One of Trust and One of Doubt
The
Israelites made a habit of offending Jehovah Elyon…Lord, Most High. Despite God
being faithful to them and rescuing their ancestors from the hands of the
Egyptians, they always turned back to their idolatrous ways. Therefore, Jehovah
Elyon allowed them once again to be placed into the hands of their enemies. The
Midianites oppressed the Israelites greatly. Whenever the Israelites planted
crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites would destroy their crops. Therefore,
the Israelites hid in caves and mountains. The Israelites remembered God and
cried out to Him for help. The Lord heard their cry and reminded them of their
sin towards him through the voice of one of His prophets. Judges 6:9-10 “I snatched
you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove
them from before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord
your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But
you have not listened to me.” (NIV) The Israelites had to be reminded
of their sins prior to God delivering them so that they would know that He was
Jehovah, Elyon…the Lord, Most High and the only One to be served.
The
Lord chose Gideon, one from the weakest clans, to deliver Israel from their
enemies. Jehovah Elyon often chose people whom no one else would have chosen.
Why is this? Because in doing so, He gets the glory that is due Him. He is the
Lord, Most High and through Him all things are possible. Gideon had 22,000
warriors available to help defeat the Midianites. However, God reduced that
number greatly and by the time He was done, Gideon’s army was reduced to a mere
300 warriors. Gideon had faith in knowing that it was not by his might that he
would win the battle, but it was Jehovah Elyon…the Lord, Most High who would
fight his battles. Judges 7:22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord
caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The
army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah
near Tabbath. (NIV) God caused the Midianites to be confused and turn
on each other with the sword. The Israelites knew that the Lord fought their
battle that day and Jehovah Elyon was to get all the praise, glory and honor
because it was not done through their own might.
Now
David was chosen by Jehovah Elyon to replace King Saul when he defied the Lord.
David was also the least likely chosen, but God used him mightily as king.
Unfortunately, King David made a lot of mistakes, which caused him great pain. Jehovah
Elyon had brought David through a lot of storms in his life, but he fell prey
once again to the devil and took a census of his fighting men, which angered
the Lord. Samuel 24:1 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,
and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and
Judah.” (NIV)
Jehovah
Elyon was the one who enabled Israel to win their battles and it was not
through their own hands. However, when King David did this, it was as if he was
taking the credit for their success as a nation and not giving the honor to
Jehovah Elyon. Therefore, this angered the Lord and brought a curse upon their
land. It didn’t matter what size David’s army was. Just as the Lord, Most High
was able to defeat the Midianites during Gideon’s time with only 300 men,
Jehovah Elyon was able to do the same thing again. All that He required was
faith in Him and not in numbers. 2 Samuel 24:15 So the Lord sent a
plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and
seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. (NIV)
David
acknowledged his sin and repented before God. He asked God to spare the people
and allow the punishment to fall upon him and his own family. Jehovah Elyon was
teaching David to not trust in his own ability, but in the Lord’s. We too can
learn from the story of these two men. It doesn’t matter if all odds are
stacked against you in life. If Jehovah, Elyon…Lord, Most High is for you,
then who can be against you? Romans
8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for
us, who can be against us? (NIV)
Jehovah Elyon – Lord, Most High
Equips Us for Battle
Psalm 18:39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet. (NIV)
The
devil is running loose throughout the world and is causing chaos in various
places. Sin is the newly celebrated norm and many people are falling lure to
its seduction. The enemy knows that his time is short and what his final
destination will be; therefore, he is on the prowl to collect as many souls as
possible. The souls that he already knows he has are not his primary concern,
but he is seeking the ones who claim to be followers of Christ. His ultimate
goal is to destroy the bride of Christ and defeat her by any means necessary. Revelation
12:17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war
against the nest of her offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold
to the testimony of Jesus. (NIV)
The
only way to defeat the enemy and his tactics is the allow Jehovah Elyon to arm
us with His armor. We are not able to defeat the devil through our own means.
This is a spiritual battle and we are in spiritual warfare. Ephesians
6:10-12 (10)Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty
power. (11)Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes. (12)For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. (NIV) The enemy will use all kinds of tactics against
the body of Christ, so it is necessary to allow the Lord, Most High to fully
arm us for battle. No soldier will win a battle if he/she doesn’t have the
proper gear needed. It is the same way with God. We must allow Him to prepare
us for the enemy so that we will not fall down at the first strike. How does
Jehovah Elyon prepare us for battle? Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on the
full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand
your ground, and after you have done everything , to stand. (NIV)
In
order to be prepared for battle, we must recognize the Source from whom we draw
our strength. That Source is Jehovah Elyon…Lord, Most High. Because there is no
one greater then God, He is the only one who has the power to defeat the devil.
We already know that God can defeat the enemy because Satan was expelled out of
Heaven. Revelation 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great
dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who
leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with
him. (NIV) The devil was not powerful enough to win the battle in
Heaven, so we do not have to fear him down here on earth. The Lord, Most High
is our refuge and strength. Psalm 91:4-7) He will
cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his
faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of
night, nor the arrow that files by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the
darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your
side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (NIV)
A
few things that we must do to be victorious against the enemy is to make sure
that we stand firm in truth, righteousness, and have our feet planted in the
perfect peace of God. Ephesians 6:14-15 Stand firm then,
with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of
righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes
from the gospel of peace. (NIV) During the days of the Roman Empire,
they wore armor that protected their body to ward off attacks of their major
organs. If a major organ of the body was hit, it could cause death. Therefore,
the same applies when fighting against the enemy. A warrior for Jehovah Elyon
must stand firm in His word and not be swayed by every wind of doctrine. Ephesians
4:14-15 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning
and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth
in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is,
Christ. (NIV) The devil is the father of lies and therefore, he will
attempt to use schemes to throw God’s people off the right path. However, a
soldier for Jehovah Elyon will not listen to the enemy but will recognize and
stay steadfast in the truth of the Lord, Most High.
We
must also carry the shield of faith because the devil tries to plant seeds of
doubt in our minds with regards to Jehovah Elyon’s promises. Once God makes a
promise, you must have faith to believe that what He says, He will do. Numbers
23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he
should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (NIV) The Lord, Most High loves to honor His children and
reward them. Therefore, we must not allow the devil to enter into our minds and
make us question Him. There are times when you may have been praying for
something and years have gone by without God’s word being fulfilled. However,
you must remember that Jehovah Elyon’s timing is not like our timing and though
it may linger, it will surely come to pass because He is a God of His word. Habakkuk
2:2-3 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it
plain
on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits
an
appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it
lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (NIV)
We
must also wear the helmet of salvation and have the sword of the Spirit.
Salvation is only given through Jehovah Elyon. He sent His son, Jesus, to die
on the cross so that we may be saved. This is why Salvation is our helmet
because we must never let our good works go to our head, but remember that
Jesus Christ died for our sins and it is only through Him and not our own that
we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that
no one can boast. (NIV) The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.
Some people make the mistake of thinking that they can overcome the enemy
without being in their Word. However, the Word of God is what sustains us doing
the time of tests and trials. Jesus used the Word of God to defeat the devil
when He was tempted after His forty days of fasting. Matthew 4:4 Jesus
answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God’ ” (NIV)
And
finally, you must pray because prayer is key to allowing Jehovah Elyon to
strengthen and encourage you for battle. Without prayer, there will be no power
to ward off the enemy’s darts. You will find that without prayer, you are weak
beyond measure, and when you are at your lowest, the enemy comes in for the
kill. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Jehovah
Elyon…Lord, Most High is the power that we all need to make it in this world.
The devil comes in all forms to distract, disrupt, and tear down those who are
serving God. However, his power is limited because Jehovah Elyon has given His
children the tools we need in order to fight against the enemy. It is not
through our own might, but because we serve the Lord, Most High who is the
ultimate Power of the universe. Tap into His supply and the devil will flee.
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