Do you ever feel overwhelmed by bad news or like you are surrounded by evil? When we are in a battle, it can feel like we are already defeated. Battles are intense. But, as believers in Jesus, we aren’t fighting for a victory, but from a place of victory.
Here is an amazing supernatural account of a time when the enemies of Israel surrounded the city of Samaria and were set on capturing the prophet Elisha:
2 Kings 6:8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”
9The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 10So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
11This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” 14Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
15When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
16“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
19Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.
20After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lordopened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.
21When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”
22“Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.” 23So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.
With human eyes, things can look completely overwhelming. In fact, wars and military battles are often very bleak and full of confusion, despair and fear. Why should we expect them to be anything different in a spiritual battle? Elisha was given spiritual eyes to see the armies of the Lord. His servant, however, did not have spiritual eyes. All he could see was the physical enemies of Israel coming to kill, steal and destroy.
Initially, Elisha may have seemed uncaring or even down right stupid, in human perspective. Have you ever known a spiritually minded person who never seems to get upset by the things of this world? They may frustrate you. Don’t they care? Don’t they see?
The truth is that they actually do see more than anyone else can see. They can see the armies of the Lord and they are at peace. They may not see them with their physical eyes, but God has give a spiritual sight of faith that has moved the mountain of their fear. Can you imagine the look on his servant’s face, when God opened his eyes to see the angelic armies? In 3 seconds flat he went from zero to hero. He went from “The world is going to end” to “We have the upper hand!” Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
Remember, as believers in Jesus, we aren’t fighting for a victory, but from a place of victory. It’s as if we are undefeated, going into the state play-offs against another team that barely made it to the play-offs by the skin of their teeth. Jesus is our commander in chief. He has already secured the victory for us by his death and resurrection.
Jesus dismantled the power of Satan, when he died and rose again. Our sin was the legal authority Satan held to oppress us. Colossians gives us this amazing declaration of Christ’s victory over the devil: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” The names ‘powers and authorities’ are the same Greek words used in Ephesians 6 when it speaks about the strongholds and demonic authorities we are against in spiritual warfare. These are also the same Greek words used in Ephesians 1, when it describes the authority Jesus was seated in when he was raised from the dead. I love this prayer of Paul for the Ephesians!
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
We need to ask the Lord to open our eyes in the battle to see the armies of the Lord helping us. Instead of fixing your eyes on the problem or the enemy, fix your eyes on Jesus. During this time of desperation, the enemy may try to take your eyes off of Jesus. He will want to test your faith and your resolve. But you need to remember that our God has defeated death. What more is there to defeat than death itself?
God will walk with you through your test and give you a testimony. We overcome the devil by the Word of our testimony. What has Jesus done for you? What has he delivered you from? Spend time today declaring the victory you have in and through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Scriptural Prayers – Declaring the Victory. Change the pronouns to fit who you are praying for. For example, “I ask, God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, that you will give ME the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation that I will know you better.”
- God, I pray that you open the eyes of my heart to be enlightened. I need spiritual eyes to know the hope of my calling in Jesus. I need to see my spiritual and eternal inheritance in your holy people. Open my eyes to the incomparably great power for me- through faith in Christ! I believe the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated you at the right hand of the Father dwells in me. You, Lord, are seated above every rule, authority, power and dominion and every name that is invoked; not only in the present age, but in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:17-23)
- Everything is under your feet, Lord Jesus! (Under your feet means these things are under the authority of Jesus. List everything that feels like it’s not under his feet and declare that it is under his feet.) ie. My marriage is under your feet. My children are under your feet. My health is under your feet. My memory is under your feet. My finances are under your feet. My job is under your feet. My future is under your feet and in your hands.
- When is was dead in my sins and in the uncircumcision of my flesh, God you made me alive with Christ. You forgave me all my sins, having canceled the charge of my legal indebtedness, which stood against me and condemned me; you have taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. You have defeated the enemy’s power in and over my life! I am not under the power of Satan. I am in Christ Jesus. Colossians 2:13-15
- I fix my eyes on Jesus! Jesus, you the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in you all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through you and for you. You are before all things, and in you all things hold together. And you are the head of the body, the church; you are the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything you might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in you, and through you to reconcile to himself all things- including me, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once I was alienated from you God and was an enemy in my mind because of my evil behavior. But now you have reconciled me by Christ’s physical body through death to present me holy in your sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if I continue in my faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. Keep me steady in this faith, Lord. Do not let me be moved, in Jesus’ name! Colossians 1:15-23
5. I am a child of God! “Lord, you did not give me a spirit of bondage again to fear. You gave me to spirit of adoption, by which I cry out Abba Father. Lord, your spirit testifies to my spirit that I am your child. Thank you for speaking to me. I am your child and heir- an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus. When I suffer for you, I have the promise that I will be glorified with you. Thank you that you pray through me by your Holy Spirit. Thank you that you are interceding for me, Jesus! Romans 8:14
6. What can oppose me? Romans 8:31-39
“If God is for me, who can be against me? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give me all things? Who will bring any charge against me – and those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for me. Thank you, Lord for interceding for me! Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” j
No, in all these things I am more than a conquerors through him who loved me. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
7. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. – Romans 16:20 “Thank you for the victory in Christ Jesus. Thank you that you will soon crush Satan underneath my feet. You have already defeated him. I know that I will overcome him in these trials I am walking through, as I stand in Jesus and in Jesus’ place of victory. Give me eternity minded thoughts and eternity sighted eyes. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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