Let God fight.
It’s Monday morning. The work week has begun and it’s my first day back in nearly 3 weeks. An eerie temptation looms over my head with the reminder that there are far more important tasks to be undertaken. A blog entry ought to fall low on the list of priorities. Yet the still small voice reminds me that we are called to encourage the church, to reinforce the saints, to sustain the weak…..thankfully I’ve been reminded every step along the way that even one individual encouraged spells SUCCESS!
You may be that one individual that God will speak to through this attempt to dismiss the voices that occasionally haunt my former workaholic-self. I’m so grateful that Jesus saved me from myself! I used to be so driven by my work, so moved by whether or not I was valuable to a company. I still feel a great deal of pressure on a daily basis; the vast majority being rooted in keeping my head above the often turbulent waters of life. God has, is and will be faithful. To the end.
(Note: I plan on posting a blog to cover our New Zealand trip in full once our film-maker friend has completed a video overview to accompany it.) One of the things that did come up a couple of times on our trip was a verse that God has really used to challenge me to keep going, regardless of the seeming impossibilities or potential for failure. The verse came up in a couple of contexts. Mostly good. In one case, we received the wonderful testimony of how God had used this verse to speak life and promise into a friends sister diagnosed with the same early genetic signs that had taken their mother’s life a few years earlier. She received a disheartening doctor’s report but then committed her heart to hope. Many prayed. She called us while we were in NZ to tell us that the follow-up report with the same doctor had shown NO signs of the disease. In awe, the doctor asked her what she had been doing. Her response? “I’ve been asking Jesus for a miracle.” The doctor responded with an affirmative, “….I think you’ve received your miracle.” Thank you, God!
One of the other times this verse came up was during prayer after one of our shows. Each night we offered to pray for anyone with a need – physical, spiritual, emotional, etc. God swung wide doors and we prayed for countless people along the way. We witnessed the power of Jesus ministering to these needs, often resulting in immediate healing or a heartfelt testimony of how much God had accomplished through a simple time of prayer. Less likely, although still a sobering reality, were the times that people did not instantly experience God’s presence. In a couple of these cases, I could tell that individuals wanted so badly to be healed of a physical issue. I did everything I knew to do. No breakthrough. No change. Nothing reminds me of my need for God more than a condition that just doesn’t seem to budge. I began sensing in both cases that the individuals were fighting with their own strength for their healing. They were upset, almost distraught. It didn’t all come together for me in that moment, but God began unveiling a deep Scriptural truth, that in one way or another, we are all guilty of ignoring.
Our guilt comes from making the assumption that God needs our help. That we can aid God. Jesus is not enough. The Holy Spirit requires our counsel. If we muster some incredible and supernatural level of faith, God will move. Faith is a key ingredient to God moving, Hebrews 11 makes that abundantly clear. But faith is also a gift. It also comes by hearing the Word of God.Want more of it? Ask Him. Read and apply Scripture.
Moses understood the principle and he stood firm even in the midst of quite possibly the gravest obstacle he had ever faced. God had just released His people from Pharaoh’s hand. But He wasn’t finished. He wanted ALL the glory over Egypt. Pharaoh and his army pursue the Israelites and we find them stuck. No place to run or hide. Death and slavery drooling at their doors. The Israelites cry out to God, then they accuse their leader of having a horrible plan. I wonder how often we do the same to our leaders?
Moses stands, speaking to their fears with the promise that God will deliver.
He says,
“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14)
WHAM! Twelve words that may be some of the most often overlooked and misunderstood. What if we actually understood that God desires to fight for us far more than we desire for Him to do the fighting? Some have said that faith is spelled RISK. Although true, I’d wager to say that faith is more often spelled PEACE. Peace surpasses all our understanding and it guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Truth remains and it empowers us. Faith in the storm is saying to the waves, “Peace. Be still.”
Our trip to NZ ended up costing us more than we had expected. The beginning of the year has never been an easy time for Come&Live! financially; this January was one of our worst months in terms of financial support. I have a stack of bills that need paying on the personal side of things and am still a long ways off in my monthly support raising. I’m not telling you this to guilt you into sending in money. If I/we want your financial help, we’re learning to just come out and ask you for it. God hasn’t called us to be beggars, so there’s no point to give you hints or hope you pick up on something. For now, I just want to help you understand my/our current reality. (Note: it’s been 25 months of trusting Jesus and He has yet to not provide for our needs.)
My temptation is complaining. Bickering with God. He’s let me down! Does He have any idea how much I/We have given up to pursue the hearts of men???
Of course He does!
I have a choice to make. If I choose faith than I must accept the greater reality, that no matter what I am feeling, thinking or experiencing, God is fighting for me and I shall hold my peace!
Peace kills fear. It destroys doubt and unbelief.
Choose to let God do your fighting. Hold your peace. He is coming for you. He will deliver you!
“And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” – Exodus 14:15
Go Forward! Let the glory of the Lord serve as your rear guard.
- Chad Johnson
This was very inspiring. Jesus wants to take our burdens for us.
Bro,
God not only fights for us but His fight is endless and does not end at the end of each day. His fighting for us is a 7/24 battle and is due to his agape love for us and his desire for us to not only love him back but to also take his fight to others and fight for their spiritual well being. Christ being our example and being that he fights for should automatically inspire us to always fight for opportunities to show what Christ has done in our lives and how he can do the same for those he brings into our lives on a daily. If we find ourselves not having daily opportunity to fight ourselves for others we had better stop and check to see if we are in the ring with Christ and not on the outside being a spectator just cheering while others do all the fighting.
Also continue to be bold for your needs of the ministry as God tells us “we have not because we don’t ask”.
Bold and Blessed,
Rob
Thank you so much for this reminder! This is what I needed to hear as I prepare for my next adventure. Thank you again!
Ex 14:14 is the verse some of my friends and I have been praying is seared into our hearts. Watching God prove Himself constantly with this has been phenomenal. Thank you so much for sharing this testimony. Again, encouragement for us!
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Good word brother! I needed to hear this today.
Thank you for this encouraging message. I’m just starting to read Exodus, and now I can’t wait to get to Chapter 14. I’ve been praying about job opportunities in Colorado as well as a potential relationship, and it feels impossible. But I’m also clinging to Luke 1:37. It’s comforting to know that Jesus wants to carry our burdens and fight for each of us. He gives us gifts and dreams and I trust that HE WILL PROVIDE!
unreal.
thankyou for choosing to blog today.
it was so ridiculously personal of the Lord.. the way He spoke through this.
so encouraging. thankyou.
…wow. Hey, I’m a worship leader in Fairbanks Alaska that has been pursuing a similar vision here for music as come&live does with my band (ie, praying, fasting, ministry outside the church and no money taken except for donations). Well, the founder of “Random People Who Care” and her family (apparently they had a booth next to you all at Cornerstone?) took me in awhile ago since I was leading worship full-time, without pay. Over the past 3 weeks though, I’ve been losing faith, as I felt like God was forsaking me, but tonight, all that changed. As I laid there and expressed my anger, and frustration towards God, and losing faith in what He was doing, she asked if she could pray for me. I “angrily” said, “Sure, if YOU want to.” She simply prayed that Jesus would show me His peace, and that it would fill my soul, the house, and everyone else there. I was IMMEDIATELY at peace and even fell asleep! Later I woke up, began to confess my sin, worship and “reclaim” what was taken from me for 3 weeks – my PEACE and my JOY; then after that I read THIS! Chad, I litterally feel like that, “one individual” that this was made for – no joke. I felt like I might end up walking away completely from God, and I was losing faith in him…but obviously if he gave me peace, He musta’ had faith in me to continue what He’s doing. God’s brought me to a place tonight where’s it’s no longer just a “blind faith” relationship – I TRUST Him.
and as “For Today” says, “We will never give up and He will NEVER back down. Seek and live everyday to never worry what He’ll say. He will never back down.”
I’ve been struggling with my faith.
I’ve been a Christian for 20 years, and have experienced God in some really tremendous ways. But lately, I felt like He was distant, and that I wasn’t good enough to be in His presence. I lead worship at my church, and we sang the song Here In Your Presence, and I felt like I was such a hypocrite.
But your words reminded me today that it’s not about me. God doesn’t need me to clean up my life: that’s his job!
I was greatly refreshed by your reiteration of a great Word. Thank you, and thank God that I decided to read your blog today. I usually don’t! But it’s in my rss, now!
D
Thank you for that word. Sometimes I just want to fight my own battles and set everything straight for myself. Not realizing that God is there, I just become frustrated and overwhelmed with a great deal of anger. I can get a lot of work-related stress and it overwhelms me to the point that I can’t handle even being there. I need to allow God to fight for the day, not allow my frustrations to over bear me and to let HIM conquer the day. I’m going to remember this message and Exodus 14:14 as I go through my day tomorrow and listen to a great deal of worship music! Again, thank you for the message.
I give witness to this Truth. Daily for the last three months God has brought about Peace in me when I took an active step back from the situation and coupled it with bringing myself into a still state. Specifically, when turmoil has risen, internal or external, I have (sometimes literally) taken a step back and asked God, “What is the cause of this turmoil and how do we deal with it?”
Every time WITHOUT FAIL, God has revealed the source and solution. In Truth, 99% of the time I myself am the source and the solution is an acceptance of responsibility, repentance and a removal of myself from the equation.
Essentially, the vast majority of my turmoil in life comes from stepping out of God’s Will, installing myself into the position He should be holding and attempting life on my own terms. What inevitably happens is an action or movement that leads to negative results. Self condemnation follows quickly and I instantly lose the Peace and Freedom He provides. Not because He takes it away, but because I choose to step out of it and install myself as a Dictator. Make no mistake, compared to how God deals with me, I am indeed a Dictator when on the throne of my own heart.
All this to say that God, in complete faithfulness, has restored Peace and Righteousness every single time that I have made the choice to step back and let Him fight in my place. Furthermore, it becomes easier and easier to know when I have stepped out of the Will by this very Truth. It serves as a litmus test of sorts.
I am not always aware of when I step out of the Will or am set to stage a coupe (though I suspect this too will become easier to discern), however, I am ALWAYS aware of when I lose my Peace. The change in me is an almost tangible shift. I become completely Self-centered and Selfish on every level. The effect on my attitude, my ability to handle stress and how I treat others are the most immediately noticeable changes. However, from the biggest things to the tiniest details, I become the focus and things always take a nose dive from there. It’s as if the very motion of life seems to go from harmonious to discordant and contrary. God has been merciful beyond measure and if I take that step back, He is there faster than thought.
My action, beyond the step back is just as important and where I tend to find the most difficulty. Because, you see, when it comes to light that it was something I did or said or thought that brought me to this state, it becomes a matter of obedience to the direction He gives in order to correct the situation.
However (I tell you this in all Truth and from personally experiencing it time and again), when I have stilled myself, stepped back, accepted responsibility and followed through with the corrective action He recommends He is swift to the battle. The same stands for those few situations in which I have no control or have not been the source of.
There is nothing, NOTHING you have ever seen or experienced like God in battle for you. I can’t even begin to describe it. Terrible, thrilling, frightening, beautiful and humbling are only words and cannot begin to convey. It is Truly a terrible thing to be in the grasp of the Living God.
Lastly, I would say this, there is no mistaking the active movement of God in your life. Once you have experienced it, from surface to core, you will be changed and Know.
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“Grace enables what it commands.”
Chad,
Thanks a billion for your words of encouragement, as I desparately needed them today, as I also return to work from a vacation that did not pan out as well as I had hoped. I love the work that you do here, and also am enjoying how God is speaking through you constantly. Hope you enjoyed NZ. I hope to visit there one day.
Much love,
Kyle