If the Battle Belongs to the Lord, How do YOU Fight?
Have you ever been in a battle in your life where you’ve deployed every strategy and you feel like you’re still losing? If the battle belongs to the Lord, do you still have to fight? Yes! The question is: HOW do you fight?
The battles in your life and in your faith are brutal because most people fight on the wrong battlefield. For believers, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” (Ephesians 6:12) which mean the victories you experience will be spiritual, before they are natural. The fiercest battles are waged within yourself.
That is why believers must work to master and utilize their spiritual weapons: Because you’re fighting a spiritual battle! (See Ephesians 6:12-18 & 2 Corinthians 10:4-6) The weapons, strategies and victories are completely different than you’re expecting.
…the victories you experience will be spiritual, before they are natural.
~ Alicia Purdy ~
Everyone struggles in battle and hopes for victory, but there is a difference between hoping for victory and fighting to win that victory – even when the battle belongs to the Lord! Many people who don’t see the breakthrough and victory are fighting the wrong enemy and waging war on the wrong battlefield. It’s exhausting!
If the Battle Belongs to the Lord, How do YOU Fight?
The wisdom of the Word, the war of worship and the power of prayer are three of your best weapons and each one has its own unique purposes when you’re waging a spiritual battle, so learn to wield each one!
But you have another weapon as well: The faith of another believer. “A cord of three strands is not easily broken,” the Bible promises.
Just because the battle belongs to the Lord, ultimately, doesn’t mean you won’t have to fight in the battle. There are different strategies in every battle. As a believer, sometimes you will take up weapons, other times you will lay them down. Sometimes you will stand, sometimes you will advance.
The Lord is “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Psalm 46:7, NLT), but those in the army always have a place in the battle against the enemy and you are part of God’s winning strategy in the battles you face. So, how do you fight?
1. You lay down your natural weapons.
- 2 Chronicles 20:17, “It will not be necessary for you to fight in this conflict. Take your positions, stand, and observe the deliverance of the Lord for you…”
2. You take up your spiritual weapons.
- Ephesians 6:14-17, “…having your waist girded with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, and above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
3. You “put on the full armor of God”.
- Ephesians 6:11, 13 “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil…that you may be able to resist in the evil day…”
4. You testify.
- Revelation 12:11, “They overcame [the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
6. You STAND.
- Ephesians 6:11, 13-14) “…stand against the schemes of the devil…having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…”
7. You praise the Lord.
- Psalm 149:6, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand…“
- Psalm 40:3, “He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many will see it, and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”
The Lord Has Raised Up a Victory Horn
How can you know that the battle belongs to the Lord? Because you gave it to Him!
According to Psalm 148:
“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven. He has raised up a victory horn for His people, praise for all His saints, even for the people of Israel near Him.” (Psalm 148:13-14)
The “victory horn” that the Lord will raise up, according to Psalm 148 is formed from the praises of His people, but more specifically the tehillah praise, one of the seven Hebrew words for “praise”.
“Tehillah” praise is the spontaneous, spiritual song that you sing from your soul to the Lord within the secret of His presence, in moments of intimacy between you and Him.
“Tehillah” praise is a song that you write. Its lyrics flow out of gratitude, testimony and exaltation that is highly specific to your own life, what He has done for you and in awe of His glory. Why does this matter so much?
Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!
Of course the enemy wants you focused on the natural battles so you’re tired and distracted from fighting the spiritual ones! If truly want the battle to be the Lord’s, you have to intentionally give it to Him- and stop fighting and start worshipping.
Jesus Christ is the Horn of Salvation That Won the War
The Lord dwells within the “tehillah” praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) When you worship Him with a “new song”, you create living tabernacle for Him within your spirit and His presence draws nearer in a unique way in those moments.
The Psalmist called “tehillah” praise the “victory horn” and it holds a special place in His heart. Why?
In Luke 1:68-69, Zacharias prophesied of the coming King, the Messiah, the Savior, saying:
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.”
Not only does the Lord dwell in “tehillah” praise, which ensures your victory, His Son, Jesus Christ, was born and became sin and then died and rose from death to prove that the enemy was defeated! How do you believers fight in a battle that truly belongs to the Lord? ON THEIR KNEES.
In 1 Samuel 17:47 David said, “…it is not by sword and spear that the Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the Lord, and He will give you into our hands.”
Here’s what you cannot let yourself forget:
- The Lord your God doesn’t sleep. (Psalm 121:2-4)
- He is a “mighty and terrible” God against His enemies. (Deuteronomy 7:21)
“The battle is the Lord’s…” (2 Chronicles 20:15) Which battle? The battle to provide salvation has been won through Jesus Christ, which means all the other battles can also be won through Christ.
There are some battles that the Lord will fight for you, but others that He will fight WITH you. You’ll need to become intimately familiar with the voice of His Holy Spirit to discern the difference.
There are some battles that the Lord will fight for you, but others that He will fight WITH you.
~ Alicia Purdy ~
As you sharpen your weapons of the wisdom of the Word, the war of worship and the power of prayer, your battle will move further and further into the spiritual realm, where the enemy has been stealing territory from you behind your back.
For the battle to truly belong to the Lord, you have to intentionally give it to Him. That means you have to stop fighting in the natural by worrying about situations and being upset and people, fretting about “what if” and start worshipping.
Remember, if the battle belongs to the Lord, God is in control, but YOU are in charge.
The horn of salvation makes a mighty sound that is a warning to enemy of his defeat and song of triumph for the people of the Kingdom – that’s your praise! There are spiritual principles that apply to praise and worship.
- Don’t just sing songs, worship.
- Don’t just pray, praise.
- Don’t just read the words of the Bible, sing them in the spirit.
In the life of a Christian, almost every battle you’ll ever face will be won on your knees with your hands in the air. In the natural it’s a posture of surrender and loss, but in the spiritual? It’s the sign of surrender and victory!
The Lord has already raised up a “victory horn” for you, but you will only be able to access it through tehillah praise- are you ready to win?? WORSHIP!
Thought for today: You Won the Battle, but What Did You Lose?
Everyone loves to celebrate the victories God gives over the enemy by praising the Lord, but as you count victories, tally the losses as well, because they are just as significant. Not all losses are bad!
As you fight for your family, your ministry, your vision, demonic resistance and strongholds and more – you will win and lose throughout the fight, but keep this in mind: Some losses are actually wins through the power of God.
- Maybe when you started this battle, you were afraid of the opinions of others.
- Maybe you thought you didn’t have what it takes.
- Maybe you were carnal.
- Maybe you were filled with doubt, fear, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, wounds and pain.
- Maybe your faith was weak.
And as you have pressed on ahead in the Lord, pushing past those things, battling against the enemy’s lies and deceptions, you look back and realize God doesn’t define “win” or “lose” like you do. Now:
- You no longer hold so tightly to issues that were defeated along the way.
- You have learned to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
- You no longer struggle and contend with those old issues to the level you once did.
- You no longer use your own, natural weapons – you use spiritual ones.
- You’ve lost your immaturity and have grown in Christ.
- You’ve lost bad habits and isntead developed spiritual disciplines.
- You no longer turn to old coping strategies, but your instinct is to turn to the Lord in worship.
Those losses are WINS in Christ!
Paul wrote:
“But what things were gain to me, I have counted these things to be loss for the sake of Christ. Yes, certainly, I count everything as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him…” (Philippians 3:7-9)
When the battle belongs to the Lord, all you have “lost” is a win because it represents the loss of things you needed to get rid of anyway!
Today, look back on your journey of faith and celebrate the losses as well as the wins because THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!
