May 27, 2023
The Art of Spiritual Warfare: Aligning with God's Strength
Ever wondered about the significance of God's warlike nature and its role in our spiritual journey? Join Doug and Regina as they delve into this fascinating aspect of our connection with the divine. In today's lively discussion, we unravel the concept of war throughout history and the Bible, and explore how aligning with an undefeated God can be a powerful asset in our lives.
Together, we tackle the pressing issue of conflicts in our modern world, contemplating whether these man-made struggles distract from the ultimate spiritual battle between God's will and the forces that stand against Him. In addition, we share essential tips on engaging in spiritual warfare effectively by preparing ourselves, discerning the enemy, and mustering the courage, strength, and love needed for victory.
As our conversation deepens, we also delve into the concept of spiritual growth, examining how to measure and recognize it from a believer's perspective. Through an earnest prayer, we ask God to grant our listeners strength and courage in their lives, empowering them to stay close to Him and triumph in their spiritual battles. Don't miss this thought-provoking episode that offers profound insights into the nature of spiritual warfare and its implications for our relationship with God.
Transcript
Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning, good evening, good afternoon. Maybe you are in the midnight hour. wherever you are and wherever you are, we bid you welcome to another edition of The Road Less Travel. I am one of two of your co-hosts, doug Smith, and I am joined today, as usual, with my illustrious co-host, ms Regina D Jamison. Say hello to the people.
Speaker 2: Hey, hey, hey, welcome.
Speaker 1: So today we're going to talk about an aspect of our relationship with God or God's nature that isn't a I don't wanna say it's not popular, but it's certainly one that doesn't get a lot of air time, at least that I knew of. We often talk about God in loving terms and peaceful terms. When you look at the pictures of Jesus, he's often with a lamb, often on a hill, with people or with children, and we're not gonna talk about any of that. We're gonna talk about the I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 1: The characteristic of God that has to do with war, and I think it is a useful thing for us to spend time on all of the characteristics of God, and not just one of them, so as we can know the entirety of who God is and the opportunity to come into a full, balanced relationship with him. And so we're gonna talk about war and what that means in our walk, in our relationship with God. And so the first thing that I wanted to do is just get us all on the same page in terms of when we talk about war, what does war actually mean? And so we're gonna talk about war and what does war actually mean? And so, as I often do and I'm about to do it right now because I lost my page on my browser I'm gonna go to brother Google and get a definition of war.
Speaker 1: Definition of war, all right, and according to Google, it is both a noun and a verb. The noun says that it's a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or a state. It says also that it's a particular armed conflict. It's a state of competition, conflict, hostility between different groups or people. It's a sustained effort to deal with or in a particular unpleasant or undesirable situation or condition.
Speaker 2: Okay, you know, I and half part of it is just tuned out because they have way too many words.
Speaker 1: I know, but just hang with me. Just hang with me, because it's the first one and the last one that I just read. Okay, so for me is particularly interesting.
Speaker 1: Okay, the other thing I think we can do is take that definition and look at it from a historical perspective in terms of Bible. So you know, just so that everybody understands, this is the professor and me coming out trying to lay some work in some context for you before we move into some other things. And so if we look at the Old Testament, in the Bible, we see that war was rampant, right, there were, you know, after the Garden of Eden there was always two or more parties in conflict. We saw that with the, we saw that with Samson and the Philistines, We saw that with David and Goliath. We saw that, you know, with with a lot and leaving Sodom and Gomorrah. There were some things going on there that were in conflict with each other And throughout pretty much the, the, the entirety of the Old Testament, you know, in between God talking to folks and giving some, in giving words of encouragement and wisdom, for the most part, i would say that it, it, it was a elongated, excuse me, a collection of Warlike times that were being recorded, that God was clearly in the midst of of To to allow the opportunity for his glory to shine through, to show people his might, to show people his, is still unchanged relevance in the eyes of men who, at that particular time, one could argue, didn't know more than war.
Speaker 1: And so I want to bring that back around to the two definitions that I talked about earlier a State of armed conflict between different nations or states, different groups of people within a nation or state, and Then the last one, a sustained effort to deal with or end a particular Pleasant or undesirable situation or condition. So we're talking about war today, and and before I bring in and Regina, i'm gonna gonna segue here from the lecture portion which I know Maybe perhaps many of you slept through. So go back a couple of minutes and, you know, put it on speed Two and a half and get through it and then come back here and then we can start The conversation. So now that we have that, that that foundation laid in, we Know God is a as a loving God, is a Peaceful guy, as a restorative God, as a God of healing, a God of provision, but then we also know God of a God of protection. So why would we need a God of protection if there weren't Forces aligned against him and His children? that would be us, that would be you and me, those who are in relationship with him.
Speaker 1: We wouldn't need protection if there weren't at least two opposing forces that work the force The, the nature of God, the kingdom of God, and and then those that oppose God, why would we need That protection as something that I think we can all just kind of say, hmm, and so that last one is sustained effort to deal with or end a particular Pleasant or undesirable situation or condition without A God, of a God that knows war.
Speaker 1: I won't say a God of war, but a guy who knows war, guy who knows how to wage war very successfully, might I add, never been In a position where he's known defeat, Which is, you know, in annals of time. If you're gonna align yourself with someone, you want to be on a winning, winnings Team, the winning squad. And so we get into situations, fast forward to today, where we see a whole bunch of conflict between a whole bunch of people about a whole bunch of things. And The question and Regina, come on into this conversation because it will bring you in All of these conflicts, these man-made conflicts, while interesting, while impactful on society, on the world at large, i have to, i have to wonder if There are all distractions from the real war that is going on between what God is, who he is, what he is and what he has for us and everything else. What do you think?
Speaker 2: Okay, a lot, right. So that one is is I think that when we're talking about war, i love how you make the distinction of God. It's not a God of war, right, but a God that is able to fight, a God that is able to protect, a God that is on the winning side and hasn't lost the battle, right? So with that distinction that you know kind of, the way you went is like kind of makes you think, hmm, why would we need a God of war? Because there's always, if you have good, you always have evil. If you have faith, you always have not faith or doubt, because I don't want to just suppose doubt against faith, because even the faithful have doubts. But so that when you're talking about if you have, you know, if you have light, you have dark, that you, you know, you have the moon, the light for the day, the light for the night, but you also have the sun, the light for the day, right? So you always have these opposing forces in the world And there are those opposing forces that we might say in our belief that the way the world is organized is that there are opposing forces always present, right, but there are also opposing forces that also are coming for you.
Speaker 2: Right, and that's what we're really talking about in the world of war is that, as a believer, you need the presence and the power of God, because there are forces against God that will rise up and come for you, or forces that some might call it evil, some might call it unbelief, some might call it.
Speaker 2: You know that person you don't like at work, you could call it a lot of things, right. But however you organize it, some might just say it as simple as there's negative and positive forces, right. Whatever language helps you get into this conversation. What's important about this conversation is that in we hear in the conversation called the moral of God say there are forces that will be at conflict with you in the world, that are coming for your goodness, that are coming for your peace, that are threatening your comfort and your family and the things you love. And if you are going to win those battles if you are going to, perhaps you'll be scarred or a little bloody but you won't be bowed or you won't be taken out right, if you're going to really be in the fight for your life, that you've got to draw closer to God and you've got to know how to fight like God.
Speaker 1: Right, you said something there at the tail end. Yeah, that I think it's important that we don't just gloss over. It's fighting like God. Yeah, i think that's important because God calls us to fight. That's the same. Oh, you say you're a soldier in the army of the Lord.
Speaker 1: I'm a soldier in the army of Lord Right And, whether or not you know that him, you believe in that him or whatever, you ought to understand that as soon as you stand up and you say that I want to have, i do have, i profess a unwavering faith in God. You have painted a target on your chest and on your back and on your forehead, and you have similarly given out bull's eye targets to each and everyone in your family.
Speaker 2: That's just the way that it is, unfortunately, and go ahead, and I think it's important about that, because sometimes that can either turn people off or people don't really understand that or believe that. Look, as the old folks will say, just keep living, right. That is not like somebody is dastardly in a corner planning your demise could be. I mean, in some situations that actually is happening, but it's not. That's not the only situation we're talking about. Because there is goodness in the world, because God is a spirit. There are opposing forces to the goodness of God. There are opposing forces to God's angels and warring armies. There are opposing forces that are a part of life. Like there's just not.
Speaker 2: If you look at the landscape of life, there isn't just goodness in the world. If you just look at the landscape of life, there isn't just peace in the world, right. And so the very things that So the very things that we're talking about, if you just look out your window, if you just look at the news, if you just be slightly informed about any aspect of life or living in the, in the village, in the town, in the city where you live, it's not just goodness, there Is just not. And so how do you prepare yourself? be aligned, be someone who knows how to fight and engage in spiritual warfare. You fight like God.
Speaker 1: Right. You fight like God, you prepare as if you're God. The Bible says put on the whole armor of God, and we should be prepared to do that. I'm not sure who the author is, who coined this phrase, but they said it's better to stay ready than to get ready. That's right, and so we have to stay, stay ready and be willing to look at those, those opposing forces, much like David did when he sought to slay the giant, the lieth, and declare some things and say who And I'm paraphrasing, you know who dare talks about my Lord in this way? Who's the dog that that the Claire is that. This is going to come up against me And I want to be clear before I go forward, because we're talking about the opposing forces.
Speaker 1: Yeah, regina, i don't know if you're young enough to remember this And I realize that I'm just a few months older than you, but in the 70s there was a show, flip Wilson, black Median right, and he used to have this line. He said the devil made me do it right, and that was one of his famous catchphrases of the time anytime, something he did, something kind of you know, off color, shameful, whatever, he would say well, the devil, devil made me do it Fast forward to today. We hear a lot of people saying you know, the enemy has come against me, and that may be the case, but sometimes the opposing force is us in our flesh, right, and so it's not just that, it is, you know, a demonic spirit or evil spirit. Sometimes we just have a stiff neck and a tight jaw and we're just being stubborn against the things that God would have us do.
Speaker 1: That is coming and perpetrating the warfare. And in whatever case, it is no matter if it is whether it is, as I said, the principalities of the air or whether it is us we have to prepare ourselves and stay on the ready for war. And so, before we, you know, in this conversation we ought to talk about what it means to prepare, like God, and be on the ready for spiritual warfare.
Speaker 2: If that's okay, yeah.
Speaker 2: So I think what's important about that fighting like God would mean that you're clear about who the real enemy is, and I think that you just pointed to that sometimes the enemy is ourselves. You gotta look in the mirror and do some hard work. But, you know, sometimes the enemy is our own. You know our desire for comfort. Sometimes the enemy is really is that coworker at work? Sometimes the enemy is, you know, is an organization or a presence of evil called sexism in the world. You know like, you gotta know which enemy you're fighting with. Right.
Speaker 2: So if you're gonna fight like God, you gotta know who the enemy is. And if you're gonna fight like God, you have to fight with courage and strength, courage and strength and love. Courage, strength and love. God is not a God of weakness. God is not a God of that will cower from a battle. God is not a God who isn't clear about God's own strength and power. And that comes with courage and strength. That comes with clarity about who God is, who you are as one who belongs to God. And then I just lost my thought Courage, strength. And what was the third one?
Speaker 1: Courage, strength, love, love, right.
Speaker 2: God is a God of love, and so sometimes that's where the scripture comes from to love your enemy, to even those that hatefully despise you and use you. Right That love is a is a warring force. Love is a warring force, and it is a force that will cut down your enemies. Like you won't believe, courage, strength and love.
Speaker 1: It is amazing to me that us as humans, that we become so fearful of going to war with God on our side, with God that has never lost a battle, never, ever, never, ever. It is amazing to me that we limit ourselves and become fearful. It is not a strange thing that in the Old Testament, God tells Joshua have courage and fear, not on multiple occasions. For those of you that know who Joshua is, you know that he was a man of remarkable courage. Already You know that he was unafraid to speak power to truth and say that we could go and conquer the land. Let's go. But even in all of that, God still had to tell him have courage and fear not, which is remarkable in and of itself and maybe a topic for another episode on another day. But the point here is that we have an opportunity to have a relationship with the Almighty, the very Creator of all existence. Who better to go to war with? Who better to have lead the charge that know that, even if that means you might lose something along the way in the battle, that you still win the war And the thing that you lose is probably and I said probably very sarcastically, probably not worth what you're going to gain, Right, That's right. So if it's a job situation, know that whatever that job means to you, God's already got you on the other side of that skirmish, of that battle. If it's a health situation, God's already got you on the other side of that health situation. Family issue God's got it right. Money issue don't worry about it.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that you can just not do anything, because we're all called to fight and to war in a particular way that God will instruct us. You don't get something for nothing in a war. There are going to be some casualties. I say that to put you on guard that you can lose some things in a war, but the things that you lose with a God that we have an opportunity of being in alignment and relationship with mean absolutely nothing for a God that can create the heavens and the earth. Who wouldn't serve a God like that, Right? So I think that's a good place for us to just kind of drop the mic, so to speak. Let it settle in your spirits, Think about it. We're called to do some war with a God that knows how to win a war that has never been defeated. What are we talking about in our next episode?
Speaker 2: The next episode. In the next episode, we're going to talk about growth. Growth. How do you measure it? What does it look like? What does growth really mean in your world? What does the word growth really mean in the life of a believer? So stay tuned. We look forward to being with you.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening in And just this week, the days ahead, be on, watch and fight, like God will want you to fight and stay close to the God, who's never lost the battle.
Speaker 2: Let us pray Gracious and kind God, we give you thanks for this moment of conversation. We give you thanks for the life of this day, because you didn't have to give it to us, and we pray that you would help us to identify the real enemies that exist in our individual and collective lives, that we would not fight each other, but that we would fight, in spiritual warfare, the enemies that you have for us to fight. And, god, we pray that we might be mighty and amazing and victorious soldiers because we stay close to you. So, god, for whoever is listening that needs extra strength and courage and loving their life, we pray, god, that you would speak to their hearts right now, speak to their situations, speak to their concerns and help them to remember that victory is certain when you stay close to God. And so, god, thank you for this conversation, thank you for our listeners, their families and loved ones. Keep protecting, watch over them until we have a conversation again. This is our prayer, and we pray it in your name and say amen, amen.
Speaker 2: Hey, hey, hey, welcome.
Speaker 1: So today we're going to talk about an aspect of our relationship with God or God's nature that isn't a I don't wanna say it's not popular, but it's certainly one that doesn't get a lot of air time, at least that I knew of. We often talk about God in loving terms and peaceful terms. When you look at the pictures of Jesus, he's often with a lamb, often on a hill, with people or with children, and we're not gonna talk about any of that. We're gonna talk about the I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 1: The characteristic of God that has to do with war, and I think it is a useful thing for us to spend time on all of the characteristics of God, and not just one of them, so as we can know the entirety of who God is and the opportunity to come into a full, balanced relationship with him. And so we're gonna talk about war and what that means in our walk, in our relationship with God. And so the first thing that I wanted to do is just get us all on the same page in terms of when we talk about war, what does war actually mean? And so we're gonna talk about war and what does war actually mean? And so, as I often do and I'm about to do it right now because I lost my page on my browser I'm gonna go to brother Google and get a definition of war.
Speaker 1: Definition of war, all right, and according to Google, it is both a noun and a verb. The noun says that it's a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or a state. It says also that it's a particular armed conflict. It's a state of competition, conflict, hostility between different groups or people. It's a sustained effort to deal with or in a particular unpleasant or undesirable situation or condition.
Speaker 2: Okay, you know, I and half part of it is just tuned out because they have way too many words.
Speaker 1: I know, but just hang with me. Just hang with me, because it's the first one and the last one that I just read. Okay, so for me is particularly interesting.
Speaker 1: Okay, the other thing I think we can do is take that definition and look at it from a historical perspective in terms of Bible. So you know, just so that everybody understands, this is the professor and me coming out trying to lay some work in some context for you before we move into some other things. And so if we look at the Old Testament, in the Bible, we see that war was rampant, right, there were, you know, after the Garden of Eden there was always two or more parties in conflict. We saw that with the, we saw that with Samson and the Philistines, We saw that with David and Goliath. We saw that, you know, with with a lot and leaving Sodom and Gomorrah. There were some things going on there that were in conflict with each other And throughout pretty much the, the, the entirety of the Old Testament, you know, in between God talking to folks and giving some, in giving words of encouragement and wisdom, for the most part, i would say that it, it, it was a elongated, excuse me, a collection of Warlike times that were being recorded, that God was clearly in the midst of of To to allow the opportunity for his glory to shine through, to show people his might, to show people his, is still unchanged relevance in the eyes of men who, at that particular time, one could argue, didn't know more than war.
Speaker 1: And so I want to bring that back around to the two definitions that I talked about earlier a State of armed conflict between different nations or states, different groups of people within a nation or state, and Then the last one, a sustained effort to deal with or end a particular Pleasant or undesirable situation or condition. So we're talking about war today, and and before I bring in and Regina, i'm gonna gonna segue here from the lecture portion which I know Maybe perhaps many of you slept through. So go back a couple of minutes and, you know, put it on speed Two and a half and get through it and then come back here and then we can start The conversation. So now that we have that, that that foundation laid in, we Know God is a as a loving God, is a Peaceful guy, as a restorative God, as a God of healing, a God of provision, but then we also know God of a God of protection. So why would we need a God of protection if there weren't Forces aligned against him and His children? that would be us, that would be you and me, those who are in relationship with him.
Speaker 1: We wouldn't need protection if there weren't at least two opposing forces that work the force The, the nature of God, the kingdom of God, and and then those that oppose God, why would we need That protection as something that I think we can all just kind of say, hmm, and so that last one is sustained effort to deal with or end a particular Pleasant or undesirable situation or condition without A God, of a God that knows war.
Speaker 1: I won't say a God of war, but a guy who knows war, guy who knows how to wage war very successfully, might I add, never been In a position where he's known defeat, Which is, you know, in annals of time. If you're gonna align yourself with someone, you want to be on a winning, winnings Team, the winning squad. And so we get into situations, fast forward to today, where we see a whole bunch of conflict between a whole bunch of people about a whole bunch of things. And The question and Regina, come on into this conversation because it will bring you in All of these conflicts, these man-made conflicts, while interesting, while impactful on society, on the world at large, i have to, i have to wonder if There are all distractions from the real war that is going on between what God is, who he is, what he is and what he has for us and everything else. What do you think?
Speaker 2: Okay, a lot, right. So that one is is I think that when we're talking about war, i love how you make the distinction of God. It's not a God of war, right, but a God that is able to fight, a God that is able to protect, a God that is on the winning side and hasn't lost the battle, right? So with that distinction that you know kind of, the way you went is like kind of makes you think, hmm, why would we need a God of war? Because there's always, if you have good, you always have evil. If you have faith, you always have not faith or doubt, because I don't want to just suppose doubt against faith, because even the faithful have doubts. But so that when you're talking about if you have, you know, if you have light, you have dark, that you, you know, you have the moon, the light for the day, the light for the night, but you also have the sun, the light for the day, right? So you always have these opposing forces in the world And there are those opposing forces that we might say in our belief that the way the world is organized is that there are opposing forces always present, right, but there are also opposing forces that also are coming for you.
Speaker 2: Right, and that's what we're really talking about in the world of war is that, as a believer, you need the presence and the power of God, because there are forces against God that will rise up and come for you, or forces that some might call it evil, some might call it unbelief, some might call it.
Speaker 2: You know that person you don't like at work, you could call it a lot of things, right. But however you organize it, some might just say it as simple as there's negative and positive forces, right. Whatever language helps you get into this conversation. What's important about this conversation is that in we hear in the conversation called the moral of God say there are forces that will be at conflict with you in the world, that are coming for your goodness, that are coming for your peace, that are threatening your comfort and your family and the things you love. And if you are going to win those battles if you are going to, perhaps you'll be scarred or a little bloody but you won't be bowed or you won't be taken out right, if you're going to really be in the fight for your life, that you've got to draw closer to God and you've got to know how to fight like God.
Speaker 1: Right, you said something there at the tail end. Yeah, that I think it's important that we don't just gloss over. It's fighting like God. Yeah, i think that's important because God calls us to fight. That's the same. Oh, you say you're a soldier in the army of the Lord.
Speaker 1: I'm a soldier in the army of Lord Right And, whether or not you know that him, you believe in that him or whatever, you ought to understand that as soon as you stand up and you say that I want to have, i do have, i profess a unwavering faith in God. You have painted a target on your chest and on your back and on your forehead, and you have similarly given out bull's eye targets to each and everyone in your family.
Speaker 2: That's just the way that it is, unfortunately, and go ahead, and I think it's important about that, because sometimes that can either turn people off or people don't really understand that or believe that. Look, as the old folks will say, just keep living, right. That is not like somebody is dastardly in a corner planning your demise could be. I mean, in some situations that actually is happening, but it's not. That's not the only situation we're talking about. Because there is goodness in the world, because God is a spirit. There are opposing forces to the goodness of God. There are opposing forces to God's angels and warring armies. There are opposing forces that are a part of life. Like there's just not.
Speaker 2: If you look at the landscape of life, there isn't just goodness in the world. If you just look at the landscape of life, there isn't just peace in the world, right. And so the very things that So the very things that we're talking about, if you just look out your window, if you just look at the news, if you just be slightly informed about any aspect of life or living in the, in the village, in the town, in the city where you live, it's not just goodness, there Is just not. And so how do you prepare yourself? be aligned, be someone who knows how to fight and engage in spiritual warfare. You fight like God.
Speaker 1: Right. You fight like God, you prepare as if you're God. The Bible says put on the whole armor of God, and we should be prepared to do that. I'm not sure who the author is, who coined this phrase, but they said it's better to stay ready than to get ready. That's right, and so we have to stay, stay ready and be willing to look at those, those opposing forces, much like David did when he sought to slay the giant, the lieth, and declare some things and say who And I'm paraphrasing, you know who dare talks about my Lord in this way? Who's the dog that that the Claire is that. This is going to come up against me And I want to be clear before I go forward, because we're talking about the opposing forces.
Speaker 1: Yeah, regina, i don't know if you're young enough to remember this And I realize that I'm just a few months older than you, but in the 70s there was a show, flip Wilson, black Median right, and he used to have this line. He said the devil made me do it right, and that was one of his famous catchphrases of the time anytime, something he did, something kind of you know, off color, shameful, whatever, he would say well, the devil, devil made me do it Fast forward to today. We hear a lot of people saying you know, the enemy has come against me, and that may be the case, but sometimes the opposing force is us in our flesh, right, and so it's not just that, it is, you know, a demonic spirit or evil spirit. Sometimes we just have a stiff neck and a tight jaw and we're just being stubborn against the things that God would have us do.
Speaker 1: That is coming and perpetrating the warfare. And in whatever case, it is no matter if it is whether it is, as I said, the principalities of the air or whether it is us we have to prepare ourselves and stay on the ready for war. And so, before we, you know, in this conversation we ought to talk about what it means to prepare, like God, and be on the ready for spiritual warfare.
Speaker 2: If that's okay, yeah.
Speaker 2: So I think what's important about that fighting like God would mean that you're clear about who the real enemy is, and I think that you just pointed to that sometimes the enemy is ourselves. You gotta look in the mirror and do some hard work. But, you know, sometimes the enemy is our own. You know our desire for comfort. Sometimes the enemy is really is that coworker at work? Sometimes the enemy is, you know, is an organization or a presence of evil called sexism in the world. You know like, you gotta know which enemy you're fighting with. Right.
Speaker 2: So if you're gonna fight like God, you gotta know who the enemy is. And if you're gonna fight like God, you have to fight with courage and strength, courage and strength and love. Courage, strength and love. God is not a God of weakness. God is not a God of that will cower from a battle. God is not a God who isn't clear about God's own strength and power. And that comes with courage and strength. That comes with clarity about who God is, who you are as one who belongs to God. And then I just lost my thought Courage, strength. And what was the third one?
Speaker 1: Courage, strength, love, love, right.
Speaker 2: God is a God of love, and so sometimes that's where the scripture comes from to love your enemy, to even those that hatefully despise you and use you. Right That love is a is a warring force. Love is a warring force, and it is a force that will cut down your enemies. Like you won't believe, courage, strength and love.
Speaker 1: It is amazing to me that us as humans, that we become so fearful of going to war with God on our side, with God that has never lost a battle, never, ever, never, ever. It is amazing to me that we limit ourselves and become fearful. It is not a strange thing that in the Old Testament, God tells Joshua have courage and fear, not on multiple occasions. For those of you that know who Joshua is, you know that he was a man of remarkable courage. Already You know that he was unafraid to speak power to truth and say that we could go and conquer the land. Let's go. But even in all of that, God still had to tell him have courage and fear not, which is remarkable in and of itself and maybe a topic for another episode on another day. But the point here is that we have an opportunity to have a relationship with the Almighty, the very Creator of all existence. Who better to go to war with? Who better to have lead the charge that know that, even if that means you might lose something along the way in the battle, that you still win the war And the thing that you lose is probably and I said probably very sarcastically, probably not worth what you're going to gain, Right, That's right. So if it's a job situation, know that whatever that job means to you, God's already got you on the other side of that skirmish, of that battle. If it's a health situation, God's already got you on the other side of that health situation. Family issue God's got it right. Money issue don't worry about it.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that you can just not do anything, because we're all called to fight and to war in a particular way that God will instruct us. You don't get something for nothing in a war. There are going to be some casualties. I say that to put you on guard that you can lose some things in a war, but the things that you lose with a God that we have an opportunity of being in alignment and relationship with mean absolutely nothing for a God that can create the heavens and the earth. Who wouldn't serve a God like that, Right? So I think that's a good place for us to just kind of drop the mic, so to speak. Let it settle in your spirits, Think about it. We're called to do some war with a God that knows how to win a war that has never been defeated. What are we talking about in our next episode?
Speaker 2: The next episode. In the next episode, we're going to talk about growth. Growth. How do you measure it? What does it look like? What does growth really mean in your world? What does the word growth really mean in the life of a believer? So stay tuned. We look forward to being with you.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening in And just this week, the days ahead, be on, watch and fight, like God will want you to fight and stay close to the God, who's never lost the battle.
Speaker 2: Let us pray Gracious and kind God, we give you thanks for this moment of conversation. We give you thanks for the life of this day, because you didn't have to give it to us, and we pray that you would help us to identify the real enemies that exist in our individual and collective lives, that we would not fight each other, but that we would fight, in spiritual warfare, the enemies that you have for us to fight. And, god, we pray that we might be mighty and amazing and victorious soldiers because we stay close to you. So, god, for whoever is listening that needs extra strength and courage and loving their life, we pray, god, that you would speak to their hearts right now, speak to their situations, speak to their concerns and help them to remember that victory is certain when you stay close to God. And so, god, thank you for this conversation, thank you for our listeners, their families and loved ones. Keep protecting, watch over them until we have a conversation again. This is our prayer, and we pray it in your name and say amen, amen.
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