1 Samuel 17:8
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array?
I write this while licking the wounds of my heart. After a particularly grueling battle. It was one I’d rather have ran and hid from but it came to me. The battle was real and visible to me. It seemed larger than life and I felt paralyzed with fear and helplessness. To be honest on the human realm, it was a conflict between my daughter and me.
Now, my daughter is a vivacious, outgoing and spirited young woman. Me, I’m more on the quiet side. People laugh when I say that because when I talk or laugh, you KNOW I’m in the room. It’s the voice box God gave me. However, I’m shy and reticent to engage people I don’t know and confrontation with people I do know is not my strong suit. So when confrontation is inevitable, it seems particularly hard for me.
As my daughter engaged me in conflict, I felt stunned and helpless. The accusations flung at me I felt were unfair and untrue. Then I remember back to the conflicts I had with my mother at the same age. Accusations I flung at her… they were unfair and untrue also.
As I sat during my quiet time this morning, crying out to the Lord. “Where did I go wrong?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “Lord, I can’t do this!” I cried. Then the Holy Spirit spoke gently to me. “It’s not about you.” Ouch. “But Lord, I feel so wounded and helpless… I don’t know what to do.”
My daughter, like most young women her age, is trying to figure out where she fits, who she is and how to become the young woman God wants her to be. (Okay, maybe she’s not thinking so much about what God wants right now… but that’s what I’m praying.)
As I sat there, quietly meditating, the Lord brought Ephesians 6:12 to mind, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. You know, sometimes I think as Christians, we get the idea that because we are Christians, that we won’t have conflict with our children, particularly if we’ve raised them in church…. WRONG!
If you are one of the few that had no conflicts with your children while raising them, I’m happy for you. However, I believe as the days grow closer toward the Lord’s return, Satan is fighting to get our children and if he can’t get them any other way, he’ll bring conflict into the home. Sometimes when we’re in conflict with our children, it’s hard to think this is a spiritual battle rather than a physical one. I have a good friend who speaks very candidly with me… she told me one time that the battle is not with our children but rather for our children. I thought, how wise… it’s true.
The battles that I must engage in with my daughter are not with my daughter but rather for her. Quite frankly, like the children of Israel in the Valley of Elah, I hear that old lion roaring at me saying, “why aren’t you fighting me, come on, let me whip you and get this over with!” and it paralyzes me with fear and a feeling of helplessness.
Then I hear a young boy’s voice say, “Is there not a cause?” To paraphrase for my situation, “Is not my daughter’s spiritual welfare worth the effort to engage in battle?” That word in Ephesians 6:12, wrestle… I think is very apropos. We wrestle but we need to remember our wrestling is not with the humans in our realm, but with the spiritual forces and rulers of darkness of this world.
In this same passage, (Eph. 6) it says “…having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…” Sometimes engaging in battle means just standing still in resistance. I was reminded recently that not all attacks need verbal response (though that sometimes is our natural inclination).
Again, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Our war is not physical and as such, our effective weapons are not physical.
What weapons do we have with which to fight? The Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word. Prayer. Calling upon the Lord for courage to stand. Asking the Lord to take down strongholds, in our lives and the lives of our children. Throw out our “perceptions” of what’s real and get ahold of what REALLY is real. Instead of fear of the enemy, the fear of the Lord is our weapon. Our General calls us out to war under His Banner.
What about you? Are you in a valley of Elah? Goliath taunted and mocked the children of Israel for 40 days while they stood on the other side of the valley saying, “what are we gonna do, what are WE gonna do?” David said it’s not about YOU… it’s about what the Lord can do.
Perhaps your valley of Elah is not with a child. Perhaps your valley of Elah is something else. Perhaps it's with a spouse or a friend. Perhaps it’s a trial of illness. Perhaps it’s a comfort zone that God is asking you to break out of and yet you resist. Perhaps it’s a feeling of incompetence. Do you feel the enemy taunting you saying, “Your God is not big enough to deliver you.” Perhaps he’s saying, “Your God doesn’t care.” Perhaps he’s hurling accusations at you about you that are unfair and untrue… yet, you wonder, ‘maybe they are’.
Go to God… tell Him your struggle. Cast down those imaginations! Ask Him to help you see the victory or at least the weapon you’re not accessing to win this war. Perhaps you’re not in a struggle yourself right now but you know someone who is. Are you praying for them? Prayer is one of our greatest spiritual weapons and yet so often it lays unused. If you’re not using yours, ask God to forgive you and get on your knees! Wars are not solitary conflicts. They are not between only two entities. Our spiritual enemy has a host fighting on his side and they’re active. Prayer engages our shield with other soldiers in the fight and encourages them and us to stand.
God has already given us the victory, however, if we choose to stand helpless and paralyzed by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, we give that victory to the enemy! How shameful! Are you in a conflict right now, either with another or with yourself and you cannot see victory ahead? Remember “though we walk in the flesh, we do NOT war after the flesh.” Determine whether a battle needs to be set in array or if you just need to stand ...then engage in your battle in the “valley of Elah”.
Molly Winter
Col. 1:9-10
My Comments: This really hits home as there is so much for me to battle against in my desire to serve the Lord fully. I don’t feel I prepare adequately with prayer and it seems at times that there are too many battles occurring at the same time. I do believe Molly makes some great points about why we have to face the battles we face. I need to be ready and to stand!
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array?
I write this while licking the wounds of my heart. After a particularly grueling battle. It was one I’d rather have ran and hid from but it came to me. The battle was real and visible to me. It seemed larger than life and I felt paralyzed with fear and helplessness. To be honest on the human realm, it was a conflict between my daughter and me.
Now, my daughter is a vivacious, outgoing and spirited young woman. Me, I’m more on the quiet side. People laugh when I say that because when I talk or laugh, you KNOW I’m in the room. It’s the voice box God gave me. However, I’m shy and reticent to engage people I don’t know and confrontation with people I do know is not my strong suit. So when confrontation is inevitable, it seems particularly hard for me.
As my daughter engaged me in conflict, I felt stunned and helpless. The accusations flung at me I felt were unfair and untrue. Then I remember back to the conflicts I had with my mother at the same age. Accusations I flung at her… they were unfair and untrue also.
As I sat during my quiet time this morning, crying out to the Lord. “Where did I go wrong?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “Lord, I can’t do this!” I cried. Then the Holy Spirit spoke gently to me. “It’s not about you.” Ouch. “But Lord, I feel so wounded and helpless… I don’t know what to do.”
My daughter, like most young women her age, is trying to figure out where she fits, who she is and how to become the young woman God wants her to be. (Okay, maybe she’s not thinking so much about what God wants right now… but that’s what I’m praying.)
As I sat there, quietly meditating, the Lord brought Ephesians 6:12 to mind, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. You know, sometimes I think as Christians, we get the idea that because we are Christians, that we won’t have conflict with our children, particularly if we’ve raised them in church…. WRONG!
If you are one of the few that had no conflicts with your children while raising them, I’m happy for you. However, I believe as the days grow closer toward the Lord’s return, Satan is fighting to get our children and if he can’t get them any other way, he’ll bring conflict into the home. Sometimes when we’re in conflict with our children, it’s hard to think this is a spiritual battle rather than a physical one. I have a good friend who speaks very candidly with me… she told me one time that the battle is not with our children but rather for our children. I thought, how wise… it’s true.
The battles that I must engage in with my daughter are not with my daughter but rather for her. Quite frankly, like the children of Israel in the Valley of Elah, I hear that old lion roaring at me saying, “why aren’t you fighting me, come on, let me whip you and get this over with!” and it paralyzes me with fear and a feeling of helplessness.
Then I hear a young boy’s voice say, “Is there not a cause?” To paraphrase for my situation, “Is not my daughter’s spiritual welfare worth the effort to engage in battle?” That word in Ephesians 6:12, wrestle… I think is very apropos. We wrestle but we need to remember our wrestling is not with the humans in our realm, but with the spiritual forces and rulers of darkness of this world.
In this same passage, (Eph. 6) it says “…having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…” Sometimes engaging in battle means just standing still in resistance. I was reminded recently that not all attacks need verbal response (though that sometimes is our natural inclination).
Again, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Our war is not physical and as such, our effective weapons are not physical.
What weapons do we have with which to fight? The Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word. Prayer. Calling upon the Lord for courage to stand. Asking the Lord to take down strongholds, in our lives and the lives of our children. Throw out our “perceptions” of what’s real and get ahold of what REALLY is real. Instead of fear of the enemy, the fear of the Lord is our weapon. Our General calls us out to war under His Banner.
What about you? Are you in a valley of Elah? Goliath taunted and mocked the children of Israel for 40 days while they stood on the other side of the valley saying, “what are we gonna do, what are WE gonna do?” David said it’s not about YOU… it’s about what the Lord can do.
Perhaps your valley of Elah is not with a child. Perhaps your valley of Elah is something else. Perhaps it's with a spouse or a friend. Perhaps it’s a trial of illness. Perhaps it’s a comfort zone that God is asking you to break out of and yet you resist. Perhaps it’s a feeling of incompetence. Do you feel the enemy taunting you saying, “Your God is not big enough to deliver you.” Perhaps he’s saying, “Your God doesn’t care.” Perhaps he’s hurling accusations at you about you that are unfair and untrue… yet, you wonder, ‘maybe they are’.
Go to God… tell Him your struggle. Cast down those imaginations! Ask Him to help you see the victory or at least the weapon you’re not accessing to win this war. Perhaps you’re not in a struggle yourself right now but you know someone who is. Are you praying for them? Prayer is one of our greatest spiritual weapons and yet so often it lays unused. If you’re not using yours, ask God to forgive you and get on your knees! Wars are not solitary conflicts. They are not between only two entities. Our spiritual enemy has a host fighting on his side and they’re active. Prayer engages our shield with other soldiers in the fight and encourages them and us to stand.
God has already given us the victory, however, if we choose to stand helpless and paralyzed by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, we give that victory to the enemy! How shameful! Are you in a conflict right now, either with another or with yourself and you cannot see victory ahead? Remember “though we walk in the flesh, we do NOT war after the flesh.” Determine whether a battle needs to be set in array or if you just need to stand ...then engage in your battle in the “valley of Elah”.
Molly Winter
Col. 1:9-10
My Comments: This really hits home as there is so much for me to battle against in my desire to serve the Lord fully. I don’t feel I prepare adequately with prayer and it seems at times that there are too many battles occurring at the same time. I do believe Molly makes some great points about why we have to face the battles we face. I need to be ready and to stand!