The Way We War 8/8/2020
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The Way We War
The Way We War
There are a few scriptures that tell us the characteristics of a person the Lord loves… It is true the Lord loves everyone, but there are some special things that we can see God loves...
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves him who follows righteousness.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
You and I want to develop the qualities of character that God loves… looking at those qualities He loves can be of great benefit.
Sometimes those qualities are found in the characters of scripture.
As I study the Bible, I have become more and more convinced that one of those characteristics the Lord loves in a person is perseverance.
Simply put - God loves a fighter!
In Malachi 2 and in Romans 9 it is mentioned that God loved Jacob, while saying He hated Esau.
The only difference I can see between the two is that early on Esau was willing to sacrifice a birthright and blessing for comfort.
Jacob was willing to struggle for any blessing that he could have. First with his brother and father, then with the Lord.
He gave up the comfort of home, risking the hate of his brother to win the blessing of his father thru deception. Blessings meant something for Jacob.
So valuable was a blessing to Jacob that he suffered great physical trouble his entire life so that he would be blessed.
24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”
28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Because of perseverance God blessed Jacob.
This was the second time that Jacob had experienced God.
The first time happened when he was leaving his home afraid for his life twenty years earlier. God gave him a dream of angels ascending and descending a ladder that reached Heaven. At this time God extends to Jacob the promise that had been passed from Abraham to Isaac.
Jacob names the place Bethel, the house of God. Jacob then makes a vow… a selfish vow.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.
God be with me - way I am going. Give me bread and clothing. Give me peace…then the Lord shall be my God.
This is how many people want their relationship with God to be…give me all the blessings and none of the burden.
Twenty years of silence from God. Jacob is taken advantage of by Laban. Seven years working for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Laban deceives Jacob giving him Leah… Seven more years for Rachel. Six years for the flocks, wages changed ten times.
41 Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
Jacob had been a supplanter, heal grabber, and deceiver his whole life. But he was out matched by his uncle. The deceiver had been deceived, manipulated, and lied to.
All these things happened, even while God blessed Jacob.
42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
God allowed Jacob to suffer at the hands of Laban. It is hard to believe…God will allow you to suffer.
The Lord allows enemies to fight you.
1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan
2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it),
The Lord some enemies… why? To teach the children of Israel how to fight. So they would know war. They would know what it is like to hold a sword in their right hand, a shield in their left, have their heart pumping from fear and adrenaline, facing the enemy in a battle they could lose.
God will deliver you, but he is going to leave some battles in your future for you to learn from.
How should you face these battles, tests, and trials? With joy!
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
Rejoicing that you are being grieved!
We were meant to be under pressure. We were meant to struggle with life. We were meant to persevere through pain.
Sinkholes occur when the underground stream dries up and removes the support that was undergirding the pressure from above. You never fail when the pressure is on, you fail when the support underneath is removed.
David failure came because he choose the comfort of the palace in place of the pressure of war.
God means for you to wrestle, battle, struggle… because in wrestling He will make you an overcomer, in battle He will make you a champion, in struggle He will make you persevere.
Twenty years God had been silent with Jacob. Then the night before Jacob is to meet his brother who had tried to kill him. An unknown man comes to him. They wrestle, late into the night, the day starts to break. Jacob is holding on… the stranger touches his hip and thigh. The muscle shrinks and the hip is taken out of joint, but Jacob holds on. “Let me go” says the stranger, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Twenty years before - go the way I am going, give me bread, clothes, and bless what I am doing.
Now - Bless me. Lord, you choose what that blessing looks like. But bless me. Give me what you think I should have.
28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
You have struggled with God and with men, and prevailed.
Jacob learned somethings about wrestling over the last twenty years.
He had wrestled, struggled and battled with all the conventional weapons that men used. Lying, deception, manipulation… twenty years before Jacob wanted to manipulate God. Do this and help me the Lord will be my God.
At some time in twenty years, Jacob realized that mans way does not work. His way did not work. Your way does not work.
God’s way works.
Meant to wrestle, struggle, battle… not mankind’s way, not your way. God’s way.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
Paul had accusers who were accusing him, trying to manipulate the Corinthian believers to gain their loyalty.
Paul says I am not going to handle this their way… I can pray, I can fast, I can trust God. I can have faith… I will use the weapons God has given me. Not carnal, SPIRITUAL!
The battle you are facing now…God is teaching you to fight using spiritual weapons. The longer you try to win with the weapons of your flesh… the longer the battle will go on. It is time put into your hands the spiritual weapons that may seem unfamiliar…God will bring you to victory.