One common mistake among Christians is thinking the Old Testament saints were super believers.
It’s not true. The Patriarchs were ordinary people just like you and me.
Faith is a powerful force, the currency of heaven, and the substance that stirs God’s heart to do His will for his kids. Faith sees beyond the natural and into the invisible.
The believer uses faith to dominate the devil and the demons, and Christians possess the faith to defeat armies and take the promises of God.
By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel and gave instructions concerning his bones. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. (Hebrews 11:19-23, NKJV)
Isaac, Jacob, and Moses responded to challenges through faith. If we read Hebrews 11, we can also read the faith responses from Noah, Rahab, David, Samuel, and the Patriarchs.
Faith is also a powerful weapon against the enemy and a shield against the fiery darts of the enemy. Faith quenches every fiery dart.
Responding by faith is a crucial strategy for overcoming the enemy. But there is more to winning battles than just possessing and using your faith.
We learn from every battle
It is imperative that we take note of every enemy and learn their propensities and strategies. The church gains the advantage by knowing the enemy well. We gain insight, wisdom, and discernment by being aware of Satan and his demons.
We also must identify every enemy and discover their name. Angels and spirits have a name, and God gave specific names to His angels according to their assignment.
Once we have identified the enemy, we can discern the activity of the demon spirit. After determining the enemy, we can also identify the weapons we need to defeat the enemy.
When Gideon prepared for battle, he first tore down the altar of Baal under the direction of God. Jehovah God gave Gideon a specific strategy to defeat the Midianites.
The Apostle Paul also first identified the idol in Ephesus and developed a strategy to remove the stronghold. So Gideon and Paul identified their enemy and developed a strategy of attack.
David the Shepherd Boy
David had a face-to-face experience with his enemy – Goliath. Goliath was a type of strongman that controlled an entire territory and humiliated the army of Israel (I Samuel 16:1-23, NKJV).
David identified his enemy and knew he possessed the skill to take him down. The modern church must develop both the knowledge and skill to defeat the enemies of the 21st century.
Let’s remember that David was not a warrior, and in the natural realm, he looked foolish.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty things. (I Corinthians 1:27, NKJV)
God often uses what looks impossible to pull off the possible. David defeated Goliath and cut off his head (I Samuel 16). What David did was risky, insane, and unconventional.
God is also raising up a new generation who will not use the same methods as the former generations. Like David, God will use unconventional ways to defeat the evil powers of the heavenly realm. And God will use ordinary people like you and me.
God will also use weapons that look impotent but are not what they seem. The Word of God is the most potent weapon in heaven or earth.
For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and Spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12, NKJV)
So, the Word of God possesses all the power we need.
Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed, he may plunder his house. (Matthew 12:29, NKJV)
By God’s power, the modern church will learn their enemy, use their faith, bind the strongman, and yes, take the spoil.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can also have similar articles delivered to your email.
Sign up here.
Like us on Facebook here.
