Battle: May 23, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014.

BATTLE

DEFINITION:

A fight; hostile encounter; an engagement between opposing forces; a struggle; a conflict.

SCRIPTURE:

For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. Psalm 18:39.

For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands. I Samuel 17:47.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Our “word” today is BATTLE. Probably the first thing crosses your mind is a battle among countries or cultures. Maybe it is a battle among politicians. Our concern today is the battles that are happening in our homes and in our personal lives. Every day there are battles that are happening probably in over half of our homes around the world. In light of this it is a serious issue that must be discussed. These are not battles with guns or weapons but battles with words, attitudes and actions.

At the root of most battles are our selfish desires. We all want things our way and usually our way conflicts with someone else’s way and what they desire.

In most cases these conflicts turn into verbal battles and there are no winners because words are hurtful and can do irreparable damage to family relationships. Words between spouses and between parents and children often concern money, commitments, standards and choices. When the home has become a battleground over these issues and the family is falling apart it may look like and feel like an impossible situation to solve. Many people are ready to give up in despair. 

The children that are involved in battles in homes sometimes are forced to take sides in a conflict and this is a no win situation for the children or the parent.

When your home has become a battleground and your family is in constant verbal warfare, it is time to put the situation into God’s hands and let the battle be the Lord’s. There are many scriptures that tell us to stop and pray and then ask God what we should do. Most people respond by acting on their own and the result is usually a bigger battle.

There is mighty power in prayer when we are willing to let God change our selfish desires and sinful motives to conform to His perfect will for us.

There is no situation that is so hopeless or so impossible that the Lord cannot give you victory over. The key is that you must be willing to turn to Him in faith and submit to His will and His direction. Solving any battle must begin with you and how you respond. Battles continue when you decide that someone else should change first.

We have said it so many times and we repeat it now. The first and foremost responsibility that a family has beginning with the spouses on their wedding day is to make a commitment to God. Without a commitment to God families will sooner or later become dysfunctional and they will fall apart.

Early in his life David made a commitment to God and as a result God armed him with strength for the battle he was set to face (Psalm 18:39). The same can be true for us if we have our faith and trust in God as David had.  This includes battles in a family or a major conflict at work. Our Lord will guide us through every battle we face if we put our trust in Him.

In I Samuel 17, we read about one of the most famous battles that have ever happened. It was the battle between David and Goliath. David fully understood what this battle was all about. The chief issue was that the Philistines were challenging the Lord by confronting the Lord’s people.

We all know the story but what we can learn about this battle today is that David prayed to God, asked for His protection and then he proceeded with confidence knowing that God would give him victory because he was fighting on the Lord’s side.

We can have the same confidence that David had but we must be prepared. In our lives Satan initiates battles to destroy a family’s relationship with God. To confront these battles we prepare by reading the Bible daily and communicating to God daily through prayer. The result will be that each day we will grow spiritually and God will answer our prayers and go before us in all of our battles when we are fighting on the Lord’s side and in His strength.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.

Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.

PRAYER:

Prepare my heart and the hearts of each member of my family so that we can face every battle with the confidence that You are with us and with Your help we can see victory.