Zion Aperture

How to Leave a Bootprint on the Face of the Enemy

I have heard so many reports of people feeling as if they are in the midst of a battle this week (or this month, or this year). I know I have felt battle weary myself, and I wanted to encourage you: Do not lose heart!! God IS on our side!! Although many times life can throw us curve balls, I really believe that right now we are under the attack of the enemy. But, I also believe that he has revealed himself, is firing all weapons and that his "shields are down"! It is the perfect time to counter his attack. So how should we proceed??

Judges 1 and Judges 20 tell of two separate instances where Israel was faced with a battle and upon asking God which tribe should go first, God commanded, "Judah!" Judah was Jacob's fourth son born to Leah. Genesis 29:35 says "And [Leah] conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she called his name Judah." (Genesis 29:35) The name Judah actually comes from the Hebrew praise word yadah: to praise with the hands, make a proclamation; the Magnify Principle. When we lift our hands and make a proclamation of who He is, we essentially bring Him closer revealing that He is indeed much larger than our circumstance. God wanted Judah to lead the advance in battle because it reminded everyone involved how great He truly is.

In 2 Chronicles 20, the tribe of Judah is surrounded by three enemy armies. When Jehoshaphat prayed and asked the Lord what they should do, God's reply was, "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!" (verse 17) At battle time "[Jehoshaphat] appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness...Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated." (vs. 21a and 22) Woohoo!! Worship in action right there!

I came across an article (http://www.blackandchristian.com/articles/pew/patrick-04-03.shtml) by Donna Ray Patrick about sending Judah first and here was her closing encouragement: "I want to challenge those of you who may be neck-deep in battle right now. In the heat of our spiritual battle let Judah go up first. Let the praises of God go forth out of your mouth. Let the praises of God be as rivers of living water flowing from your belly (John 7:38). Before you spend hours just talking about the problem and how bad things are, stir up the power that God has already given you in your praise to Him; sacrificial though it may be. This is the kind of praise that reaches the heart of God. It is this kind of faith-building praise that will sustain you while you wait on God. This is the kind of praise that will keep you focused on God's promise, His plan, and His provision; it will keep you grounded in His faithfulness, and determined to press into your blessing."

When we praise and worship our God, the enemy shakes in his boots, because we remind him of the things that God has already done; we remind him that our God has already won; we remind him of his right place under our feet!! Let's stand our ground, lift our hands and voices, worship our God together and see the enemy scattered!!!