“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

My girls have 4 years between them. This means there are some things they have in common and like to do together but also there is a lot of frustration with Little Sister from Big Sister. Big Sister definitely has the idea that she is in charge and that her way is right.

This morning, I put Little Sister in the bath and washed her hair. I told Big Sister that she could hop in with her as soon as I was done. Little Sister immediately whispers to me, “Would you please tell her to let me stay in the front of the bath? She always makes me get in the back.”

My response was, “Yes, I will tell her but you need to be quiet and be still. Just let Momma handle the situation. ” See, when I tell my children something, they (usually) listen and obey without much of a fuss, but when a sibling tries to tell them what to do or make them do something their way, there is chaos.

I started thinking, this is exactly what happens when we try to fight the battles that we should have given to the Lord. Chaos reigns, situations fall to pieces, and we fail. We are reminded that the Lord will fight and our job is to be still.

The Battle-Why We Need the Lord to Fight for Us

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. " Ephesians 6:10-12

I realize the battle looks different for everyone. For me, most days, it’s keeping my patience while homeschooling four kids. Sometimes it’s just keeping the peace between siblings or trying not to nag my husband. But, there are bigger battles that have come and gone in my life such as postpartum depression and dealing with chronic back pain.

Whether the battle is the daily grind, little irritations, or big things that come our way, it does not matter. These trials in our life are not going away. We can choose to fight them on our own or we can choose to let the Lord take over.

If we choose to fight them on our own, we will be weary, anxious, and flat burnt out. However, if we let the Lord take over, He promises rest, peace, and strength for each day.

It’s important that we remember that our fight is not physical but it is spiritual. We are not fighting flesh and blood but against forces of evil. To fight spiritual beings, we need spiritual power. This power comes from the Lord.

Our Weapons for the Fight

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."
2 Corinthians 10:4

Even though the battle belongs to the Lord, it does not mean that we bow out of the fight. It means we let Him be in charge while we do our part. Paul calls us to put on our armor in Ephesians 6. He also tells us in 2 Timothy 4 to fight like a soldier.

The fight is spiritual though and our weapons are not physical. Our part requires faith in Him and trust in His holy word.

The Sword of the Spirit- The Bible

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

"and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,"
Ephesians 6:17 

God has, through His divine Spirit, inspired men to write His words in the Bible. It is living and active. It is like a sword that we weld to defeat the enemy. Jesus, our example, used the word of God to defeat Satan during his 40 day fast in the wilderness.

And, we need only to speak His truth to hush the lies of the enemy when he tells us things like: You are not a good Mom. You are not enough. You always lose your patience. You can’t do this. God is never going to work on your behalf. Just give up.

This is why daily Bible reading, scripture memorization and meditation, and Bible study or discipleship with other believers is super important. Above all, we have to know God’s word in order to use it as a weapon.

Prayer

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,” Ephesians 6:18

Prayer is a powerful weapon. The full verse tells us to pray “in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph. 6:18)

Not only is it powerful because we are asking the Lord of the universe to intervene but we also get the opportunity to help others fight their battles through prayer. In turn, we can ask others to pray for us.

It is also a commitment. We can’t give up. We have to keep praying until we see results or know God has done His will. (How to Persevere in Prayer)

Check out this book: Might Prevailing Prayer by Wesley Duewel

Old Testament Prayers to Pray

Victory-Why We Can be Still

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

One of my favorite hymns is “Victory in Jesus”. The chorus is below.

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood. 

E.M. Bartlett

The thought I want to leave us with is this: Because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, we already have victory! The battle is won. Just like we did nothing to earn salvation, we can do nothing to fight Satan on our own. We must let God have control. But, practically speaking, what does this look like?

• Choosing not to engage in arguments, gossip, or speaking out of anger.

• Choosing to fill our minds with God’s word and gratefulness instead of worldly things. (Phil. 4:8 Positive Thinking)

• Making a plan to be alone with God every day for Bible reading and prayer.

• Making a plan to get with other believers for encouragement, worship, and/or prayer.

• Surrendering our will, want, and desire to God so that He can fight for us. (How to Dethrone Self)

• Surrendering our time, talents, and treasures so He can better use us.

The last part of the chorus says “all my love is due Him” because He loved us before we ever even knew Him. Then, he gave us victory by His blood. How do we show God all of our love? Simple, we obey. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”

Final Thoughts

This is real victory, obedience to the One who paid it all. If we were saved by His good will, mercy, and grace, doesn’t it makes sense that we will be sustained by the same? If we are obeying and resting in Christ, there is no room for the enemy to distract, or to set up a strong hold in our life. And, though trials may come, we know that with the power of God, we will come through strong and better!

I realize in our human nature that we feel the need to have our say, fight back, defend ourselves, work it out, etc. But, remember that the Lord call us “TO BE STILL”. Our help and hope comes from the Lord, the Creator of the universe. We can trust Him, and He will not let us down. So, let’s be still Mommas, and let Him fight our battles.

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