He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord. Psalm 112:7 AMP
When I sense a battle ensuing around my loved ones, I immediately stand on God’s promises, speaking them out, appropriating them over their lives. I do this daily, faithfully. Even so, there are times when things appear to get really ugly anyway.
For example, your children make bad decisions that could lead to dangerous outcomes; or your spouse has an adulterous affair, announcing that he is leaving you. No matter what the news, it is easy to feel discouraged and give up.
Entering the Promised Land that God has given you comes with spiritual warfare. And with spiritual warfare, comes resistance from the enemy of your soul.
When Joshua went in to take his promised land in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God didn’t say, Joshua you are strong. Three times He said, Joshua, be strong! Why? Because when you are facing warfare it is easy to get discouraged. Even if you do not FEEL like it, you must make a decision to stand strong, to press through the pain and stand on God’s word in naked faith until your answer comes. God is in control!
In Ephesians 6 we see God once again saying “Be strong!
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes… and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:10, 11, 13 (emphasis mine)
God does not want you to become spiritually frozen with grief from other people’s sin. You may feel a burden, but the reason for that burden is for you to stand and pray. When having done all else, STAND! (Ephesians 6:13)
Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them. Hebrews 6:12 (MSG)
Recently the Lord spoke to me as I lay asleep. He said, “Not pretty warfare, but getting the job done in the trenches. As I awakened several times during the night, I could hear His whisper in my heart … go deep in the trenches.”
Within a week, a spiritual battle was ensuing around me and I felt like crawling in bed and pulling the covers over my head, going to sleep so that I could forget about it. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I did the first night. But when I awakened, I was reminded, “Go deep in the trenches.”
As I began to study about trenches I discovered that “Trench Warfare” was used in World War 1 and was a form of warfare in which troops were substantially sheltered from artillery. Soldiers dug a trench (literally a deep ditch) to keep themselves protected from enemy fire as they fought the war.
In the bible, a trench or moat refers to a defensive trench, ditch, i.e., a moat as a defense feature of a rampart (Swanson, J. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew -Old Testament, 1997).
The idea is that a trench or ditch is dug or “cut out” around a city for the purpose of fortification.
A moat or trench around a city provided the watchman a view of enemy tactics before he could attack. The application is to go deep in God’s presence, into that place of abiding where nothing can touch your spirit so that you will stay strong to fight your battle through in prayer – to His already accomplished victory.
God’s presence around you will keep you protected and allow you to see the devil’s tactics before he can attack. Don’t give in to fear! Keep your eyes on God and not on your circumstances! When your circumstances press in on you, take a moment to be still and enter that place of abiding in God again. Worship Him!
During times of spiritual attack it is easy to feel overwhelmed and give up. But this is not the time to fall down and give in to your circumstances. God has provided a way for you to stand strong and fight until you experience the victory that He already won for you at Calvary.
Spiritual “Trench” Warfare
- Stay in God’s presence through:
- Prayer
- Reading His word
- Worship
- Keep your heart free from sin
- Focus on God and His word rather than circumstances
- If you are really struggling, you may have to play worship music and listen to the bible on CD in order to get started. (You may not even feel like doing these things but the more you enter into His presence, the more you will feel like it.)
- In your journal write:
- Your feelings
- Your prayers
- The lessons that God teaches
- Pour your heart out before the Lord
Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Psalm 62:8 AMP
Arise [from your bed], cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands toward Him for the lives of your young children… Lamentations 2:19 AMP
- Listen for:
- His insights
- His encouragement
- God’s battle plan
- Continue to pray God’s promises on a daily basis. Scripture Seeds for Fear
- Fast (if you sense God leading you) with your doctors permission
- Guard your heart from unbelief and fear
- Focus! Focus! Focus!
Go deep into the trenches of God’s presence, for He has given you the land!
…We have seen that the land is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over. Judges 18:9 NIV