Crush the Enemy

“So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”

Acts 5:38-39

We often forget in the midst of opposition that we are not fighting things of this world.  When we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and claimed by Christ, our battle is no longer against flesh but instead against the darkness of this world. The moment we become born again, God places the Holy Spirit within us.  Henry Blackaby says, “God doesn’t give you some thing, He gives you Himself. The Holy Spirit is God. As He lives out His life through you, you have almighty God dwelling within you, carrying out His purposes.”  Knowing this, there is confidence in the midst of opposition as a child of God.  It means that those who choose to attack His children or cause harm are in fact, choosing to do so against the Almighty God.

Admittedly, it is hard when standing in the midst of opposition and it appears that all the cards are stacked against you.  There is doubt as to whether God is there and even if He sees what is happening.  You wonder how so much wrong continues to prevail?  David had instant success against Goliath, and so I ask why can I not have that kind of victory?  Sadly, I know the answer.  It is a lack of faith. For me, I lacked the faith that David had in God.  I believed in God but I will admit that I did not have the complete confidence to trust Him with every aspect of my life.  This lack of trust can only lead to one thing, the painful process of stretching of one’s faith. I have had to experience my Job moments of having things removed from my life that took the place of Christ in my life.  I have had to learn to stop listening to the voices of those around me who led my thoughts away from Christ and instead find Him and focus on His voice alone.  I have had my Moses moments where I ran away from God because I felt that I had failed Him and that He had no use for me.  I have had my Martha moments of being so wrapped up in insignificant things that I have lost precious time with my Savior.  I have had my Jonah moments of hearing God speak but instead choosing to run.  I have had my Sara moments in which I attempted to take control of things and make them happen in my time instead of God’s time causing more conflict and confusion in my life. My list could go on and on but in the end, all of these moments lead to the place in which I was left feeling completely hopeless and totally desperate. 

Throughout scripture we are reminded that God’s timing is not our own.  We want things done instantly but God knows that we need more than instantaneous gratification.  He knows that we need our faith stretched. He knows that in order for Him to have our total surrender we must reach a place of total desperation when He is all we need and crave.  It must happen so that we may totally rely on His will and find rest in His purpose.  

When standing on the battlefield, we stand with confidence in knowing that God is with us.  His angels are an army that surrounds us from the evil of the world.  I can now stand with the same confidence of David as he stood before Goliath and proclaim, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God…”  (1 Samuel 17:45)  Evil will not have the victory against God.  However, with our finite minds it may appear that evil has won but that is only our perception, and we can be certain that it only appears that way because the story, the battle is not over. Evil never has the victory in the end. 

I am not expecting my victory to happen today, tomorrow or next week but I am expecting to see God reveal truth and to crush evil.  Up to this point, with each step in my journey I have witnessed Him move and work within my life.  I may not have always understood what was taking place or why things were happening, but it was and is clear that He has definitely been moving through the details of it all. I stand with confidence in knowing that His Word is TRUTH and will NOT return void.  “So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed.

They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them.” Isaiah 55:11 God’s word says, “But God will smash the heads of his enemies,  crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.” (Psalm 68:21) and so with great confidence I know that the day is coming in which my enemies will no longer win but instead be crushed by my Father who is The MIGHTY Warrior and My GREAT Defender!