Exodus 17: 8-15 ‘Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

Have you ever felt tired, frustrated, nowhere to turn, in one word, overwhelmed? When this happens what do you normally do? What are the strategies do you employ?  Who do you normally turn to?  What kind of support base you have?

As Christians we are in warfare.  The enemy is seeking to test us to our limits, and he is trying on every end to frustrate, destroy and devour us. Therefore, he is constantly trying to make us feel overwhelmed.  He will do this by attacking our characters, our children, our jobs, our relationships to name a few as well as place barriers in our lives to force us into a corner.  If this is happening to you right now do not be alarmed, do not panic.   Know that this situation is not news to God. Years ago, I heard this statement from a GI Joe cartoon “Knowing is half the battle”.  God wants to remind us from Ephesians 6:12 that “our struggle[wrestle] is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil [wickedness] in the heavenly realms”.  But as 1 John 4:4 reminds us ‘We are of God… and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world’.

God wants to grant us divine insight so that we can be aware of our enemy and his game plan.  The game plan is outlined in 1 John 2: 16:-“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world”.  satan’s plan is to get us to focus on the world system, the here and now, the gratification of self.  Let us seek God for divine insight and depth of knowledge to see satan’s strategies in our daily life and tap into the mind of Christ which empowers us with counter-strategies to fight.  

What are some of the counterstrategies that we have at our disposal?

The first counterstrategy is to be mentally prepared for the battle.  There are normally some battles that we have to fight and the designated day will come to fight the battle. Moses told Joshua ‘chose some men tomorrow, we are going in and I will be in place’. Moses was helping Joshua to get have the right mindset for  the challenges he would face on the battlefield.  Are we mentally tough and prepared?  Oftentimes we tell ourselves, we cannot overcome the problem.  As my Mom would say “Stop it right now, God did not give us a spirit of fear but of love and a sound mind”. Our minds are sound.  Mentally preparedness is being spiritually prepared.  It is important that we discern in our spirits what God is calling us to do, be mentally ready for it and know that the battle is not ours it is the Lord’s.  Therefore, we must mentally envision that it has already won in the heavenlies before it manifests here on earth. In other words, see the win first in our minds before the manifestation.

The second counterstrategy that God is calling us to use is alertness.  God wants us to be always in the state of being aware, awake, prepared to act or react. If we do not pay attention, then the enemy will creep in on us by gaining a toehold, then a foothold and then a stronghold. Notice we must give the work of the kingdom our full attention not giving up an inch of ground.  We must be alert and prepared for situations that would go normally unnoticed.  Never let down your guard. How alert are we? God wants us to keep watch, be sober and alert (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 ). Satan wants us to slack off, be drunk and dull.

The third counterstrategy is to be equipped for the battle. Joshua knew how to use his sword and so at the right time overcame the army with it. How equipped are you?  Do you know the word of God to counter the darts that are thrown at you?  Let us dive into the word which will give us the weapons that we need to counter satan’s tactics.  Remember Nehemiah counterstrategy against the enemy when he and the team were building the wall,:they had a sword in one hand and building tools in the next.   God wants you to counter the strategies of the enemy with the equipment that He provides.  Think of David with the sling and the five (5) stones versus the armour of Goliath with sword! The equipment that God calls you to use may look silly but trust Him for the outcome.

The fourth counterstrategy is to have a support team who will propel you to victory in the end.  In Exodus 17 we are told that Joshua was fighting the battle, but he had a support team on the top of the mountain: Moses, Aaron and Hur. He was depending on them.  Notice that Moses too had a support team. Once Moses hands were up towards heaven, God’s people were winning but the moment they were lowered the enemy was in charge.  Aaron and Hur knew the importance of support and that Joshua was counting on them.  Therefore, when Moses’ hands got tired, they did not give up.  They gave him a seat and, on either side, held up his hands steady until sunset.   With his support team on top Joshua was able to win the battle below. Who are your support teams for the top and bottom of the mountain?  Who is holding up your hand so that the battle may be won?

The final counterstrategy God wants us to use is the importance of permanently recording the victory.  It was not just important writing it down, but God emphasized ‘make sure that Joshua hears it: “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it”. God wanted not just the present warrior Joshua to see it in writing but to hear it as the future leader. There are victories that God want us to remember, and these victories must be written and heard.  It must told not just to the present generation but must be passed and written down for future generations to recall the greatness of our God so that we will never forget what the Lord God has done for us.  Are we recording our victories for the generations yet unborn?

It is important that, we are alert, mentally prepared, equipped, enlist our support teams and permanently record our victories as we face the daily assault on our bodies and souls.  Let us remember that we are not alone.  The Lord of heaven’s armies has already won the war and therefore we have divine support to overcome the challenges that we face. 

Prayer Father, thank you for equipping us with weapons of our warfare that are not carnal but are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds.  May we come daily to you to sharpen our spiritual alertness through our mental & spiritual preparation, to get our spiritual equipment so that we can utilize divine support to overcome the challenges we face.