteronomy 20
You are in a war. Whether or not you are aware of it, whether you choose to fight or abstain, you are in a war. Believer or not, you are in a war. Believers know who our King is and who we fight, or we should. The lost usually don’t know who their prince is, who the war is against, or even that they are prisoners in the war.
The instructions Moses gave Israel for the wars she would fight can help us today in the battles we fight. But believer, I do not want you to think we fight governments, the lost or any person. We do not. Our enemy is not flesh and blood. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12,
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The Israelites fought the people who lived in the Promised Land, they fought the countries who would try and take it back from them. Some of those armies were very large, but God encouraged them that the size of the army, the might of the army meant nothing compared to what they had. Verses 1-4 read,
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’”
 
We don’t need to be afraid of the enemy. He may look fierce, he may look strong, but The LORD our God is more powerful, His power is limitless and He goes before us; He is with us. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). We have Jesus Christ, our Warrior King and Prince of Peace, our Victory. Romans 8:37-39 reads,
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Those who fight need to be able to put their entire hearts and minds into the battle. God does not need a big army, He’s God. Those in the battle need to be certain that The Lord and what He is fighting for is the priority. But we have been given this life to enjoy it too. We have been given abundant life and if we do not experience that life, then will we really even know what it is we fight for? Verses 5-7 read,
“Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. 6 And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. 7 And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’”
 
While those who had unfinished business attended to it, the battle would still rage on. They would dedicate their home or consummate their marriage and then they could rejoin the fight with a clearer understanding of the fight. They could enjoy the fruit of their labor and then come back to the fight, stronger and ready. It is not always time for us to fight. Sometimes it is time for us to rest. Sometimes it time for us to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn. Sometimes it is time to make love. And sometimes it is time to have a party. Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 reads,
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.
 What about those who look at the chariots, the weapons and the size of the army they are against and fear? Verses 8-9 read,
“And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’ 9 And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.”
If you are afraid of the war, go home, don’t spread your fear. Go home and let God teach you not to be afraid. Let God show you the battle will be won with the remainder, and maybe next time you will remember what God has done and you will have the courage for the battle.
The ones who are left will be the ones from whom commanders are appointed. The ones who fight are not afraid. They know what they fight for and they know who is doing the fighting. They know they may die, but the battle is worth it. It is important. Israel fought for their land. We fight for the souls of the lost, for our efficacy in the Kingdom, and for eternal life. Jesus laid down His life for us and for the lost. If we love, the way He loved, we are willing to lay down our lives too (John 15:12-13). Death is not something for the believer to fear, it is a door from temporary life to eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:53-58 says it this way,
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
 
While we fight the enemy, who is not flesh and blood, his prisoners may sometimes be in the wake. We do not fight them for their death, we fight to free them from the bonds they may not be aware of. The battle doesn’t always have to get bloody. Verses 10-11 describe how the Israelites are to approach each city.
“When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. 11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.”
If the people surrendered then they were spared from death, they were no longer the enemy, they were taken as slaves. A large part of the war is in freeing the captives. This is done through evangelism, being a witness to Jesus Christ, and testifying to His greatness. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 10:11-15 when He gave instructions to the disciples He sent out to tell people about Him.
“And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”
 
We offer peace. We give them a chance to join The Lord of Hosts, and if they choose not to, then they are joined with the enemy of their own volition, and they will pay on Judgement Day with the rest of the army of Satan. Verses 12-18 read,
“But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13 And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, 14 but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.”
 
We can’t allow any of the abominable practices of the enemy seep into the Way of Christ. We are in this world, yes. But we are not of this world. We are separate, holy, chosen and peculiar. We do not make peace with their ways. Adopting their feasts and calling them The Lord’s does not make it right, it makes it perverse. It gives a battle victory to the enemy and allows him to keep prisoners. It makes it our fight rather than The Lord’s war.
We have to know who and what we are fighting. We don’t want to destroy the trees and the land, the inheritance God has given us in order to wrestle it from the enemy. What sense does that make? Destroy the enemy, not our souls. Verses 19-20 read,
“When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? 20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siege works against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.”
 
Be careful what you fight. Fight the enemy, free the captives, and lay the foundations for eternal life. Live the abundant life you’ve been given and do not be afraid. The LORD our God, the Creator, Lord of Hosts, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and Wonderful Counselor fights for us.

2 Kings 14:1-22
God blesses those who walk in obedience to Him. That was how it was for Judah’s new king Amaziah. His father Joash had been murdered by his servants and Amaziah had become king in his place (2 Kings 12:19-21). Verses 1-6 read,
“In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. 4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 5 And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father. 6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”
Amaziah was a good king, who walked in obedience to The Lord, but like his father and so many of the kings before him, he did not remove the high places, Asherah poles, or other places for idol worship in Judah. He showed his condemnation for his father’s assassination by putting the servants who had committed the crime to death. But in obedience to The Lord, he spared their children. He did the right thing.
Perhaps like so many of us, doing what we know is right in The Lord gave him some boldness to keep doing what is right, and fight the wrongs done to Judah and to The Lord. Perhaps that boldness had a bit of pride mixed in with it. He took credit for being the king who had avenged his father and would now God’s vengeance on Edom, who had rebelled against Judah in the days of Joram and Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3). Edom was distantly related to Israel, they came from Essau, Jacob’s brother. Amaziah took their insurgence personally and retaliated. Verse 7 reads,
“He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.”
Amaziah gave credit to The Lord for his victory over Edom, he called it Joktheel, which means ‘subdued by God.’ But perhaps his pride got a little more puffed about his goodness and might. How often does this happen with us? We make the right choice, we exercise self-control, or we do some good work for The Lord and yes we give credit to God, but a part of us takes some credit for ourselves. We think, “I am pretty good!” or “Wow, look what I just did!” Let’s be clear, we are not good. We have no righteousness of our own (Philippians 3:9). If we are able to behave well, if we are able to do great things for The Lord, heal the sick, evangelize, teach, comfort, prophesy, or clean someone’s toilets, it is not us who makes that possible. It is The Lord God. It is the Father who called us to do it. It is Jesus Christ’s righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit’s power.  Philippians 3:3 says we can’t even worship God from our own power.
“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh”
Galatians 6:14-15 exhorts us not to take pride in the works which prove our faith, the works which look good to others (despite being from The Lord or from our own hearts), or our faith.
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
Amaziah took a lot of pride in defeating Edom. Now he turned his fervor for The Lord and his pride and turned it against God’s own people, Israel. Edom was Israel and Judah’s cousin, but Israel was Judah’s brother. They were not really two different people, but one nation split into two. Amaziah probably looked at King Jehoash who did evil in the sight of the Lord and thought he was better than him. The fact was his victories had swollen his pride so much that he turned from worshipping The Lord and brought Edom’s idols back to Judah and began practicing idolatry himself (2 Chronicles 25:14).
He had taken vengeance on the men who killed his father, he had punished Edom, the country who rebelled against Israeli rule, and now he decided he had to retaliate against Israel for their evil against The Lord, but what he really wanted was to become king of Israel as well as of Judah. Verses 8-10 read,
“Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.10 You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”
Jehoash, Israel’s king refused to fight Amaziah. He even warned Amaziah that he was letting pride get in the way of right thinking. Jehoash might have done evil in the sight of The Lord but God still prophesied through him. But Amaziah was too filled with himself to listen to God’s counsel. Verse 11-14 describe what happened.
“But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.”
They fought and Judah was badly defeated by Israel. The Lord handed Judah to Israel and Amaziah to Jehoash to punish him for turning away from Him. So Jehoash captured Amaziah, but he did not take over rule of Judah. Israel ravaged Jerusalem and destroyed about 600 feet of the wall surrounding the city.
Verses 15-16 record the death of Jehoash.
“Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.”
Verses 17-22 record Amaziah’s death.
“Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 20 And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.”
The reason the people of Judah conspired against Amaziah was because he had turned away from The Lord (2 Chronicles 25:27). He ran away to Lachish but they went after him, put him to death, and made his son king in his place. The king turned away from God but the people did not. His pride made him judge Israel for their wrong worship of The Lord, when he was worshipping the false gods of Edom. The people did not follow him to his idolatry. They wanted a king who would restore them to The Lord.
Believer, I encourage you today to be sure that you are judging with righteous judgement, not by what appears right to you (John 7:24). Make sure the sin you accusing someone else of is not the sin you are committing (Matthew 7:1-5). Be careful of your pride. Give credit to The LORD your Maker, Sustainer, and Savior in your heart and by your lips. Proverbs 18:12 warns us,
“Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.”
​

2 Kings 8:16- 2 Kings 9
Chapter 8 of Second Kings ends with an account of the subsequent kings of Israel and Judah. Both Jehoram son of Joram, king of Israel and Ahaziah, the king of Judah ruled and did evil in The Lord’s sight. Both were like Ahab and both were related to him. Jehoram was married to Ahab’s daughter. Ahaziah was also related by marriage to Ahab’s line. Both of these men chose to enter into Ahab’s relations both in name and sin. Even though Ahaziah was sinning in Judah, the Lord remembered His promise to David and chose not to destroy Judah for Salvation’s sake. Chapter 8 verses 28-29 talk about Ahaziah.
“He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.”
There was no reason for Ahaziah to leave the fighting with his uncle. But he did. He left the fighting to others so that he could check on how things were with Joram. Chapter 9 continues the narrative about the war against Syria and Hazael. God would not let Ahab’s descendants continue to lead His people further down the path to destruction. God’s Son would bring salvation to the world through Judah and so He appointed someone to destroy Ahab’s line. Verses 1-10 read,
“Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. 3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.” 6 So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.”
Elisha’s acolyte did as Elisha told him and gave Jehu God’s word. God did not forget the horrible things Jezebel had done to His prophets, He did not forget the evil she had worked and He didn’t forget that she had taught her children to be as evil as she was. Vengeance is God’s. He chose Jehu to carry it out for Him.
Children of God never have to be concerned about payback. We trust God. We know who He is. We understand He is Sovereign and Just and Faithful. God raised up Jehu to avenge the blood of the prophets and He raised up Jesus Christ, our Lord to avenge the blood of the martyrs and all the Christ followers who suffer for His name’ sake. Knowing this can actually help us love them more. Romans 12:17-21 says it like this,
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Jehu was anointed as king while the king still reigned. It called for action on his part and choices on the part of the people. Verses 11-13 read,
“When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” 12 And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” 13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
The men had a choice to believe God and follow Jehu or to continue following Joram. The men all trusted God enough to know it was He who appointed their king. God had anointed Jehu and so they proclaimed him their king. But now they had to make it official and had to follow through with Jehu’s calling. He would not have to visit the battlefield to obey God. Sovereign God had worked it out so that the kings of Judah and Israel were not with their people fighting Hazael. Verses 14-16 say,
“Thus Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Syria, 15 but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) So Jehu said, “If this is your decision, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram.”
God had vowed to protect Judah but Joram and Ahazia would have to pay for their evil and for their choice to become part of Ahab’s family. Neither Joram, Ahazia, nor anyone else in Jezreel or Ramoth-gilead knew about Jehu’s anointing yet. Verses 17-22 read,
“Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” 18 So a man on horseback went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me.” And the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.” 19 Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus the king has said, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me.” 20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”
21 Joram said, “Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
Both Joram and Ahazia should have been on the frontlines with their people. But they were cowards who cared about themselves above all else. Joram was wounded but not so badly he couldn’t ride a chariot, which takes considerable strength and skill to maneuver. Joram did not need his nephew to visit him while he “recovered.” They were both away from the war, not protecting and fighting for their people because they were selfish cowards. As each messenger went to find out what was happening, Jehu gave them the choice to follow him. Their king’s actions were not theirs. Their allegiance was theirs to give. Each messenger asked if the war had ended. Jehu said, “nope but the war is not yours, follow me.” Jehu offered peace to the king’s messengers but he didn’t offer it to Joram. Verse 22-26 describe what happened next.
“And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?” 23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!” 24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord made this pronouncement against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”
Jehu told Joram exactly why he was about to die and that the war was the direct result of his sin and his choice to continue Jezebel and Ahab’s evil. When Joram heard that he reeled around and fled like the coward he was. But Jehu’s arrow went straight to his heart and he died. And just as The Lord had said Ahab’s line would be destroyed. But this was just the beginning. Verses 27-29 describe Ahaziah’s death.
“When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.”
Ahaziah bolted just like Joram had, but his pusillanimity did not save him. He was buried like a king only because of the goodness of his ancestors and the promise of God to protect Judah. Jehu did not stop God’s mission with the two kings, there were many more people to punish before he was finished. Verses 30-37 reads,
“When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. 34 Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.” 35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’”
Jezebel called Jehu Zimri as an accusation and a curse. Zimri had murdered King Elah and his family and become king for seven days because the army elected Omri king. Zimri died by his own hand when he set fire to the palace (1 Kings 16:9-20). It would be similar to someone being called Judas today. It was a way of saying traitor or betrayer. But Jehu didn’t fall for her taunts and he didn’t fall for her beauty. He looked around the room and asked who was with him. He got his answer as a few of the eunuchs, her servants were happy to throw her out her window. No one was too upset by her death. They ate a meal before Jehu said, “She was cursed but she was royalty so we need to bury her.” But when they went to bury her there was nothing left to bury, the dogs had eaten her. Jehu still was not done, there were many more in Ahab’s family to kill before God’s mission for Jehu was complete. We will read about that in the next chapter.
You have a choice who you will follow. You can follow the King of kings, Jesus or the prince of the power of the air, Satan. Like Joram’s messengers or Jezebel’s eunuchs, many people follow the prince of this world blindly. They don’t know they have a choice or the choice has not yet been given to them. But we know and we can give them that choice.
“Is it peace?” While we are on this earth, it is not peace, it is war with the devil and each must choose a side. Those who think they have not chosen or are even unaware of the sides have chosen Satan. Part of our commission as soldiers in God’s great conquering army is to give them the choice and let them become followers of Christ. Remember you are a soldier and a warrior.  2 Timothy 2:3-4
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
You have your orders. Ephesians 6:10-20 reads,
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Emphasis added).
Choose your side. Obey your orders. Give others the choice which they may not know they have.

​Revelation 6:1-8: The first four seals
In this chapter, the first 6 of the seven seals of the scroll are broken in order to open the scroll. We will read about the first four today, what most people call the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Verses 1-2 read,
“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”
This rider sounds very similar to later descriptions of Jesus leading the Angel Armies, but he is not. He represents conquest and victory, not God’s victory but governmental conquest. Countries making a false peace by overthrowing other countries nations subjugating other nations and so giving a false and shallow world unity. He doesn’t have the sword of Jesus, which destroys up close and directly. He has a bow, which wounds and kills from a distance. He was given a crown, his authority or kingship was not his, as is Jesus’ authority, but was given to him by God. It is God who establishes governments and from whom all authority comes. (Romans 13:1). The world uniting through suppression of nation after nation is not the unity of Christ brought by the Holy Spirit.
The rider on this horse is a false Jesus, a counterfeit savior. My interpretation of these verses identify the antichrist who will appear to most of the world as its savior but whose unity of the kingdoms will be false and whose peace is short-lived.  He is described in Revelation 13:1-8,
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Believer, you do not need to look for victory in men. Your victory is in Christ. Deuteronomy 20:3-4 says,
and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
Verses 3-4 describe the next rider.
“When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.”
The rider on the red horse, takes peace away and causes people to kill one another. Look around at the world today and see how people use the name of religion to kill one another and cause wars to be fought. Look at the world and see how for centuries, people fought in God’s name but they didn’t fight God’s fight.
Believer, war may surround you, but Jesus is your peace. Isaiah 26:3 reads,
“You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.”
And you have peace with God, you are not at war with Him nor He with you. Romans 5:1 says,
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Verses 5-6 describe the next rider.
“When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”
This rider is often called famine. Food will be scarce and the economy will be in upheaval. Many people will die from hunger. But why does the living creature cry out, “do not harm the oil and wine?” While a scarcity of crops will cause great economic failure and widespread death, the living creature reminded the rider not to harm the oil and wine, the olive trees and vineyards. Olive trees throughout the Bible and the vineyard represent Israel and the church, God’s people (Jeremiah 11:15-17, John 5:1-5). God’s people are not to be harmed or killed by the famine. Even as the world suffers these horrific tribulations that we look to God, not government, bank, or wallet to supply our needs. Psalm 23:1-2 says,
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters”
The next rider is described in verses 7-8.
“When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”
This rider is death, followed closely by Hades and together through all the other horsemen they kill a quarter of the earth’s population. If that happened today that would be 1,825,000,000, 000 (1.825 billion) people. That is a lot of people. 1 out of every four people you know will die. But remember Believer, you have eternal life. John 3:36 reads,
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Jesus told us all these things would happen in Mark 13:5-13,
“And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
These are the first signs that Jesus is coming. Some have happened, some are in the midst of happening, and some will happen. Believer, be on your guard, look, be aware, but do not fear. The happenings are allowed by your Lord. You do not have your needs met by world leaders. You do not get your food from the government. You do not get your security from marshal law. God is your provision. He has already promised you victory, peace, abundance, and eternal life. Remember, if God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 76

This psalm of Asaph is entitled “Who Can Stand Before You.” As Christians we know the answer to that question. Only Jesus, the Son of God, who is with God and is God can stand before The LORD. The people of earth will not stand before Him. We will fall to our knees, either in adoration or terror. God is awesome. He is not awesome in its vernacular meaning like that cake is awesome, Dude. He is awesome as in, He fills us with awe, amazement, wonderment, veneration, and reverence. Verses 1-3 reads,

“In Judah God is known;
    his name is great in Israel.
2 His abode has been established in Salem,
    his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,
    the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah”

We, the followers of Christ know God, and we make Him known to all those around us. We are distinctive in our actions, words, and faith. (John 13:31-35). He has established His tabernacle in us now, and His home in New Jerusalem with us after The Day of Fire. (2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 21:1-4). Here and now He fights for us, He is our armor and our sword. (Ephesians 6:10-20). And when we live in eternity with Him there will be no more need of weapons. Isaiah 2:4-5 describes it this way,

“He shall judge between the nations,
    and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore.

5 O house of Jacob,
    come, let us walk
    in the light of the Lord.”

God is awesome! He is bigger than any problem we face. He is stronger than any chain, more powerful than the fiercest opponent, and more desirous of us than the hungriest predator. The enemy cannot stand up to The Lord. Not one of God’s enemies will prevail, not one will live. None will even be able to face Him. God’s presence brings them to their faces in shame and dread. Verses 4-6 say,

“Glorious are you, more majestic
    than the mountains full of prey.
5 The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
    they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
    were unable to use their hands.
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
    both rider and horse lay stunned.”

Our Lord is so powerful He only needs to rebuke and His Word is enough to disable the enemy. All those fighting against God with their pride will find out that this temporary earth is just that and they will perish without any of the gains they made in this life. They will find out that 120 years is an extremely short amount of time. The money they made as they stepped on the backs of the poor will mean nothing in eternity. Their pride was misdirected. Their faith was misplaced. Their souls were lost.

There are so many who need to know who The Lord is. They need to be brought to peace with Him through Jesus Christ so their condemnation will become reward, their terror at God’s wrath will become joy at His love, and their subjugation under the enemy will become victory and freedom in Christ. On Judgement Day we will all face God, with or without Christ. The sentence will be either eternal death or eternal life, eternal Hell or eternal Paradise, eternal prison or eternal freedom. Verses 7-9 read,

“But you, you are to be feared!
    Who can stand before you
    when once your anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
    the earth feared and was still,
9 when God arose to establish judgment,
    to save all the humble of the earth. Selah”

Submitting to Jesus as Lord seems to the lost, to be foolish. Humility seems ridiculous to people who take pride in themselves and their works. But in the end, the humble will be exalted and the proud will be bought down. 1 Peter 5:4-11 tells us,

“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

We are on this earth for just a little while, 120 years at most. That is nothing, not even a drop in the bucket of eternity. While we are here we do our best to honor the Lord, to glorify Him and make Him known to the world. We know one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord. (Philippians 2:9-11, Romans 14:11-12). We want all of those knees to be compelled by veneration of The Lord, not by terror and dread. Verses 10-12 read,

“Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
    the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11 Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
    let all around him bring gifts
    to him who is to be feared,
12 who cuts off the spirit of princes,
    who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.”

Our covenant with The Lord is simple, He has made many promises to us and He fulfills them all. We make one vow to Him and that is He is our Lord, our Master, He has charge over our lives. When we live in obedience to Jesus, He is glorified. People want to know what it so extraordinary about us, they want to know what we have. As we use the gifts He gave us for Him, others want to know too and then they can bring Him their gifts. Like the old shampoo commercial, you will tell two friends, and they will tell two friends and so on until Jesus’ name is acclaimed all over the world.

To us God is Love and Peace, to the world He will be wrath.

Psalm 27
Paul asked this question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). And David had similar sentiments in this Psalm. Verse 1 reads,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?”

David referred to The Lord as his light. He didn’t mean a lamp or a candle, or even a candelabra. He meant light like the dawning of the sun. Daylight so bright that no darkness can exist while it shines. The Lord is our light and our salvation. He delivers us from evil. He rescues from the enemy. And He gives us freedom. The Lord is our stronghold, our place of defense, our refuge. He not only defends us, he keeps our life safe from the enemy.

The enemy may be able to hurt and maim, but he can’t take Jesus away from us, He can’t take away our salvation. Whom shall we fear? If God is for us, who can be against us? The enemy will always try to hurt those with faith in the Lord. But with faith in God, we have nothing to fear from anything. Verses 2-3 read,

“When evildoers assail me
    to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet I will be confident.”

The enemy can and will make war on us. He will try to shake our faith by hurling lies at us, by causing chaos, trouble, and suffering. He may cause us grief, but He cannot take us out of God’s hands. The more we know our God, the more faith we have in Him. We can let Him be our light, salvation, and stronghold of our life. Remember Jesus died on the cross and He rose again. At that moment the devil was defeated. But he keeps trying. He wants us to be paralyzed from the injuries he inflicts. He wants us to be ineffective and not stand with the army of the Kingdom of God.

Whatever wounds he perpetrates, cannot cripple us if we have faith. We are to wear the armor of God not to look good but to be defended and to fight the enemy. God Himself is every piece of that armor. He is our Refuge, our Shield, our sword, and our Defense. If you are unfamiliar with the armor of God I recommend you go to Ephesians chapter 6 and read it. Paul describes the armor in verses 10-18.

Why is it we can be confident even in the face of the enemy’s war against us? Because the war has already been won. We are victors with Jesus. Revelation 12:10-12 describes our victory this way,

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

We still fight the battles, but not for ourselves, we’re already free. We fight to free the prisoners of war who are bound in Satan’s chains and who are ignorant of their situation. We still fight the enemy, but we do so with great confidence because we know the outcome.

And that outcome makes us sing for joy, sing out the testimony of the greatness of The Lord. David loved to spend time worshipping and praising the Lord in His temple. It brought him peace and joy to spend time with The Lord. He delighted in the Word and He relished getting to know God more and more. It was that time with God, whether in good times or bad that built his faith. Verses 4-6 read,

“One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.”

The Lord does this for us too, we are hidden in Him and He abides in us. The concept is far beyond my capacity to understand but I trust in it. We are in God and God is in us. I get a picture of paints of different colors swirled around one another so that the yellow is in the purple swirls and the purple is in the yellow swirls.

 God never abandons us. He is so united with us that we cannot be separated from Him. When troubles come, when good times come, when we forget our faith and let fear overwhelm us, we call on The Lord and He answers, always. He knows us. Verses 7-12 read,

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
9     Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will take me in.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on a level path
    because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
    for false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they breathe out violence.”

Remember when the enemy tries to wound you, you are in the refuge of God. And He is in you. He surrounds you with His armor and the enemy cannot touch you. God’s path is level and straight. The enemy can and will make threats against you, but you don’t have to believe his lies, you know who God is, you know who you are in Christ, and you know the enemy is defeated. You know the hope of eternal life. Verses 13-14 read,

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!”

Let your hope give you courage and strength. One day we will be in eternity with God and see Him in person, right now by faith we know Him a little, but then we will know Him wholly as we look directly at Him. Paul describes it this way in 1 Corinthians 13:12,

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Believer, let that give you courage and strength to face the world, battle the enemy, and glorify The Lord God Almighty.

You have an enemy. Whether you are a follow of Christ or not you have an enemy, but if you are a follower you are in the war against him and his minions. Paul wraps up his letter with some powerful and meaty teaching about it. Verses 10-12 read,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Paul tells us to be strong, not in our own strength, talent, or wisdom, but in the Lord. We re exhorted to be strong in the Lord. But what does that mean? Remember this, who you are in Christ is different than who you were outside of Him. He gave you gifts. He has trained you, grown you, and moved you through trials. Exercise the faith, wisdom and discernment He gave you and use the gifts He endowed to you. Walk with God, remembering He is alongside you, within you, and you are in Him.

The next verse tells us further how to be strong in the Lord, we are to put on the whole armor of God. It is a choice to use all the gifts and tools we have been equipped with or to let them rust with inactivity. We are all in the battle, but we have a choice in regards to fighting or cowering, and to fight well or poorly.

This isn’t just any fight. We’re not fighting the lost people. They have the same enemy we do, they just don’t know he’s their enemy. It is important to remember that our enemies are not men and women. The lost the prisoners of war. Our enemy is Satan and his underlings the demons who infiltrate, do his bidding, and put the chains on those prisoners. They fight to keep you weak. They fight to keep you ineffective. They do whatever they can to stop you from breaking the POWs out of their prisons and to ensure the captives have no idea they are bound.

But know that you have nothing to fear from Satan much less his demons. You are not called to cower or recoil. You are called to be strong in the Lord and put on His protection. Paul says in verse 13,

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

If we put on all of God’s protection we will withstand and if we use His strength to be active in the war, we will stand firm. We will remain effective fighting warriors allowing Jesus to set the captives free. Let’s take a brief look at the armor we are to wear. And don’t worry it isn’t cumbersome, every piece helps us to stand and fight.

Verse 14,

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”

The belt of truth is the first piece of armor. The belt held up the soldiers’ tunic allowing him to run and move freely. The truth does that for us. John 8:44 describes Satan as a liar and murderer,

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Satan can only lie. And he lies well. He can make lies sound truthful, good, and beautiful. His lies can trip us up, keep us from believing we can fight, leave us tangled in the web of deceit unable to join in the battle. When we know the truth, we don’t have to second guess and trip over the lies that scoundrel tells. We don’t even have to listen to them!

One lie he likes to tell you is that we are not worthy to fight with Jesus, that you are too sinful to dare fight in the Lord’s army. But he’s wrong. The next piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate protected the soldier’s vital organs and kept him alive and able to use his weapons for fighting instead of trying to constantly protect his life. You do not have your own righteousness. But you do have Jesus’ righteousness. Romans 4:22-24 read,

“That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

We were credited with Jesus’ righteousness, not because of any work, not because we fight in the war, not because we pleased God but because we had faith, believed and live with Jesus as our Lord. Jesus’ righteousness gives us eternal life. Our heart is new, it is the temple of God and it is protected. The enemy can’t have our heart. It belongs to God.

Does it bring you joy and excitement to think about your salvation? It does me. Being saved, I want the POWs to be saved as well. And freeing the captives is one of our most important missions. So our next piece of armor is used for that assignment. Verse 15 reads,

“and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

You need shoes to walk well and far. Walking barefoot eventually your feet become bruised and painful, causing you to limp. Your feet need shoes to allow you to keep walking with God rather than limping along. Knowing the truth of the gospel, what you believe and why you believe it keeps you walking rather than limping.

Your feet are fitted with the readiness. What does that mean? 1 Peter 3:15 says,

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

You have to know what you believe and why you believe it. You have to keep Christ honored as your Lord. Your life should show that you belong to Jesus and cause people to ask about the hope, the difference they see in you. You should be able to answer them. You should be able to point them to Jesus, to the Gospel.

The lost have no idea they can have peace with God. They don’t know that God wants to reconcile with them, heal their wounds, and give them freedom and rest. It is our mission as operatives to tell them. We can’t tell them by standing still, we have to go and on order to go, we have to move our feet and travel to them.  Romans 10:13-15 read,

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Verse 16 reads,

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”

The shield allowed the soldier to stop weapons from hitting him. He kept it on him always and used it to stop the blows that might have injured him, weakened him and stopped him from being useful in the battle. Our shield is our faith. Faith means you know who God is. We trust completely in His power and strength. We believe He is our Savior, Creator, and the whole world and everything in it is His.

The enemy shoots a fiery arrow your way, but faith in God keeps it from touching you. 1 John 5:4-5 reads,

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

We know how the war ends. God wins, we win! We are already victorious and we keep fighting to complete our mission to free the captives with the gospel of peace. So as hard as the enemy wants to try and hurt us, he can’t. Keep the faith in all circumstances. All the arrows the devil throws our way bounce off the shield of faith and don’t even singe us. Satan can’t even get close to us, he has to fling arrows and hope we are not holding up our faith in order to hurt us. He only has the power to hurt us, if we let him.

Verse 17 reads,

“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

The helmet is the most important part of our protection. The breastplate covers the heart and lungs, but the helmet protects the brain. The brain is the control center for our entire body. It coordinates everything in order for us to live.

We can’t be in the Lord’s army unless we have Jesus’ Salvation. That salvation is what directs the faith, gospel, righteousness and truth to work together for our victory. Without salvation we can’t have faith. We can’t reconcile people to god, if we are not reconciled to Him. We have no righteousness without salvation. We do not know the truth.

The next part of our armor is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The sword is the weapon of our armor. It takes training to use a sword well. It requires up close combat to use a sword. Unlike the enemy who fling mendacious arrows at us from a safe distance, we are fully involved with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

The Spirit is powerful and He is Truth. When we read the word, He reveals it to us and helps us to understand it. He brings it back to us when we need to hear it. He speaks to us and guides us through every circumstance. But to use the sword well, we must be trained in it. He can’t remind us what He has said, if we never read it or listened to Him. We won’t even recognize His voice if we don’t spend time with Him.

The Word of God is powerful if we use it properly. Remember our mission is to free the captives and reconcile them to God. We have to get in there and use the sword as it was meant to be used. Remember just how powerful the Spirit is. He raised Christ from the dead. He brings people to their knees. He can and does do more than we imagine. He speaks to God for us when we don’t know how.

The word of God is a weapon more powerful than we realize Hebrews 4:12 describes it like this,

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

In Jeremiah 23:29 God describes His word.

“Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”

That is an amazing weapon. What good is it laying by your side? Pick it up, handle it, and use it. The truth of the Gospel is in the Word. The Love of God in the Word. Read it, hear it, speak it and do it.

One of the ways we use the sword of the Spirit is through prayer. Yes! Prayer is wielding the sword of the Spirit. Speaking to the Lord and hearing His Word and doing His Word through obedience makes a difference. Verses 18-20 read,

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

When we pray we are actively exercising the powerful weapon we’ve been given. Asking the Lord to help us and help others, strengthens us, encourages us, equips us, and unites us. Paul ends this letter with verses 23-24.

“Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”

Love incorruptible. Nothing can sully God’s love, nothing can damage or rust it. The armor of God, like God is incorruptible. Have faith in Everlasting Awesome God. Be strong.