“…of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”
1 Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV)
The devil would love nothing more than for us to spend all of our time and energy in the wrong fight. While you’re allowing depression to take over because of your relationship problems, the enemy is telling your children it’s their fault and sowing abandonment and rejection into their lives. While you’re drinking and drugging because you lost your job, your wife is at home trying to hold it all together as the enemy is telling her that you will never change, just take the kids and leave. While bitterness is building up in your life, the enemy is telling you, you can never forgive, because he knows when you hold on to unforgiveness, God will not hear your prayers and will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).
WAKE UP!!! You are fighting the wrong fight!!! When King Saul died and David was announced as the reigning King of Israel, God instructed him to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. King David began to build his army with hundreds of thousands of the best warriors:
1 Chronicles 12:8 – “…mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.”
1 Chronicles 12:33 – “…expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks.”
Amongst these warriors were the Sons of Issachar. The Sons of Issachar not only had the skills for battle, they were also aware of two very important components before going into battle (1 Chronicles 12:32):
1. They knew the times they were in.
2. They knew what to do.
Do you know the times that you are in? Do you know what kind of battle you’re in and who you’re fighting? We are in a spiritual battle and the fight is for YOUR life. Your enemy is not your spouse, your children, the government, the church, your parent, your ex, etc. Your enemy is Satan, the devil (John 10:10). CLEAR! CUT! SIMPLE! DONE!
Regardless of how long you’ve been born again, if you are still living in fear, anxiety, compromise, blame, unforgiveness, addiction, etc., I can tell you right now, you are fighting the wrong fight. I guarantee the devil has you convinced that your battle is against the “person” so he can drain you mentally, emotionally, physically so you can blame God and give up.
PUT ON YOUR ARMOR – identify the devil as your enemy and FIGHT (see Ephesians 6:10-13)!!! Discipline your soul to obey the word of God. Quick obedience. Forgiveness is not a feeling, it’s a choice. Choose to forgive and command your soul to obey the word of God.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
My parents divorced when I was 5 years old, and my dad remarried a few years later. I hardly saw him. I got into a lot of trouble growing up and I gave my mom a hard time raising me, so I would move around a lot, house to house, island to island, foster homes, youth challenge, living with relatives, friends, basically anyone who would take me.
When I attended my first Encounter Weekend in 2008, God gave me a glimpse of when I was 8 years old. My dad called me earlier in the week saying he was going to pick me up on Friday after work. I was going to spend the weekend with him. Excited all week, I came home from school on Friday and got ready. The image that God showed me was seeing my younger self sitting outside my house on the curb, waiting for my dad to pick me up. I would wait for hours. Every time I saw a white truck coming down the street, I got excited, ready to stand up, only to realize, it wasn’t him. It would get dark and my mom would come out and say, “He’s not coming, come in the house.” I would say, “Yes, he is,” and I would wait. As you can imagine, he didn’t show up.
God showed me, it was that moment when I first experienced rejection. This would ultimately be a snowball effect for fear, confusion, anger, bitterness, resentment and finally unforgiveness. I was convinced that my enemy was my Dad and I was fighting against him abandoning again. I would spend all of my efforts resenting him and blaming him for the hardships of my life. Rejection would take a toll on my marriage with fear that my husband would leave one day too.
At that Encounter, God showed me the times that I was in – I was fighting for my family and breaking generational curses; and what I needed to do – my enemy wasn’t my Dad, my enemy was Satan and I needed to rebuke the spirit of rejection. It was a constant press of renewing my mind and walking in love and forgiveness. Dying to my flesh and being obedient to God’s Word.
If you’re going through a challenge in your life, I want to encourage you to take a step back, remove your emotions from the situation and ask God to show you; who your real enemy is and what you need to do. The fight is for your life and your legacy. Don’t waste any more time fighting the wrong fight and getting nowhere. (Samantha DeCorte)
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“Today, I am exposing the devil as the real enemy who has come to steal, kill and destroy. I will put on the whole armor of God and continue to fight the good fight of faith.”
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Jeremiah 10-11; Ecclesiastes 3:16-22
- New Testament: John 1:43-51; James 2:14-26
