When God Sends the Battles
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-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --
Some battles are easy to run from! (Skunks are one of them)
Not every battle is that easy.
There are battles that show up in in the deepest parts of you,
Battles that threaten your family/your faith and your future!
These are Spiritual Battles!
What if not every battle is meant to be escaped?
Because not every battle comes from the same place!
We all face these, And we find ourselves wrestling with the aftermath! (And God Fights with and for us as a compassionate Friend as we lean on His strength)
There are battles that come,
not because you’ve disobeyed God, but because you’ve obeyed Him.
Battles that find you while you’re walking in surrender.
Battles that come because you’re exactly where God wants you to be.
Takeaway: Gods Promises are not without Perils!
Every step of the way toward the place that God had promised Joshua, There is an enemy rising up!
Joshua was human, he must have laid eyes on that vast army and wondered the same thing!
Why all these battles God?
Joshua 11:20a(nkjv) For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they(The Enemy) should come against Israel in battle,
Because you can’t walk in darkness and light at the same time!
God knew something Joshua didn’t know…and He knows something that you dont know:
Takeaway: If you dont completely destroy your enemy, your enemy has the lingering potential to destroy you!
Joshua’s enemies were flesh and blood-ours are…
Anxiety
Fear
Addiction
Lust
Hopelessness/Depression
Bitterness/Offense
Grief that we let control us
Pride
Division
Unforgiveness
Disappointment
Each of these are designed and assigned to take us out!
These enemies that come against us are not for us to coexist with, but to conquer!
Not to cohabitate with, but to completely/utterly destroy.
Gods Policy…Leave no trace… of lust/fear/pride/envy…Fight not just until you get the upper hand, but until they are destroyed! No Trace!
A little leaven, a little bit left can grow!
Little compromises become Addictions.
Little pride becomes a Poison.
Little fears become Prisons.
Little Lusts become Flames of Dark Desire!
Takeaway: The enemies you don’t defeat will lurk in the shadows of your life, gaining strength and will be a constant threat to your future and your family!
Even with God on their side it was a process!
Dont get discouraged in the process!
Don’t you get weary in the fight!
Don’t you give up-Dont you Quit!
You are destined to fight and you are destined to win but you cannot win without a war!
God wants us to walk in complete freedom!
How do you walk in freedom from every enemy that rises up against you?
How do you protect your family from the enemy?
Be Strong and Very Courageous
When the enemy comes…
You stand up and fight…In the strength of the Lord!
You keep Worshiping/Keep Surrendering/Praising/Praying/Reading/Crying out to God/Staying accountable/Fall down get back up/Running Back-Staying close to Jesus/Determine to grow(even if its slow) and dont you dare quit!
Joshua is old-he is about to move to his eternal home he has realized not everyone obeyed the words of the Lord completely to destroy their enemies. Some remnants of enemies were allowed to remain in the land.
So he gave them this warning:
Joshua 23:12,13
That’s exactly what happened! (Judges)
The enemies that were allowed to stay, who were not defeated, eventually led Gods People into deep idolatry and all kinds of evil sins that destroyed many!
How do you know you are in danger?
When you are friends with enemies God told you to destroy!
What about you? Is their something you know is an enemy you are allowing to live in your heart?
Something You have quit fighting and started coexisting with that is displeasing to God?
This is not a game-You cannot toy/play with things God said to stay away from, the things that God said to drive out/destroy.
If we are honest all of us have some enemies we are letting linger in our lives, we all have some business to take care of with Jesus this morning.
The good news, today we can lean into Jesus,
we can repent of any and all areas of darkness we have allowed to remain in our lives that do not line up with Gods word
and we can walk out of here with a fresh start/ clean and re-engaged in a victorious battle over every enemy that threatens us and our families!
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