Lesson 9 Fighting in the Shadow of the Cross
Question 2
Learning How to Fight
But meanwhile, you have to learn how to fight! Indeed, did you know that the very reason drunkenness, cigarettes, or drugs tempt you, the reason you have enemies stronger than yourself, is so that you would finally learn to fight like a soldier in the Lord’s army?
Listen to this:
“These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience.)”
Judges 3:1-2
Did you see that? The Lord could have removed every nation in the promised land so the Israelites could go skipping in and settle down and get rich off the land. But no, He left strong nations in the promised land “to teach warfare” to those who “had not had previous battle experience.”
The Lord could remove all opportunities for you to get drunk, smoke, or escape into a drug-induced fantasy world, make it so that you wouldn’t have to see those tempting things or ever be tempted by them again, but instead, He wants to teach you warfare, soldier! He wants to teach you how to fight your flesh, the world, and the devil.
So fight it we will! And if we’re going to learn how to fight, then we better learn to fight God’s way, not the world’s way and find victory through God’s power, not our own.
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
1 Corinthians 1:25
So, how’s it going with your battle plan you developed? Does it need adjustments or tweaking in any way?
Question 2. How is the implementation of your battle plan? Is there anything that needs to change in it? Please share:
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Did you notice in 1 Corinthians 1:25 that "the foolishness of God is wiser" than human wisdom? The “foolishness” of God was to hang His Son on a tree to forgive our sin and remove our guilt. Human wisdom puts us to work keeping laws, doing steps, and working programs to try to accomplish what’s already been done by Jesus.
And did you see that the weakness of God is stronger than human strength? Look at Jesus hanging on a cross, and there you will see weakness displayed. And yet, in that one act, Jesus rescued us from darkness, redeemed us from slavery, and reconciled us to the Father. These are all things that the strength of man cannot do.