Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.” 2 Samuel 10:9-12 NIV
Satan is a formidable enemy and sometimes we look at our lives and we see that he is waging war on all sides. There are battle lines in front of us and battle lines behind us. So what do we do when his attack is strong and there seems to be no safe way out? We solicit the help of others, but not just anyone, the ones we would consider the “best troops.” What qualifications would the best troops possess?
- They must understand the battle and be grounded in the truth!
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV
- They must be well armed!
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle 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 in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-27 NIV
- They must be prayer warriors, realizing that some battles are only won through prayer!
A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” …After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Mark 9:17-18, 28-29 NIV
One of the biggest blessings of being part of the family of God is that we have the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ! I love the plan of Joab, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.” That’s the way we should all work together within the church. That’s the picture Jesus had in mind when He talked about the church being one.
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12b NLT
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as we battle Satan bravely together, we always trust God with the results. “Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.” There is simply no better way to approach life and to battle the attacks of the enemy, than to fight hard and leave the results to God. For God will always do what is good in His sight!