The Battle is Not Yours. It's The Lord's
I pray this week’s post finds everyone safe, healthy, and sane. The last few days have been tough for our country as a whole. As much as I want to write a post about the happenings of this past week and how we can do better, I honestly don’t have a solution. And I am not about to act as if I do. I am just as frustrated as you. It baffles me that as an African American woman, depending on the mood of the lens the one judging is looking through, the color of my skin could be deemed beautiful one day and a derogatory sin the next.
The one thing I do know is, we need true leaders that not only have the TRUE heart of God but have respect and love for all of humanity. And because I don’t have a solution right now, I have shared a spoken word piece at the end of this post to share my frustrations. You may or may not feel the same, but it expresses the frustrations of many.
Anyway, let’s jump right into this week’s post.
"...For the battle is not yours but God's". 2 Chronicles 20:15
Last week, I talked about how I was studying 1st and 2nd Chronicles. While studying, I ran across one of my favorite bible stories, the story of King Jehoshaphat. King Jehoshaphat got word the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites were going to battle against the Kingdom of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:1-2).
King Jehoshaphat was faced with a great battle and was uncertain of the outcome. Uncertain whether or not the people of God would gain the victory or be defeated. As any great Christian leader would, King Jehoshaphat called the people of Israel to fast, and cried out to God for help (2 Chronicles 20:3-13).
Through prayer and fasting, God revealed how to approach the battle and win the victory to a prophet named Jahaziel (2 Chronicles 20:13-16) God told Jehoshaphat, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17).
In seasons of uncertainty, like King Jehoshaphat, we may feel like we are facing what seems like a battle against a multitude. But the same instructions God gave Jehoshaphat apply to us today.
Seek God
In seasons of uncertainty, we must seek God for direction. I have cried, like an ugly cry, many times to God for help, and I'm sure you have too.
When things are too uncertain, I often fast to gain clarity in the direction I am headed. Why do I fast? Because fasting allows me to kill my flesh and see beyond myself through the lens of Jesus Christ. It also allows me to hear the Holy Spirit clearly as He is leading me and guiding me.
For example, from 2017 to late 2019, I was in a three year season of uncertainty. I knew who I was in Christ and secure in who I was, but when 2017 hit, it was like I was pushed into a corner, surrounded by the enemy.
If you didn't know me before 2017, you would have thought I was a babe in Christ. And if you knew me before 2017, you would have thought to yourself, what in the world is wrong with you?
I had no idea what was going on. I felt like I was losing my mind. Then I decided to buckle down and fast and pray. After fasting and praying, I realized I was in a fight for the security of my identity. The enemy was trying to tell me that I wasn’t who I knew I was before 2017. I began to take on the identity people assumed for me.
Not until I met a prophet in Ft. Lauderdale, who told me he knew who I was and he honored me, did the battle begin cease. He just hugged me and kept saying, "I know who you are, and I honor you.” He also said, “you have been through a lot and faced a lot of adversity. You have even become accustomed to adversity, but I know who you are, and I honor you".
I broke down in tears and was relieved to know I was not crazy. I knew who I was. But the battle I was fighting was never meant for me to fight. It was the Lord's.
You may be sent as a sheep amongst wolves (like me), thrown into the lion’s den, or tossed in a fiery furnace. But know this, the Lord God is with you, and you will be stronger than ever after you have been tried by the fire. Had I tried to fight the battle by myself, without God, I would have lost.
Position Yourself
Last week I talked about being ready because you never know what opportunities may come after the quarantine has been lifted.
When King Jehoshaphat cried to God for help, God responded with how the army of Judah should position themselves against their enemies. God told King Jehoshaphat which direction the enemy was coming from, and where they would find them to defeat them.
In seasons of uncertainty, after we have sought God for help, and He has given us direction, we are to position ourselves right where He wants us. Whether that be in another city, through prayer, therapy, counseling, or even making a hard decision, we must do it.
When we position ourselves correctly, it makes it easier for God to fight the battle for us as opposed to fighting our flesh and the battle simultaneously. Not that God couldn't do it, because He can fight any battle, “For in His hand is there not might and power, so that no one can withstand Him? (2 Chronicles 20:6). What I am saying is when God has to fight our flesh and the battle, sometimes we delay the victory.
Stand Still
Depending on the directions God gives you, to stand still does not always, literally mean, to stand still. Standing still in seasons of uncertainty, means, don't try to maneuver or manipulate God into fighting the battle the way you want Him to fight the battle.
I remember a season of uncertainty, in which I wanted a certain outcome. I felt like God was moving too slow on a promise, so I tried to manipulate the situation and took matters into my own hands. Let's just say the outcome was an epic fail. Though God is the God of restoration, I'm not so sure I want that season restored.
And while you are standing still, don't forget to put your faith into action. For faith without works is dead. (James 2:20-24).
When facing seasons of uncertainty, whether we bring them on ourselves or they are brought on by unforeseen circumstances, I have learned to seek God, position myself, stand still, and wait. Not until then, would I see the salvation of the Lord who is with me (2 Chronicles 20:17).
So, if you are faced with a season of uncertainty, remember to seek God, position yourself, stand still, and wait on God to fight and win the battle.
Until next time, keep writing the five things you are grateful for every day. And you will continue to see the faithfulness of God in this season of uncertainty.
Be Encouraged!
