22/09/2015 - THE BEGINNING OF VICTORY

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Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 7.7

Whoever is following divine orientations should not be frightened with the enemy’s attitudes, for the Lord, who knows and sees all, is watchful to keep and protect His people. There is nothing that has been thought, by whomever it may be, that the Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent God might not know. If we are well with Him, we should not fear any threat from the enemy, for they will all fail.

The Most High has the most efficient resources to guide His people towards deliverance, but He will never use dishonest ways. The best thing we can do is to watch and pray so that we do not fall in temptation, and therefore, we will not give the devil power to attack us. Even if everything may seem to attest that we will not make it, we cannot be driven by despair, for there is no way how the evil one can touch even in a strand of hair of who is in the Lord.

The demons use people, who are disconnected to God, that “dig” their own grave. Unfortunately, we have already seen this happening dozens of times and we will still see more. Many of these people are wonderful; yet if they are influenced by any kind of temptation, they leave the Word’s precepts, and suffer a terrible fate. May the heavenly Father have mercy on your life so that you may not be disqualified, amen?

The Philistines heard that the people of Israel had congregated in Mizpah, in order to seek the Most High. If they had had the same desire, their fate might have been another. Why should a servant of God insist in trying to sue his brother in Christ if the Word prohibits this explicitly (1 Co 6.4-7)? Even if you are completely right, due to the Biblical prohibition, suffer a loss – it is better to be rewarded by the Lord.

It does not matter if a person is lost or saved. When he fights against God’s servants, he writes his own defeat. The Philistines were evil, and as soon as they knew of the presence of the Israelites in Mizpah, they decide to fight them and destroy them all, for they were unarmed for battle. However, the Lord, who has made promises to His people and fulfills them, was ready and watchful to operate. 

In the human aspect, the threat was serious. The children of Israel feared and asked Samuel to continue praying for them. The prophet knew how to proceed: he offered a holocaust and prayed to the God of promises. Then, in the same moment, the Man of War entered in action, sending a great storm that made the Philistines flee away terrified.

God hears not only when His people pray, but also when an individual or family asks for the divine help. As the Israelites saw the Lord’s action, they got excited, advanced against the Philistines and destroyed them completely. Do not let the enemy regroup; go until the end so that he never rises again.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares