How to Fight the Devil and Win
By Pastor Jim May
2 Chronicles 20:1,13-28
Here is the story of one of the most one-sided battles in the annals of human history. The children of Moab, Ammon and mount Sier had risen in rebellion against King Jehoshaphat of Isreal.
This morning we spoke about how that we should leave a legacy for future generations to follow. We should lead them to worship the Lord by example. Now I want to show you something in this passage that you may not know.
Who were these enemies that were rising against the King of Israel? Where did they come from? Who were their ancestors?
Moab was one of the sons of Lot who was Abraham’s nephew. Do you remember the story of Lot? Most of us will quickly say that we do, especially since Lot’s wife was the one who turned to a pillar of salt because she looked back upon the world that was once her home with a longing to be back there even though God had told them to leave and not look back. Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities that were filled with the gay crowd, the lesbians and homosexuals who lived outwardly in defiance of the laws of God and of nature, were about to be destroyed by the judgment fires of God.
Lot had chosen to take the easy path, but where did it lead him? He lost his family, his soul was grieved for the sin around him, and he even tried to give up his two daughters to the lusts of the crowd to protect the two strangers who stayed in his house. He had lost touch with God. Did he know who those two strangers were? Why was he so willing to allow his own daughters to suffer for them? Did Lot not have enough faith to even believe that two angels could take care of themselves, even in the midst of such sin and gross darkness of evil? It seems that Lot had lost more than he had ever hoped to gain in such a condition.
I doubt that he ever really erased the memories of Sodom and Gomorrah. His soul had been vexed but yet he refused to leave until God forced him to. I wonder how much of his heart was still in that place of sin? And I wonder how much of the idolatry, the debauchery and the evil of that city had been engrained into both his own heart and the heart and minds of Lot’s children. Lot’s actions had sown seeds of idolatry and now those seeds had matured into children who hated Israel, yet had one time been a part of the heirs of promise.
How many people have lost out with God only to turn against the church and against the ministry with a vengeance? How many have been given over to a reprobate mind because they allowed the things of this world to destroy the love of God, and the knowledge of God that once was in them?
Moab was one of Lot’s sons but now he was leading an army of his people against Israel to cast them from the Promised Land. Along with Moab came the Sons of Ammon. Ammon was the eldest son of Lot and it seems that his father’s example was forever burned into the heart of this son. How many times had Ammon and Moab heard Lot long for the happier days when his wife was yet alive and his business in Sodom was flourishing? Can we not see now why God told Lot to never look back?
As long as we dwell in the past, we will only remember the good times. Satan has a way of erasing from your memory in time, the bad things that have happened. If you lived a life of sin in the past, you will easily remember all the times that you laughed, felt high, felt as though you were on top of the world, and all the times that you spent with your friends just living it up. But it will be hard to remember the times that you came home late at night and didn’t know where you were, or woke up the next morning wondering where you were and sick as a dog. You won’t remember the neglect of your family or the sinful heart that condemned you the whole time.
Along with Moab and Ammon came the children from mount Seir. These were some of the original people of the region that should have been wiped out when Israel came in the first time, but now they too were coming back to haunt Israel for its disobedience.
King Jehoshaphat was worried. Who wouldn’t be with three armies poised to invade and conquer your land with overwhelming numbers. Israel couldn’t hope to stand against such a powerful force as this.
I’ve been there and felt outnumbered and outgunned in this spiritual warfare that I’m fighting. The spirit is always willing but the flesh is sometimes so very weak. We all tend to look at our battle through the eyes of flesh and we forget that it is always God who fights our battles.
These 3 armies weren’t just coming to defeat Jehoshaphat, they were coming to rid the Promised Land of every man of Israel once and for all. They had the power to do it now as far as they were concerned and nothing could stop them. I wonder if they sat in their tents on the hills around Israel and the camp of King Jehoshaphat and laughed about the coming victory. They just knew that battle was theirs.
But what they didn’t count on was the God of Israel. Brother and sister, we may not have the power to overcome the devil in this fight we are in, but praise the Lord, the God that is in me is greater than any enemy that comes my way. What have I to dread? What have I to fear when I’m leaning on the His everlasting arms?
Jeshoshaphat may have had a weak army but he had a strong faith in God so he fell on his face before the Lord to seek for God’s help.
That’s always the first step toward winning any fight over the devil – Fall on your face before God and seek his wisdom!
God heard Jehoshaphat’s cry and he dispatched the answer through the priesthood that God had set in place. Jahaziel brought the good news. Israel had nothing to fear for God would fight for them.
Just go get into position to make the enemy think that you are going to fight him, but stand still and let the Lord fight the battle for you. That was God’s instructions to Jehoshaphat and to you and I right now.
“Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” - He spoke it Israel at the Red Sea. He spoke it Joshua at Jericho. He spoke here to Jehoshphat in Israel. And he still says the same thing today. “Stand still and let the Lord fight your battle. You can’t win it anyway. You don’t have the power to overcome all your enemies, but your God does and it is the delight of his heart to fight the battle for you.”
That’s the second step to winning your battles against the devil. Let the Lord do the fighting. You just pray and then stand still and watch what God does next!
The third step is that you get rid of the doubts and fears that will try to overwhelm you. It was easy for Israel to believe in God fighting the battle as long they weren’t facing the immediate threat of the enemy but now they were face to face, sword to sword and this is where their faith met the road.
Jehoshaphat calmed their fears and restated God’s command to stand still.
You see, that’s what we are commanded to do. When you have done all you can just stand still, that’s all. Just stand still and let the Lord fight your battle against sin and the devil.
So Israel stood still, and that night they kept a watch while the rest of the camp rested in peaceful sleep, knowing that God was watching over them.
Isn’t that the kind of sleep that you need? Don’t you need to know that God is in control and watching over you? Stand still, calm your fears, let faith arise in your heart, and then rest in the arms of God. He won’t let you down.
As Israel went out of the camp we find the final and greatest step in fighting and winning over the devil. Jehosphaphat had fallen on his face in prayer, God had answered with direction, Israel was only to stand still and see the victory won by God, and now they were to obey God, march out and face the enemy, but they were to march out with loud singing and praises to the God of Heaven for his great mercy.
This was a prayer and praise of faith and trust in God. God inhabits the praises of His people and Israel knew it. Their praise reached to the throne of God and God answered by bringing the great victory on their behalf.
The Ammonites, and the Moabites and the children of mount Seir had come to lay an ambush against Israel to wipe them out. But they were ambushed by the great God of Israel and not a man of them escaped. Israel never shot an arrow, never swung a sword, never threw a single spear, and yet every enemy was dead on the battlefield. God’s wrath had slain them in the night and the battle was won.
Now came the time to rejoice in the victory. Those enemy soldiers had worn all of their jewelry, precious stones and gold into the battle. They were so overconfident that they couldn’t lose that they just didn’t worry about their wealth. Now that wealth belonged to Israel and it took them three days just to gather it up and they had trouble finding enough vessels to carry it back to Jerusalem.
God had a great victory for you as well if you will just let him fight your battles for you. He already has an ambush laid for the powers of hell and the devil. He has built the Lake of Fire for their eternal punishment.
But what spoils of the battle has he given to you and I? We have all of the glories of Heaven and the riches of the grace of God as our own. We are heirs and joint heirs with Christ to all that Heaven is and has to offer!
My friend let the Lord fight your battles. Rest in Him and then get ready for the time of rejoicing after the battle is over. God has some wonderful things in store for you!
