Equipped for Battle
God is raising an army of peace makers, life givers, and hope bringers to work and witness to the world. Will you join in the triumphal procession of God's army marching to victory through serving?
“On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves - praise the Lord! God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. Why did you stay among the sheep pens to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the terraced fields."
Judges 5:1-2, 4-5, 7-11, 15-16, 18, 20, 31
Deborah and Barak celebrated what God done through the people who chose to believe and stepped up for the battle. She sang of the people who willingly offered themselves and risked their very lives to see others be saved. Serving the world is part of our calling as people who have been saved. We are saved so that we can bring salvation to others. Jesus said you need to count the cost of following Him and you have a cross to carry.
When He said this many people chose not to follow. The truth is there will be a cost whether we choose to volunteer and join in God's work or whether we do not. We might not live in a world where we are conscripted to an army to physically fight a battle, but that does not mean there are not battles to fight. We can join in God's call to fight injustice, poverty, loneliness, depression, suffering, and those in need. The question is not if you will be called. You will. The question is where is God calling you to serve?
She also sang of the people who chose to sit on their hands. It is a subtle line, but one with regret. She said many people were searching their hearts because they stayed among the sheep rather to seeing how they could help. There is a cost whether you stand up for God's purposes or whether you sit on your hands. The cost of following Jesus involves sacrificing your time and potentially your own life to be part of impacting the world, but it is nothing compared to the pain of regret for those who bury their strengths in the sand. Jesus said there will be a day where you have to speak for what you did with what you were given. Jesus also said your joy will be made complete as you learn to see how you were made to participate in bringing the kingdom. Meaning comes in our lives when we find how we were made to serve.
“Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him. Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you— Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.”
Psalms 66:2-5, 7-8, 10, 12-13, 16
David testifies to the truth that each person has a testimony to share. You have a story and your story matters to God. God gets the glory when you speak up about how He saved your soul and transformed your life. Will you be silent? Who could you share your story with today? Who could you spend time with and encourage them in finding how they serve?
David compares two kinds of people. He says there were people who were rebellious and people who chose to embrace the refining fire. When you think of rebellious people, you might think of the ungodly or the people who do not know God. Rebellious people include the prodigal son who was raised by a father who walked according to God's ways.
The rebel knows what is right and chooses to go a different direction. The very word rebellion implies working against authority. God has made no secret about what He wants to be done. Are you doing what He has called you to do? Sitting on the sidelines and staying with sheep is rebellion. Staying in our comfort zones or on our couches when we should be finding ways to follow Jesus in helping other people is rebellion. Is there anything you know you have been called to do that you are not doing?
David sings of the person who is tested and refined like silver. When Jesus said follow Me, He meant it. There is work to be done and we will go through times where the temperature is turned up on our lives. The good news is that as you serve and step up you will see God uses those times to remove the stuff in your life that was not in alignment with His will. We are purified as we live out our purposes and there is a blessing that comes from obedience.
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes. No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward. Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.”
Proverbs 12:1-3, 14, 25-28
Solomon loves to play the comparison game and make sure that we are understanding what the right way to live is. He starts with discipline. If you picture the life of a soldier, it is one that is very disciplined. What they do each day, how they dress, when and where they go, how their beds are made, the way they walk, all of their lives are disciplined. God wants to the same discipline for those who call themselves disciples. The troublesome truth is that many people despise discipline and correction. Do you like being told what to do? The amazing thing is that God tells us what to do because it is what is best for us so if we are ignoring His instruction we are only harming ourselves.
Solomon gives careful instruction about how to live out the life of discipline. He talks about living a life that is rooted in God. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. Solomon says how you talk matters and the impact of your work matters. There is work to be done. A soldier always has something to do. Solomon says your words have power so don't let a day go by you don't cheer someone up. He says be careful about who you choose to do life with because you can easily be led astray. We tend to dress like, talk like, and act like the people around us. Which of these words of wisdom most resonate with you today?
“Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. Therefore, the Lord says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity...I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.”
Micah 2:1, 3-4, 7, 9, 12-13
Micah says there are people who make their own plans and plot evil. One of the hard parts of living in a fallen world is seeing people who actively do evil things or twist the truth be rewarded with wealth, power, or abundance. God says in His timing those people will reap what they have sown. He wants us to know that being faithful to Him will reap a righteous reward so that we do not let our hearts be tempted to follow after the people who seemingly strike it rich here and now. God wants us to understand that there is a bigger picture and that He has a plan.
God shares His plan with us. Jesus said in John 15 He does not call us servants but calls us friends because He shares with us the Master's business. We have been given marching orders to help carry out and bring the message of salvation to the world. In this text, God says I will bring them together like sheep, the One who breaks open the way will go before them. Jesus went before us and has made a way for all people to find peace with God. If you are not sure of what to do today, keep in mind the bigger picture that God's greatest desire is to see all people be saved.
“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him"
Hebrews 13:2-3, 5-6, 8-9, 15-16, 20-21
We live in a world that is constantly changing. Change is hard for us and can be traumatic. Think of times where your life was disrupted, you experienced loss, you moved, or something completely out of your control rocked your world. How did that change create worry or fear in your heart? How does the changing world impact the way we think. Have those experiences often caused us to want to play it safe in life and stay with the sheep like the ones who did not join in the battle amongst the Israelites?
The bible says Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is our firm foundation. He is the Rock on which we can build a life that will never be shaken and He is the vine that cannot be uprooted. We can have confidence that He who began a good work will carry it to completion. Jesus said it is finished. With Him we do not walk into an uncertain future, but we have confidence in what we do not see and assurance of what we hope for. Your future is secure and you have strength now in Christ.
Paul says before you take a step each day, practice the discipline of speaking the power of Jesus over your life. Declare with confidence Jesus is my helper I will not be afraid. What would happen if the first thing you did each day was give thanks to the Father and speak the truth that you do not have to be afraid because Jesus is with you? Would that not make you a better soldier of Christ and help you serve with greater impact?
Just like a soldier trains for service, Paul says it is good to be strengthened by grace, offer a sacrifice of praise, do the good we know to do, and share with others. Solomon said discipline your life. Paul says see how practicing these disciplines of receiving God's grace, singing His praises, serving and sharing help you reflect the Commander in Chief of our salvation. Train yourself in the practices of holiness that will lead you to live a life wholly devoted to God. He has already equipped you with everything you need to live a life pleasing to Him so join in the work He has prepared for you today.