On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in His love He will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:16-17
Do you feel battle weary? Lying on the battlefield of life wounded and forsaken? Wondering if Jesus even hears your cries?
The more we want to follow Jesus, the greater the roars of Satan will be. He stalks us like a roaring lion ready to pounce on us and devour us. (I Peter 5:8) And he seeks us in all our vulnerable spots. He knows exactly where our weaknesses lie. He whispers lies into our hearts – “God has forsaken you, you will never be enough, God can never use you, you’re never going to get through this.” And on and on…
We fight back and keep trying to replace his lies with God’s truth. But he can come on so strong, and sometimes our bodies, minds, and spirits feel like we’ll never gain in the battle. And we lie on the battlefield wounded and weary.
Sometimes I think I get battle worn because I try too hard to fight off the devil and his army myself. I want to put on my own armor. I want to be able to fend for myself. I want to be in control. I hate the feeling of losing control.
But lately I feel I need to quit fighting so hard. I need to open my eyes to the Mighty Warrior who is at the forefront of the battle. To surrender my sword and all my control to Him. To put on His armor. To remember the battle is the Lord’s.
When David faced the giant Goliath, he remembered this. He said to Goliath:
“You come against me with sword and spear
and javelin, but I come against you
in the name of the Lord Almighty,
the God of the armies of Israel,
whom you have defied.”
1 Samuel 17:45
He knew the battle was not his:
“All those gathered here will know
that it is not by sword or spear
that the Lord saves; for
the battle is the Lord’s,
and He will give all of you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:47
The battle is the Lord’s. He has already gained the victory over death, sin, and Satan. And He stands as a Mighty Warrior in front of us. No weapon that is formed against us will prosper. Jesus loves us so much that He won’t allow anyone to snatch us from His hands of love and salvation. It’s His pleasure to keep us safe, because He delights in us.
“But in that coming day
no weapon turned against you will succeed.
You will silence every voice
raised up to accuse you.
These benefits are enjoyed
by the servants of the LORD;
their vindication will come from Me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Isaiah 54:17“I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish;
no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
John 10:28“No, despite all these things,
overwhelming victory is ours
through Christ, who loved us.”
Romans 8:37
When the battle rages in our hearts, let’s follow behind our Mighty Warrior, not run ahead of Him. Let’s put on His armor, not our armor of self-sufficiency. Let’s allow Him to fight for us. Let’s believe He’s got us and will never let us go.
“God understands hard times –
so when life lets you down,
know that God is holding you up
and He will never let you go.”
Holley Gerth
“Mighty Warrior” by Elevation Worship
Jesus, please help us to believe You won
the battle and You will never let us go!
Linking up with:
Holley – Coffee For Your Heart
Jennifer – Tell His Story
Kelly – Cheerleaders of Faith
Bonnie – Faith Barista’s Beloved Brews
Freed to Fly 
Oh how I can relate here, my friend! I far too often try to run ahead on my own. It seems to always end disastrously :). I love the verse in your picture from Exodus. It’s one of the few I committed to memory as soon as I discovered the Bible. This I certainly needed today: “When the battle rages in our hearts, let’s follow behind our Mighty Warrior, not run ahead of Him. Let’s put on His armor, not our armor of self-sufficiency.” Thank you, Trudy!
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I love it that your heart was strengthened, Candace. How true we get disastrous results when we try to run ahead on our own! Arm in arm, we will remind each other to follow the Might Warrior, right? Praying that He will calm your heart and give you daily strength in Him alone! Hugs!
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Trudy you read my heart. I often let myself become anxious about attacks of the enemy that come with ministry. Thank you so much for this timely word. Well done. ~~visiting from #raralinkup
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I’m so glad it was timely for you, Carmen. The attacks of the enemy can be so strong sometimes, can’t they? Praying the Mighty Warrior will calm you and strengthen you in your ministry! Hugs!
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Hi Trudy! I am reading a book that recommends writing down Scriptures that will lift me up. That way, I can go to the Word that is the truth and be supported. You have truly gotten me on my way here today. So many beautiful passages, all true and SO powerful.
Of course I get mixed up and feel useless at times. I know it’s not God. He never wants me to feel like that. So like you, I want to rise up, not in my own strength, but in His.
Beautiful 🙂
Ceil
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I’m so glad you found strength in these powerful Scripture passages, Ceil. It’s a comfort to know He will fight for us against all the enemy’s lies. And He has already conquered and will continue to conquer! Let’s together rise up in His strength, not ours! Praying the Mighty Warrior will give you strength and peace in the midst of the battle! Hugs!
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Trudy,
This is so true: “Let’s put on His armor, not our armor of self-sufficiency. Let’s allow Him to fight for us. Let’s believe He’s got us and will never let us go.” I always need to be reminded of this…Thank you and I pray you know you make a difference with your words, my friend 🙂
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I need this reminder, too, Dolly. Daily.We’ll have to help each other remember. Thank you for your kind encouragement. Praying Jesus will remind us daily of His faithfulness! He’s got us and will never let us go! Hugs!
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“I want to be in control.” Me, too, Trudy. 😦 Unfortunately. And I’m not very good at being in control. I want to remember more today that the Lord is in charge, and be grateful for that!
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I know how that feels, Lisa. It’s hard, isn’t it? Let’s remember together that the Lord is in charge! 🙂 His ways are higher than our ways. Praying the Lord will comfort and strengthen you today and every day! Hugs!
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Wow, Trudy, this is such a strong and faith stirring word! I love the way you move from weariness to strength, from fear to faith and from self-reliance to God-dependence as His word comes alive in your mind and heart.And the turning point here:”But lately I feel I need to quit fighting so hard. I need to open my eyes to the Mighty Warrior who is at the forefront of the battle. To surrender my sword and all my control to Him. To put on His armor. To remember the battle is the Lord’s.” is one we all need to reach in order to become less battle-weary and more aware of our victory in Christ. Thank you for such an uplifting read. It has warmed my heart and reignited fighting faith to live as an overcomer in life’s battles. With love, hugs and blessings to you, friend! Xx ❤
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I love that you were uplifted, Joy. You have such an observant way of seeing how a post progresses, and you word it so well. Yes, we surely will become less battle-weary the more we see the battle is the Lord’s and more aware of our victory in Christ. Let’s together live as overcomers in life’s battles.
I hope you’re enjoying your time with your grandson and his family. Still praying God will help you through and give you extra strength. Love, hugs, and blessings to you, too!
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Thanks, Trudy! We’ve returned home now and I’ve been busy writing out a post I started a few days ago. Still love to share whenever God gives me some inspiration and energy. So blessed by your words today, thank you. Xox 🙂
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So grateful you were blessed, Joy. Hoping God keeps giving you inspiration and energy to share your encouraging thoughts with us! 🙂
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Trudy,
So many challenges in our lives make us battle-weary but remembering that God purposes it all and is fighting for us is such a comfort, isn’t it? I love the verse you included that God watches over us and rejoices over us with singing – what a beautiful image! Yes, we will continue to be strong as we face life’s challenges, with our warrior at our side — thank you for these words! xo
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You’re welcome, Valerie. Yes, it is such a comfort the God is fighting for us. And it’s so amazing that He delights in us and rejoices over us! Praying for the Mighty Warrior to be continually with you and give you hope and strength in this battle of life! Hugs!
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What a blessing to know we don’t go into the battle alone. We don’t even go first. I love that! Thank you for blessing me with this reminder that I can be bold behind the Mighty Warrior who always goes before me. God’s blessings to you!
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I love it, too, Deb. Doesn’t that put an entirely different perspective in this battle of life when our Mighty Warrior always goes before us? I’m grateful you were blessed. God’s blessings to you, too! Hugs!
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We have a mighty weapon, the Sword of the Spirit. But that power was even given to us. All we need to do is simply weld it with the authority God gave us. The Word is enough. It was for Jesus in the wilderness and it is for us.
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Thank you, Debbie. Yes, with God’s sword we can conquer, never with our own. The Word of God is so powerful. I like how you mention God gave us the authority to use it. May His Spirit fill us with His power! Hugs!
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