1 Kings 20:1-29
There will come a time when fear and heartaches must face and answer to your God.
If you understand the dynamics of the spiritual war raging for your soul, you will realize that as long as you remain on this earth, there will be no way to escape the battle and circumstances of life.
As you read this story in 1 Kings 20:1-29 about Ahab and Syrians; the Syrians blasphemed God, the maker of heaven and earth; , God step in and was vindicate himself and preserving and honoring his name. (Because they did not defy Ahab but God. It was just as Goliath the Philistine did, and the Lord used David to destroy him). But within the story Ahab was out of divine protection, because he had prepares and offers his silver and gold to the God of Baal Hosea 2:8.
If God is not ruling a person, for sure, their enemy will. If a person is disobedient and rebellious to God, the enemy will become their master. Ahab was a man full of fear, he did not have faith because only in God can you walk by faith. Ahab knew that Baal could not help him win this war and that God had departed from him. So, he finds himself between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to turn.
And at the same time, Ben-hadad would not stop until he got all of Israel’s possessions and full control over them. He wanted to disgrace, disrespect, and suppress the people of God. Can you imagine 33 Kings coming to fight you while intoxicated, giving all their drunken commands of war over a glass of wine?
The Syrians were beaten at first, reorganized, and returned to regain their honour, respect, and domination. In the same way, if we look at how Satan operates and his continuous pursuit to destroy the people of God.
We are fighting an enemy whose objective is to destroy every residue of the people of God. Satan is not fighting you because you are merely human, but he does it because of who you belong to and represent. This fight started when pride came into Lucifer, and he was kicked out of heaven. And this fight will continue until the Lord Jesus puts a stop to it when he returns. Satan was kicked out of heaven, he came to the earth, stole mankind’s authority, and started to rule as God on the Earth.
Jesus again leaves his throne and comes to the earth, defeating the devil and stripping him of the authority he took from Adam, but the devil is trying to make a comeback.
Luke 10:18-19
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Job 14:1
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
We are fighting against a force of evil whose desire is to steal and our destiny in God.
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Listen, on this earth, you are not fighting against a friend, bother or family, but the battle is orchestrated by a wicked spiritual force who has designed weapons and traps to take you down.
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
1 Corinthians 16:9
For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
Here in 1 king, we see a well-thought-out battle, planned and organized against King Ahab and the children of Israel. It was designed in a way to take them down in the areas where the enemy believes they were the weakest. Of the sheer size and strength of the Syrian army, this battle was designed to instill fear and confusion in the children of Israel. The enemy wanted to leave them empty. Here is what the king of Syrian said in verse 3, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
The Lord resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Let’s Look at the Lord’s mercy in this passage; he sent a prophet to Ahab without him even asking for one. When the prophet arrived, he encouraged Ahab and told him that the siege shall be raised and that the army of the Syrians would be routed. What was even more amazing was that the Lord told Ahab to use the feeble men to put at the battlefront of the war.
He told him to use young men of the princes, footmen, and only 232 of them, these men who lacked all knowledge and expertise in war. The Lord uses the weak and foolish things as an instrument to confound the wise and the strong.
I believe that 1 of the reasons why the Syrians might have said God was God of the Hills and mountains and not God of the valley was because they might have heard the saying of David I will lift my eyes unto the hills whence cometh my help (Psalms 121:1). The Syrians didn’t realize that the Lord owns everything that exists both in the natural and spiritual.
They believed that the God of Israel was their god that cannot see nor hear and can only reside where it is placed.
What the enemy failed to realize was that who God blesses, no man can curse. They also failed to understand that everything the children of Israel had was given to them by God, and as long as they were walking with the Lord, nothing or no one could take it away. The children of Israel’s enemy didn’t realize that the battle was now shifted to the supernatural realm because God had taken over to fight for his people.
Proverbs 21:31
31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle:
But safety is of the LORD.
Psalms 20:7
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Listen, the Lord will part the red sea for your victory. The Lord will close the lion’s mouth to prevent it from biting you.
The Lord will shield you from the scourge of the fire so that you can’t get burnt. The scripture tells us in Acts 28:3 that after Paul was shipped wrecked and at a place of turmoil; while gathering sticks for a fire to warm himself, a serpent came from hiding and latched itself unto his hand. When this happened, the men from that area who knew the potency and capability of that deadly serpent waited patiently to see Paul drop dead, but they didn’t realize that God had another plan in mind.
Your enemy might be powerful, but we serve a God who is more powerful.
The enemy might be dead, but we serve a God who specializes in giving life and strength to his children.
The enemy will come against you like a flood, but please remember that the Lord will take up a standard against him. The enemy might come against you like a roaring lion, but please know that you serve a God who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Lord is not calling you to fret and worry, but he is calling you to watch and pray.
The Lord is not calling you to fail, but he is calling you to win. The Lord has not given you the spirit of fear but love, power, and a sound mind. The Lord doesn’t want you to get slain in the battle but to become a giant slayer.
Listen, before Jesus came to the earth, death and the grave were reigning as a king, sending a shockwave of fear in man, but when Jesus arrived, he showed death and the grave who King is.
Death and the grave tried to keep Jesus captive, but on the third day, he rose in glory and Jesus looked at them and asked these questions 1 Corinthian 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Jeremiah 1:19
19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Isaiah 26:3
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Psalm 91:1-3
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the noisome pestilence.
Psalms 23:4-6
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Here are 6 things you must do to activate the protocol of heaven to fight on your behalf. You have the option not to do them because the Lord has given you free will to make choices, but they are a must if you want to win and keep winning, both the battle on the mountain and in the valley with Jesus by your side.
- You have to walk in holiness before God and man.
- You have to live by faith and not by sight.
- You have to walk in love and forgiveness toward all.
- You have to give the Lord his rightful place in your life.
- You have to walk in continuous prayer and fellowship with God, stay and leave not his presence.
- You have to give the Lord all your cares and worries.
