Prepare To Fight And God Will Grant The Victory

The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service -- able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him.
They seized the livestock of the Hagrites . . .  They also took one hundred thousand people captive, and many others fell slain, because the battle was God's. And they occupied the land until the exile.  I Chronicles 5:18-22


The Bible declares that no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ and so through Him, the amen is said by us to the glory of God. This means God is ready to fulfill every promise He makes to us in accordance with His will. Our responsibility is to say "Amen" -- we agree with those promises and we want to make those promises a reality in our lives. Unfortunately, many Christians simply quote the promise, say Amen and end there!

But saying "Amen" is more than a verbal agreement with God's promises. Amen does not mean we spout out those promises, fold our arms and expect the blessings to fall into our laps from heaven. Amen means we roll up our sleeves and practically fight for our dreams and vision. It might mean getting off the couch and enrolling in college to get the education you need for your future. It might mean not being afraid to embark on a particular educational course or career because it is too hard or too long. If you feel the calling, don't be afraid, go for it! It might mean starting that business with the little capital you have and trusting God to help you. It might also mean controlling your diet and exercising to lose weight and improve your health knowing that your body is the temple of God. It might mean working hard and long hours in ministry.

God will always do His part, but he waits for us to step out in faith. There is always a "Ram waiting in the thicket" but we must step out in faith like Abraham, take the journey to Mount Moriah and put Isaac on the altar and we will see the glory of God. That is what the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh did. "They waged war…and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands because they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him." They fought and trusted!

The Bible makes it clear that the horse is made ready for the day of battle but victory comes from the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). If we don't get ourselves ready to fight for our vision, destinies and dreams, God will never grant us victory. God does not bless lazy hands. Lazy hands typically squander, mismanage and dwindle whatever resources they are given. They subtract rather than multiply! God expects multiplication not diminishing returns. We must work hard.

Jesus set the example by working so hard that he fell asleep in a boat tired with exhaustion. He worked so hard that in three years, He accomplished His objective of saving humanity and building His Church. Two thousand years later, the hard work is still bearing great fruit.

Paul travelled on foot for thousands of miles to spread the Gospel, establish churches, train pastors and write 13 books of the New Testament. Today, we are enjoying the fruit of his hard work and writings even from prison cells. No wonder God blessed the work of His hands!

We must step out and put in the plain hard work and see God move on our behalf. We must be prepared to fight and God will grant the victory. We must work hard and trust God to help us.


Prayer: Lord, please help me to cultivate the godly virtue of working hard and trusting you to bless my efforts as I call upon you by faith. Amen.