Fri.’s Devo - Spiritual Warfare

Read: Joshua 9:3-10:43; Luke 16:19-17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4 The people of Gibeon realized they were no match for Israel and their army so they resorted to deception. They knew that God had given them all the land including their land but their land had boundaries. They wanted Israel to think they lived outside the boundary so they put on old ragged clothes and packed old bags with moldy bread and old wineskins. They approached them and told them they were from a land far away and begged them to make a treaty with them. Joshua assessed the situation and made his decision based on what he saw with his eyes. He did not ask God about it. After he had sworn to be their allies and protect them in war, they found out they lived three days away. They confronted them but there was nothing they could do but make them servants. They made them carry their wood and water. *** The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-zedek found out what Gibeon had done so he got four more kings to join him in attacking Gibeon. Since Israel had made a covenant with them they had to help them. God sent a hail storm to kill many of the enemy. Joshua prayed that God would keep the sun shining so they could finish the battle in the light. God did and the sun stood still until Joshua had won. *** The five kings had hid in a cave but Joshua found where they were and had the entrance sealed during the battle. Once they had won, they brought out the kings and had his commanders put their feet on their necks as a prophetic sign of what they would do to all God’s enemies. Then he had he kings impaled on poles until the evening. Their bodies were put back into the cave and the entrance sealed. The battles in the Old Testament are pictures of how spiritual warfare is fought. They had to bind their kings first. Mark 3:27 says, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong map and then he will spoil his house.” *** Jesus gave a very powerful story to show how things flip in God’s kingdom and the last will be first. He also make the point that everyone is responsible for the truth. *** Jesus said that we will always be tempted with sin, but we need to not be the tempter. Instead, we need to be the one who forgives sin. Jesus told them that it doesn’t take much faith to cause a response. First we learn to be the servant. *** Lord, may we take authority over our enemies and not let them have a foot hold in our lives. We pray healing, health, blessings and provision. Increase our faith as we exercise what you have given us.