Mighty God wins our battles!
Devotions this week are based on Week 2 of “He Shall Be Called: Mighty God” (CLICK HERE)
Have you ever said or heard these phrases?
To a couple struggling in their marriage: “You have to fight for your marriage!”
To an individual diagnosed with cancer: “You’re a fighter! Don’t give up!”
To an individual that is wrongfully accused: “You have to fight for your freedom!”
To an individual faced with multiple issues at work: “You have to pick your battles.”
While we are discouraged to “pick a fight” just for the sake of showing our ego stronger than someone else, we can find ourselves in battles that are real, wearisome, and at times unsure of the outcome.
Yet we fight. We do all we can to save our marriage, improve our health, protect our reputation or to navigate a career challenge. It’s understandable and natural. The opposite of a fighter is a pushover. While some may be more prone to give in and give up, there is a natural desire to win the battles in which we are engaged.
Until we can’t.
And the marriage breaks up, the cancer spreads, or the work environment becomes intolerable.
What could we have done differently, might be the question we ponder.
Maybe we forgot to invite to the battle the one who can win the battle and infact desires to fight our battles with and for us.
Isaiah says in 9:5 “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.”
This description the Lord gives indicate the battle is over. The fighting has ceased and those things that were used to fight the battle can be burned up because they aren’t needed anymore.
Immediately following this verse is the theme of our series of the one who would come and be called…Mighty God.
So if battles are won and the victory is secured, it certainly follows that the Lord Jesus would be behind that effort and the one who has the power and strength to secure victory.
How do we know?
He secured for us the greatest victory we could ever face, the battle with death. This is a battle we often don’t think about fighting, but it is one we fear because the outcome is evident and obvious. In life we observe many “losing” the battle over death because we attend funerals and memorial services. To this day I have not seen a body come alive and walk away from their own funeral…except Jesus (through the eyes of faith in the truth of Scripture.) Here’s the Apostle Paul assuring us that this victory is ours.
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If Jesus can win the greatest of battles, he will fight for us and with us in the smaller things of life, perhaps just like he did for Israel at the Red Sea:
Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
The Lord will fight for you…sometimes we need only be still.
Invite your Savior Jesus to the fight early…watch him fight for you…
In your marriage, he will fight with his truth and forgiveness.
In your illness, he will fight to give you peace at the outcome and strength for the day.
In your reputation, he will testify to your perfection in Christ before your heavenly Father, the only opinion that matters.
In your career, he will give you wisdom to navigate issues in a way that glorifies him.
Jesus is a fighter…for you! Jesus is a winner…for you!
Apply: What battles are you fighting today? Have you invited Jesus to come and fight with you and for you? If not, do that today!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your power and strength that fights for me in all my battles. Forgive me for forgetting to invite you to fight for me. Lead me to always rely on your strength as my Mighty God. AMEN
Mighty God removes our burdens!
Devotions this week are based on Week 2 of “He Shall Be Called: Mighty God” (CLICK HERE)
Isaiah 9:4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
Midian was not a friend of Israel. In Judges 6, this was the pain Midian inflicted on Israel:
2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. (Judges 6:2-6)
Imagine living like this as an Israelite. Daily life was hard. The oppression was real. It’s no wonder “they cried out to the Lord for help.”
Good job crying out to the Lord for help. However, this oppression from Midian went on for seven years! Why not cry out to the Lord sooner…like the first time they invaded, stole your livestock or ruined your crops.
Let me pause here, because there is a lesson for us. Don’t wait seven years! God didn’t have to muster his forces. God didn’t need time to rebuild his strength. He was more than able to act as Mighty God before seven years had passed. But the people were not ready to give up their idolatry and ego before seven years had passed. Too often we carry burdens and try to figure out life on our own, thinking “we can handle it.” Until we can’t. Then is usually when we cry out to the Lord to help.
Like with Israel, God in his mercy answered the cry for help…even though it was way too long in coming!
God sent Gideon as the Judge to lead the people of Israel to a victory over Midian. However, it was going to be obvious that the power of the Mighty God would be the victor, not the army of Israel. The Lord whittled down the army of Israel to 300 men with trumpets, flames, jars and a sword. When they surrounded the Midian army and the glass broke and the trumpets sounded, the 300 looked and sounded like way more. The Midianites turned on themselves and the invading army was routed.
God gave Israel relief from the burden of Midian.
The power of the Almighty God is willing to be exercised to remove burdens from our lives. We just need to stop carrying them ourselves and rather give them over to the Lord. Here’s three passages to remind you today to do just that:
Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken.
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days.
Psalm 68:Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Apply: What burden are you carrying today that you have been carrying for way too long? Simply share it with the Lord Jesus and say, “I’m giving it to you to carry.” Watch what he chooses to do for you!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for not casting my burdens on you much sooner than I do. Thank you for using your power to work on my behalf and always willing to carry and remove my burdens. AMEN.
Can you wait for the reward?
Devotions this week are based on Week 2 of “He Shall Be Called: Mighty God” (CLICK HERE)
Isaiah 9:3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
When a team wins a championship or a farmer brings in a bumper crop, it is a natural reason to rejoice…especially if the championship is the first one in many years or ever or the crops of the previous years have been small or non existent.
The opposite is true too. When you work hard and there is no reward, it can be a joy killer. A team that has worked hard and has only a few wins for the season…it’s hard to end the season with a lot of rejoicing (except maybe just happy the season is over!). For a farmer that works hard to plant seed, keep the weeds out, fertilize and more only to have a devastating hailstorm ruin the crops, it’s hard to end that farming year with a lot of joy inside.
We probably have a mix of these experiences in our life. But for sure, the rejoicing is much more pleasant emotion than the disappointment of loss.
Is this true for your walk of faith?
I remember a contact we knew in Minnesota who had gone through a lot of personal and relationship challenges. We ran into each other in the neighborhood and as he was sharing the latest chapters of the saga said, “God owes me.” He was discouraged, disappointed and down right angry with God. He felt God owed him some favor.
In ministry, long days of work with little change in attendance or new contacts continuing to come can be discouraging. It’s easy to rejoice when many come to an event…it’s less easy when no one comes to worship.
In life, we can get discouraged at God for not healing our illness, or giving us a promotion, or restoring a broken relationship. We too can feel like we are owed better. We can feel like it may not be worth it to follow Christ.
But then we remember, a) our joy is not based on outward success, but inward status, and b) our mighty God is at work and when he works, there will always be a reward…we just may have to wait for it.
Jesus said this in Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Every year a farmer labors trusting the harvest will come. Every day the Christian can labor for the Lord, because he or she knows the Lord Almighty has secured the greatest reward ever: heaven. Jesus promised it. It may not be easy on this earth, but our reward will be in heaven. There we will have eternal reasons to rejoice…always!
Apply: What are you in the middle of that seems discouraging and like God will never see or care? What changes when you remember Jesus’ words that a reward is coming…in heaven?
Prayer: Jesus thank you for being our mighty God who is always working with your power to bring to us greatest blessings…even if we have to wait until heaven to experience it! AMEN
He shall be called…Mighty God!
Devotions this week are based on Week 2 of “He Shall Be Called: Mighty God” (CLICK HERE)
“And he shall be called…Mighty God…” (Isaiah 9:6)
El Gibbor is the Hebrew for “Mighty God.” Gibbor is “warrior” or “Mighty One.” Clearly the perfect king of whom Isaiah is prophesying is God himself, who has the strength and power to fight the battles that would be presented to him.
As with any king, the question that naturally is asked, “What are you going to do with that power?” A king can use power for selfish purposes or for purposes that serve his people.
El Gibbor will use his power to do the following: (Isaiah 9:3)
Isaiah 9:3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For the nation of Israel to contemplate enlarging the nation, would have stood in contrast to the impending captivity. Yet, when the nation seemed to be lost and the influence of the Lord waning, the Lord Jesus comes as Mighty God to use his power to expand the influence of the Gospel in the world. It brings joy to see the result of hard work. It brings joy to know you have Mighty God on your side.
Joy is different than happiness. Happiness is a positive emotion based on external circumstances. Winning a basketball game brings happiness. Getting a promotion at work brings happiness. Joy, however, is an inner condition of the heart. Joy is a positive condition of our heart that remains even if the external circumstances are not positive.
The three things listed here in verse 3 certainly bring a happiness because of an external positive reality, but also, they lead a heart to gain confidence in the Lord Jesus that he is and will be fighting for them to bring the return and the reward for his people.
He will enlarge the nation. The boundaries of israel were at its greatest under King David and Solomon. So he’s not talking about a physical nation with borders and citizens. The nation of Israel is often used as a picture of the Church, God’s people by faith in Jesus as their Savior.
Did Jesus enlarge the nation of Israel? Yes. By the power of his teaching and the proclamation of Gospel, many more believe today than did when Isaiah wrote these words.
Joy comes when we reap a harvest. It must have been a very discouraging time when the farmer worked all spring and summer only to have his harvest ruined by hail, flooding, or insect or disease. Certainly knowing there is food in the barns and finances from the sale of the crop would bring happiness, but knowing that the Lord again allowed for bountiful harvest would deposit joy in one’s heart. Not because of the income, but because of the faithfulness of the Lord. As the Lord works, trust grows and as trust grows, joy increases.
Jesus is the Mighty God, the warrior God of whom Isaiah prophesies. The joy he brings is real because it is not based on simply an external circumstance, but on an inner reality that has been built on the fact that Mighty God, Jesus, is working for us, again expands our joy.
Apply: What things steal your joy? What gives you joy?
Prayer: Lord, Almighty, thank you for coming to this world to exhibit your Mighty power for the benefit of your people and the salvation of our souls. AMEN.
The results matter!
Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
The result matters.
Matthew 4:12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Light came into the darkness.
When one is affected by positive advice, wonderful counsel, it often is like a light goes off. That which was challenging you, you see a path forward. That which was confusing to you, now is made clear. That which seemed insurmountable, now appears like a small bump in the road.
When we connect to the words of Jesus, the outcome is always positive.
I was listening to an interview with Peter Hegseth, the nominee for the Cabinet position of Secretary of Defense. The news reports various challenges he had with two divorces, an affair in a hotel room, challenges with alcohol and various other charges. To be sure one has to filter the media reports to discover the truth, but in the interview Peter expressed in the past years one thing that has changed his perspective and his behavior is a new faith in Jesus. He admits and is not proud of some of the past moral failures but expressed joy in knowing they are reconciled by Jesus. He is ready to serve his country, but he is at peace because he knows as he walks with Jesus, the right thing will always take place.
The results matter.
When we connect to Jesus, we receive wonderful counsel that changes our heart and our life.
Jesus not only preaches repentance but gives forgiveness. He invites us to stop trying to make up for our sins or earn our way into heaven. Personal attempts leave us far short and feeling always worried about our standing with God. Jesus advises, “Confess your sins to me and I am faithful and just and will forgive you from all your sins.”
Jesus invites us to give up our worries about the future and know with confidence that our value before him will always lead him to do what is best for us. Like the sparrows that fill the air don’t have to worry, so we can heed the advice that Jesus reminds us we are much more valuable than they and if our heavenly Father cares for them, he will care for us.
We can seek a lot of counsel and direction in life as to career, purpose, passion etc. All this can be a tool that is helpful, however Jesus reminds us that we are here for the purpose God made us. To glorify God and serve the people around us. He reminds us that our greatest purpose is to let our Christian light shine in the world around us so that people see the good we do in Jesus’ name and praise God who is in heaven.
We get lots of advice about retirement, end of life issues, and fill out a will, medical power of attorney and other documents to prepare for death. Again, these are wise and practical to make it easy on those that survive you, but Jesus reminds us that death is just a transition to heaven for the believer. He is the resurrection and the life and that all who believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is wonderful counsel and wonderful counsel brings wonderful results: a secure and lasting hope that gives our hearts peace today and gives our lives certainty for eternity.
Apply: What counsel from Jesus would help your heart today? Perhaps read a chapter of John’s gospel and ask, “Jesus, show me your wonderful counsel for my life today.”
Prayer: Lord, in all things we rejoice that you sent Jesus, OUR Wonderful Counselor to this earth not only to secure our salvation but to speak truth, wisdom and wonderful counsel into our hearts and lives. AMEN.