Hebrews chapter 11 contains some of the most faith-stirring words in the entire Bible. Notice what it says these men and women accomplished with their
faith:
“And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered
kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,
from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight” (Hebrews 11:32-34 NAS).
Each of these people made a demand on God’s power in the midst of conflict. They met every type of threat with faith in God Who became mighty on their
behalf. Consequently, they obtained what God had promised. They fought against every attempt to restrain them or compromise their lives with the supernatural
power of God.
If we are wrestling with weakness, God promises that our weakness can be turned into strength. We can obtain what has seemed unobtainable. In Daniel 11:32
it says, “… but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” It’s because we know the Lord that we have the strength
that God supplies, and therefore we are able to do great things.
God is a God of action. His Word reveals the principles that activate His action in us. When we see how these great people of faith cultivated God’s glory
in their lives, we can take the same principle they used and activate God’s best for our lives. In His strength we can do great things.
The prophet Joel said, “…Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and
your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say I am strong” (Joel 3:9-10).
The Holy Spirit is calling for mighty men and women to prepare themselves and walk with Him more closely than ever before. He is calling for us to draw
near to Him. He is calling for us to be mighty, conquering people
that will not fall in weakness, but rise up and declare, “I am strong.”
Our enemy cannot really defeat us. He can only make us quit. If we could see the conflict we face through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, we would know the
strength to subdue does not come only from our personal ability or willpower, but from the Mighty One within.
Had Israel looked to Jehovah God as they came out of Egypt, they could have avoided years of wandering through the desert. Notice Exodus 13:17: “Now it
came about when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of Philistines, even though it was near; for God said,
‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt'” (NAS).
There are those who would rather return to captivity than face conflict. God has given us the ability to live in the realm of the Spirit and successfully
wage war against the kingdom of darkness. We can either remain on the sidelines in a place of peaceful stagnation, or we can lift our eyes to see the
Mighty One in battle Who will defeat every enemy we pursue.
The call of the Spirit is to join His cause to advance the Kingdom of God and conquer every enemy.
Your battlefield may be your temperament, your marriage, or your finances. Whatever it is, God will rise up with you against your enemy. The moment you
declare war, His might will begin to stir up in you. “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10 NAS).
