APOSTOLIC ACTING OUT

THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, IT BELONGS TO THE LORD

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Scripture text2 Chronicles 20:17 – “17Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

            Don’t feel that you are alone in the fight against the devil. Even if you do, don’t try to do it yourself. Allow God to do what He does best. He tells us here that you will not need to fight in this battle. It says in Acts 1:8a – “8But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” That Holy Spirit is the same Spirit of God thru Jesus Christ and we know that there is power in Jesus’ name. So set yourselves, which means to pray in Jesus’ name to be ready for any attack. Stand still and see the salvation of God after you have prayed in Jesus’ name then the Lord will fight your battle for you. If you try to fight the battle or the temptation yourself, you will fail because your flesh is much weaker than the temptation, just like Israel was much weaker by themselves than their 3 enemies of Ammon, Moab, and Seir. So just like the Lord helped Israel, so can the Lord help you defeat the enemy.

            Don’t feel alone in the battle of trying to win souls to God. O, fear not, be not dismayed, don’t be afraid to witness to someone. If you try to do it with the kind words of your mouth, mind, and thoughts, then you will fail because people are not affected by nice words. In the latter part of Acts 1:8b it says – “8and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This is said after Jesus said that you will receive power AFTER the Holy Ghost has come upon you. So Jesus is saying that it is His spirit, not ours, that witnesses. So tomorrow go out against them because the Lord is with you. Not because you have the physical strength; not because you have the mental intelligence; but because you have the spiritual power because the Lord is with you.

            Ephesians 6:12 – “12For 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.” By ourselves, we don’t stand a chance against these forces. But in Jesus’ name we can stand still and see the salvation of the Lord not only give us the victory, but also give others the victory when we witness to them by the power of the Holy Ghost in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord God Almighty.

            The battle is not yours, it belongs to the Lord. So give it to Him. It says in Matthew 14:24-31 – “24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30But when he was the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” When the storms of life come crashing against your lifeboat, step out in faith to meet Jesus and He will walk on your water and reach through your storm to grab you immediately when you CRY, “save me, Lord!”

            Our mission in this battle: We are free from the past John 8:32-36 – “32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Now we are destined to win Revelation 20:10 – “10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” So we have to take the gospel where it has never been before Mark 16:15 – “15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Thunder and lightning can’t hide and neither can the thunder and lightning that the Word of God brings. We will go where the brave of this world would even flee. Yes, even those whom this world considers “brave” are afraid of the Word of God. In this race it is do or die, to be blunt Ecclesiastes 9:11 – “11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” You either do what the Word says, or you will die in your sins. We may not know who or what we will find being behind enemy lines, but guess what is following us? Psalm 23:6 – “6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:” In this battleground, we’ve got back up. Matthew 22:14 – “14For many are called, but few are chosen.” We are the called, and we are the few, chosen to serve Him and do His will. His will is this 2 Peter 3:9 – “9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Freely we receive the wonderful grace and mercy of Jesus Christ who set us free from our sins and daily forgives us of the new ones we commit. Freely we must give back to Him by freely giving the Message of Salvation so others too can live and not die in their sins. It is Mission 3:16 because it says in 2 Timothy 3:16 – “16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.