Another reader commented on my post about contacting the Canadian Embassy to voice our concern over Trudeau taking dictatorship of Canada. She reminded us that our war is not against flesh and blood. Agree. She also mentioned that people in the Old Testament often did things their own way and got screwed up. We certainly don’t always do everything correctly.
But this hits on a truth in God’s Word that we all need to understand. And that is that God works, and we work. God works for us and on our behalf, but He also wants us to work. He wants us to do our part. He wants to work together with us. He is in Heaven, and we are His voice, His hands, and His feet on the earth.
We see this in every aspect of Life. God is the bread-giver, but we have to work to grow the grain and bake the bread. God generously and lavishly provides food for us, but we must work to make it grow and prepare it to eat.
God loves marriage. He brings couples together, but they have to build into their marriage to make it beautiful.
God gave the land of Canaan “a land flowing with milk and honey,” to His people as an everlasting possession, but they had to go in and fight the giants and possess the land. God promised them that He would be with them and fight for them, but He didn’t do all the fighting. They had to get into the fight too.
Let’s look at some Scriptures. Oh, I could give you so many, but here are a few.
Deuteronomy 7:2, 16: “When the Lord thy God shall deliver them before you” (that's GOD fighting), thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them; thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver you.” (That’s the children of Israel fighting).
Deuteronomy 7:24: “He shall deliver their kings into thine hand” (that's GOD fighting) and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven.” (That's YOU fighting).
Deuteronomy 9:3: “The Lord thy God, which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire, He shall destroy them and He shall bring them down before thy face.” (That’s GOD fighting). Then it goes on to say: “So shalt thou drive them out and destroy them, as the Lord thy God hath said to thee.” (That's YOU fighting,)
In 1 Chronicles 14:15-16 we read a strategy that God gave to Israel for one of their battles: “When thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle.” (That's YOU fighting). “For God is gone forth before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.” (That's GOD fighting). “David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon, even to Gazer.”
Are you getting the picture? God does His part BUT He also gives us some fighting to do to.
I'll give you one more. In Jeremiah 51:20-24 God prophetically speaks through Jeremiah to Israel:
“Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee” (that's YOU fighting), “will I break in pieces the nations.” (That's GOD fighting).
“And with thee,” (YOU are fighting), “will I destroy kingdoms,” (GOD fighting).
“And with thee” (YOU are fighting) “I will break in pieces the horse and his rider.” (GOD is fighting).
“And with thee” (YOU are fighting), “will I break in pieces the chariots and his rider.” (That's GOD fighting).
This is a biblical principle we must remember as we fight our battles. God fights for us but we also have to fight.
“Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
P.S.
Awhile back I did three podcasts on LIFE TO THE FULL about the war we have to fight as mothers and in our daily lives. You can find them at these links.