Exodus 17:8-12
I Corinthians 15:57
I John 5:4-5
Topic What happens when you have God on your side
Subtopic: If you want the victory over you enemies, you need God on your side
In these passage of scriptures, we read about how the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites when Moses had raised the Rod of God above his head while watching the war upon the hill. The children of Israel had just been delivered by God out of the Egyptian slavery where they had been slaves for 400 years. The children of Israel had narrowly escaped Pharoah’s army by crossing the Red Sea on dry land by the powerful hand of God. God had just fed the children of Israel with manna, bread from heaven to satisfy their hunger. God had just satisfied their thirst with water coming out from a rock. But yet while the children of Israel were in the wilderness on their way to the promise land in Caanan, the scriptures says in Exodus 17:8 says, “Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.” In other words the Amalekites ambushed the children of Israel, and started a war with the children of Israel.
Now notice something. After the children of Israel was delivered from slavery,
After they were fed with manna from heaven,
After they were given water coming from a rock
A nation, the Amalekites came and fought with the children of Israel.
Now there is a lesson that we can learn right here. And the lesson is that usually after you get saved, after you get delivered from something, after you get tremendously blessed by the Lord, that is when the devil usually tries to ambush you with problems, and tries to pick a fight with you.
Now notice this. Notice that the Amalekites never picked a fight with the children of Israel while they were slaves in Egypt because they were not a threat to the Amalekites nation. But as soon when the children of Israel was delivered and freed from the Egyptian slavary by the powerful hand of God, when they were now walking in a new land, Rephidim, walking as free men , free women, and children on their way to the promise land, that is when the Amalelikes came upon Israel to fight.
And this is how Satan operates. You see when you are in bondage in sin, when you are in bondage in drugs and alcohol, when you are in bondage to gang violence, when you are in bondage to sexual immorality, or whatever, the devil doesn’t bother you. But the moment you make up in your mind to repent of your sins, give your life to Jesus Christ to be saved, the moment you decide to live according to the word of God, the moment you decide that you are going to be a witness for Jesus Christ, the moment the Lord starts blessing you over and over again, that is when the devil is going to pick a fight with you. And always remember that the fight that the devil picks with you is not a physical fight, but rather a spiritual fight. For Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkeness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places.” And because we are fighting a spiritual warfare against the devil, we are instructed in Ephesians 6:10, to put on the “whole armour of God so we can stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Now notice what does Moses does when the children of Israel are ambushed by the Amalekites. Exodus 17:9-10 says, “And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill and with the Rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses and Hur went up to the top of the hill.”
Now there is a lesson we can learn right here. And the lesson is when you get ambushed by the devil, don’t quit and give up on life, but rather retreat and go back fight!!!! No matter how far you may have fallen, pick yourself up, and get back into the fight. Don’t never let the devil get the best of you just because you may have fell down in the fight because Greater is HE in you than he that is in the world, and you are more than a conqueror in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we all fall down, but we get up!
Now notice what Moses tell Joshua. He tells Joshua that he will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in his hand. In other words, Moses was telling Joshua that while you and rest of the men of Israel are fighting this battle with the Amalekites, I am going to be on the hill making intercession for you in prayer by holding up the rod of God above my head so God can help us defeat the Amalekites because if God can open up the Red Sea with the rod of God, certainly He can gives us victory over the Amalekites.
Now you must understand the reason why Moses went up the hill to make intercession in prayer for the children of Israel when they went out to fight the Amalekites. You see, on paper, the Amalekites should have soundly destroyed the children of Israel in this battle because they had years, decades, and centuries in fight battles. The children of Israel on the other hand had no experiences because all they knew how to do was to be slaves. But when you got God on your side….who can be against you? When you got God on your side, all things are possible. When you got God on your side, victory is yours because in Exodus 17:11-13 says, And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his had, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy: and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat theron: and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”
Now notice Moses needed help to keep his hands up while the children of Israel were fighting the Amalekites. There is a lesson to be learned here. And the lesson is, no matter how saved you may be, how sanctified you may be, or how filled with the Holy Ghost you may be, we all need some help in defeating the devil. We cannot not defeat the devil on our own. We need the prayers of righteous saints because the prayers of the righteous availed much. We need someone to encourage us when we are feeling down and out.
Yes, Moses was able to keep the rod of God over his head with the help of Aaron and Hur, and thus helped the children of Israel to defeat the Amalekites. But the glory and the praise goes to God for helping the children of Israel defeat the Amalekites. You see, the children of Israel had God on their side, and consequently , it helped them to defeat their enemies. Likewise, if we are going to be able to be victorious over our enemy, the devil we need to have Jesus Christ in our lives because it is through Jesus Christ that we can have victory over sin, over Satan(devil), victory over our problems, victory over peer pressure, victory over low self esteem, victory over drugs and alcohol, victory over obstacles, victory over stumbling blocks, victory over adverse circumstances , victory over setbacks. When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead with all power in his hands, He is victorious over death and hell. And if we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we can have the victory.
I Corinthians 15:57 says But thanks be to God that gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
I John 5:4-5 says, Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
