Tag: Strategy for Warfare

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Right thing, Wrong time

Grace and I were on our way to visit a church. I punched in the address in the GPS and we set off. According to the GPS, the journey should be about 26 minutes, that is, it should take us about 26 minutes to get to our destination. About 6 minutes into the journey, Grace asked, “Mummy, are you watching the map?” I then looked at the GPS, sighed and said, “I just added 3 minutes to our time.”

I missed a turn! I was distracted; I was engrossed in thought. I was not concentrating on or paying attention to the journey because my mind was preoccupied with what the Lord had revealed to me that morning during my time with Him. I was doing a good thing, a God-thing but at the wrong time. 

The consequence of my inattention was additional stops and ultimately delay. The initial route from the point where I veered off required 6 traffic lights stops but the route I ended up taking had over 15 traffic light stops. As I drove and waited at each traffic light, I fought the feelings of frustration that the wait invoked. I told myself there was nothing I could do, at this point, but stay the course and remain focused going forward so I can make it to my destination sooner than later.

As I talked myself into remaining calm, I pondered on how the delay meant that we would miss what was ministered to the congregation within the first 5 minutes of the 1-hour service as well as whatever else the Lord had prepared to release into our lives at that time. I saw how delay not only makes the heart sick but it robs us of some of what was rightfully prepared for us, while bringing into our lives unnecessary interruptions and the frustrations that accompany them.

I thought of my current journey and wondered:

  1. Could it be that the frustrations that I am experiencing is because of a delay?
  2. Could it be that I am doing the right thing but because of lack of focus I have fallen behind schedule and am no longer in sync with the timing of God?
  3. Could it be that the delay or setbacks I am blaming the adversary for are a result of my failure to be intentional or give keen attention to my journey?
  4. Could it be that I am doing the right thing but at the wrong time?

I am reminded of the five foolish virgins in the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25. The reason they did not experience their expected end (Jeremiah 29:11, KJV) was because they were doing the right thing at the wrong time.

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10, NIV). 

These virgins were doing the right thing: “going to those who sell oil and buying some for themselves” so that they could complete their assignment of lighting the path for the bridal procession. They ended up at the right destination: the wedding banquet but were denied access. Why? Although they were doing the right thing and were at the right place, they had missed the right time. Their lack of focus and attention during the journey opened the door to a delay that caused them to be out of time and to incur unnecessary sufferings.

Similarly, we are told in Luke 19:40-44 that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they missed their time of visitation and the price they would pay was untold sufferings.

On the other hand, the Shunnamite woman understood that it was not enough to do the right thing; the right thing must be done at the right time. 2 Kings 8 1-4 (NIV) tells us , “Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land.”

She moved in the timing prescribed and “It so happened that as Gehazi was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm” (2 Kings 8:5, MSG). The king ordered, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now” (2 Kings 8:6, NIV).

My dear friends, when we do the right things at the right time, we intercept the things that God has already prepared for us. But we must be mindful that it is possible to be following the leading of the Holy Spirit and still fall behind schedule. How? If we are not vigilant about distractions, especially those that stem from within – internal distractions- we can propagate a cycle of delay in our lives, limiting ourselves from being and doing ALL that the Lord God has fashioned us to be and do. In this year of recovery, let us be intentional about being on the lookout for distractions, staying focused, and endeavoring not only to obey but to be in time as well.

Let us pray: O Heavenly Father, please grant me the grace for discernment that you gave the sons of Issachar so I can understand not only what you want me to do but the right time at which it should be done. I break the cycle of delay over my life, in Jesus’ name, and receive strength to be vigilant as I follow the leading of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Tactical Disposition: LISTEN UP!

As some of you know, I am a special education teacher. I teach students with varying exceptionalities. One such exceptionality is ADHD. Students with ADHD have a difficult time staying focused. Consequently, they struggle with LISTENING UP! Unfortunately for them, they miss a lot of the instruction that is given in their general education classes, not because they were not present but, because they could not focus enough to listen. Thus their achievement at the end of the semester does not accurately reflect their potential.

As I think of my students, I wonder about myself. How many battles have I lost? How many blessings have I forfeited? How many opportunities have I missed? How are my life ‘s achievements much less than my God-given potential? All because I am having difficulty focusing on God’s voice; all because I fail to LISTEN UP!

Life can be really noisy and distracting. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines noisy as, “accompanied by or introducing random fluctuations that obscure the real signal or data.” Noisy! Noisy! Noisy! So many noises; so many loud, sometimes confused and senseless sounds, both on the inside and on the outside. So much noise that we can’t hear the voice of God. But thanks be to God, He has made provision for us to hear, to move past those signals intended to obscure his voice and enter a space where we can hear him clearly.

Jesus modeled this for us: escaping the noise and finding that space. Mark 1:35 states, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” The time of prayer and the place of prayer are important for how well we are able to hear. Jesus chose a time when the hustle and bustle of life was at a minimum. He also chose a place where he could be alone and undisturbed; a place where noise-infiltration will be reduced.

There is something about the time of prayer. The prophet Isaiah also spoke of this time of prayer, in the morning. He was referring to the Messiah in this passage, but it is also instructive for us. He says, “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned“ – Isaiah 50:4. The NIV says it this way, “He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.”

In the morning, I awake with a blessing, an anointing, with favor on my ears to hear God clearly; to hear His instructions so that I can be guided for the day. Notice what Isaiah was saying. When I hear as a student, as one being taught, then I am able to know what to say, how to respond in season, that is, what is the appropriate word or action for the occasion. When I hear as a student then God is able to fulfill this promise in my life – “ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” – Psalms 32:8.

When we position ourselves to LISTEN UP, by choosing our time and place of prayer, we position ourselves to receive instructions for battle, for blessings, and to discern opportunities. If we were to read further in Mark 1, after Jesus came out of that early morning prayer, He was empowered to preach and do miracles. Luke 6:12-13 provides us with another example of Jesus being selective about his time and place of prayer. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles….” We see that within that space he was able to hear clearly and receive instructions about who should be on his leadership team.

Position yourself to hear God’s voice; to be instructed!

Be selective about your time and place of prayer!

Make a choice to stop incurring avoidable losses. Make a choice to not forfeit any blessings. Make a choice to put an end to missed opportunities!

LISTEN UP!

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh what needless pains we bear.
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

Don’t just carry them to Him in prayer. Create the environment (that time and place of prayer) that will allow you access to hearing His voice so that you can leave with instructions for the manifestation of your victory.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly – Psalms 5:3 – LISTEN UP!

DIG DEEPER: Bible Study – Did you hear that?

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God’s Choice: Custom-made Battles

“Victory in warfare is a function of superiority of strategy.” – Pastor Sam Adeyemi

Exodus 13:17 – 14:31

God chooses our battles. He chooses when, where, and how we fight. Because the choice is His, if we follow His leading and guidance, we are assured to win.

Jeremiah 10:23 states, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” The wise man Solomon further explains that, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” – Proverbs 16:9.

God, in choosing our battles, considers our frame. He will not allow you to be tempted above that ye are able…. 1 Corinthians 10:13. Our battles are proportional to our strength.

God is not only able but He will. He will use the things in our environment that only He has control of (like the strong east wind) to make a way when none is visible. Solomon says that this ability of God is not just confined to nature, but even the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will (Proverbs 21:1).

The God that divided the waters and made a road in the sea can surely make a way of escape, a way of forward mobility for you. The way that God makes for you is yours. Your battles are custom-made for you, designed just for you. They were made to individual specifications. No one else can fit like you can. When they try to walk where you have walked in battle, they will experience defeat and destruction.

The sea represented the roadblock/obstacle/hindrance to their deliverance. But the sea also became their way of escape. What was their way of escape was the tool of destruction for their pursuers, their enemies. The way that God makes for you is for you. For others, it may be a tool of destruction, but for you a means of deliverance. WALK INTO THE MIDST OF THE SEA!

Your victory is assured this day. All that is required of you is great trust in God and expeditious movement.  Will you trust that God has the superior strategy for your life today?

MOVEMENT + TRUST = VICTORY

DIG DEEPER:

  1. Devotional – All for His Glory!
  2. Bible Study – Superior Strategy
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TACTICAL DISPOSITION: Being Still

In my previous blog posts, I have been emphasizing the need for strategy as we engage in warfare in the kingdom. When I referred to strategy, I defined it as a plan of action to achieve an overall goal. So, for example, if our goal is the salvation of our spouse or children, our strategy will describe the plan of action that we are putting in place to achieve this. We would ask questions like: What approach will I take? Or What is the general direction I intend to take to achieve this goal?

However, it is not enough to have a strategy or overall plan for our warfare. After we have identified our strategy for warfare, we must then pinpoint the tactics needed to carry out that plan. Tactics are those specific actions that we employ to implement the strategy or plan.

It is important to note that this word, actions, may be misleading in that it implies (1) the process of doing something or (2) an active response or resistance. Scripture reveals a tactical position of seeming inaction or passivity (without active response or resistance). I call it the Tactical Disposition of Being Still.

As women, we often find it hard to “Be Still”. We wear so many hats that, without thinking, we often find our hands dipping in many things simultaneously. Consequently, there are times when our victory lies not in actively doing something or “waging warfare”. There are times when the tactical position for victory is just “being still”.

But what does it mean to be still? Psalms 46:10 as stated in the Amplified Bible says, “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God”. Being still is leaving off or abandoning our own attempts and allowing God to be God in a situation; trusting that, without our help, He will be exalted in the situation. He will win and so will we.

Being Still is about ceasing from our labors, refraining from making inputs, relaxing our hold, and letting go so that God can show His might and His deliverance in the battle. When we are directed by the Holy Spirit to employ this tactic, we are afforded an opportunity to see God as the King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

I must confess that, for me, this has been one of the most difficult tactical dispositions in my warfare: being still. But thanks be to God, through His precious Holy Spirit, I am learning that quietness and confidence can be my strength (Isaiah 30:15). I am learning that as a wife and mother, I have been given a grace of influence that works best in an environment of stillness. I can choose to build my home with this grace, resting confidently in the Lord, or tear down what I am seeking to build by charging loudly and aggressively ahead.

I invite you to come with me as we discover The Power of Quiet Influence (Devotional) and how to be A Wise Builder (Bible Study).

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Do You Have a Strategy for Your Warfare?

To Fight or Not to Fight? That is the question.

Like Goliath, for some of you, the adversary has been challenging you in an area of your life for some time now. For others there is an issue or problem confronting you that you find difficult to overcome or solve. Still for others there is that goal that you want to achieve, but it presents a huge challenge.

In all of these cases, warfare is required. But what do you do? You have two options: To Fight or Not to Fight. Whatever your choice, you will need to decide on a strategy, choose a tactical position for your warfare.

Recently, I have been reading the book, The Art of War by Sun-Tzu, and it confirms so much that I have learned from the word of God as it relates to waging a good warfare. As I read it, I constantly hear the questions ringing in my spirit – Do you have a strategy for your warfare? What is your strategy for your warfare?

Read and ponder on some of what I have been reading from this book:

EXCERPT FROM The Art of War by Sun-Tzu

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. If he can fight, he advances and takes the offensive; if he cannot fight, he retreats and remains on the defensive. He will invariably conquer who knows whether it is right to take the offensive or defensive.

Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.

On the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics. The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. The ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

It is imperative to have a strategy for your warfare. Your choice of strategy will be determined by your knowledge of yourself and your adversary. Until you are able to come to grips with both yourself and the adversary, your strategy for warfare will not result in victory.

This week’s Bible Study and Devotional focus will be on three women (Rebekah, Rachel, and Hannah) who faced a similar adversary but made 3 different decisions on whether To FIGHT or Not To FIGHT. Join me as we use their testimonies to learn how to wage a good warfare against the challenges before us.

DIG DEEPER:

  1. Devotional – To Fight or Not To Fight?
  2. Bible Study – Watch Your Warfare!