“Spiritual Warfare”
After Joshua took over the leadership role and brought the nation of Israel to the Land of Canaan; to the land flowing with milk and honey, God knew that they were going to experience more battles and trials in their lives. God knew that they would have to deal with things that were going to test their faith and strength in His mighty power.
“These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses” Judges 3:1-4 (NIV). The Israelites didn’t obey the Lord and for that, they suffered for many years.
The nation of Israel had little to no battle experience. They were not skilled in hand-to-hand combat. They were not the biggest or strongest of men, but they gained faith in God under the new leadership of Gideon. Gideon would lead them to victory over the Midianite regime.
Today, God will allow us to go through uncomfortable circumstances. Many times to help develop our spiritual muscles and grow in His grace and knowledge. It is only when we experience the battles of life that we become skilled warriors that are able to identify and recognize spiritual warfare.
Maybe you recently experienced a tragic loss of a loved one, an unreasonable boss, attacks on your character or a difficult relationship that begs unconditional tolerance and love. These battles in life are inevitable and they will test your faith, but know that God has given you the victory to overcome the world if you place complete faith in Him. When you choose to pledge complete dependence to Him, then you will become one of God’s greatest warriors, skilled in spiritual warfare.
Resource(s): Bible, personal Bible study and “The Story” resources
