Title: The Way to Victory in Spiritual Warfare
Exodus (45) The way to victory in spiritual warfare (Exodus 17:8-16)
1. Don't fall behind
At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites had two obstacles. One, there was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who was biting from behind to keep him from leaving Egypt, and the Amalekites who blocked him from going forward (verse 8). Even for us who have been saved like that, the world tempts us from behind and Amalek blocks us from the front.
At that time, the Amalekites did not attempt an all-out war and attacked only the weak and sick who fell behind because the Israelites were tired during the march (Deuteronomy 25:17-18). How savage are you? Who is Satan targeting? The main targets of attack are those who fall behind in the procession of faith, those who are far from the seat of grace and far from the holy vision, those who wander without assurance of faith, and those who do not belong to the center of the church and live their faith like spectators.
After all, the scariest thing in life of faith is falling behind. When was Peter put to the test? When Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, he followed Jesus from a distance, so he was put into a temptation and denied the Lord with a single word from the maidservant. Even Peter, the Lord's chief disciple, can be defeated by Satan if he falls behind. Therefore, no matter what trials you face, do not fall behind and always try to be at the forefront of grace.
2. Surrender to God
The war in the text was actually going on in two places. One was the battle in the valley that was fought through Joshua, and the other was the spiritual war that was fought through Moses' prayer on the hill. When problems arise, always think of the spiritual battle behind reality. Therefore, in any case, we must not fall into the conceit that we can do everything by ourselves without God.
According to the text, Amalek was not a happy being. The two camps fought a tight push-and-pull all day long. At that time, it was not Joshua's strategy, the number of troops, and the number and quality of weapons that determined victory or defeat, but the "condition of Moses' hands" (verse 11). At that time, Moses raised his hand to win, and lowered his hand to lose. Therefore, in order to win the war against Amalek, Moses' hand had to be raised. What does it mean when Moses raises his hand? It means surrendering to God.
In world warfare, surrender is the end, but in spiritual warfare, if you surrender with both hands up to God, victory begins from that point. Therefore, raise your hands to God and always live with this confession. "God! I can't do it on my own. Success in life is entirely in the hands of God. God is the owner of my life and business, and the owner of my family.” When we surrender to God like that, the history of victory will begin.
3. Pray for each other
When Moses raised his hand in the text, it has the meaning of surrender, but it also has the meaning of prayer. Likewise, when the hands of prayer go up, we win the spiritual war, but when the hands of prayer go down, we lose in the spiritual war. In particular, the scene in the text teaches three important principles of prayer. How should we pray when we pray?
First, pray specifically. Why did Moses go up to the mountain to pray with Aaron and Hur in the war against Amalek? It must have been to offer a realistic prayer. How seriously would you pray if you could see all the battle scenes before your eyes? As such, prayer should be a concrete prayer that clearly depicts dreams and visions.
Second, pray together. Look at the scene where Moses, Aaron, and Hur work together to pray. It is necessary to pray with several people physically together, but more importantly, pray with one mind. In particular, it is most important for the family to pray with one heart. Aaron is Moses' older brother, and Hur is believed to be Miriam's older brother-in-law. After all, all three of them were elderly people, but they did not have the strength or energy, but when they held hands with love for each other, amazing spiritual powers appeared. So pray with one accord.
Third, pray from behind. Then Moses, Aaron, and Hur prayed earnestly from the top of the mountain for war in the valley. Some of the soldiers who went to the battlefield at that time might have thought, “Why does Moses only send us to the battlefield and pray alone on that hill?” But because Moses, Aaron, and Hur interceded from behind, they were able to win the war. Likewise, the work of intercession in the rear is just as important as the work in the front.
Sometimes it is difficult for me to live alone, but there are people who think about how to help and pray for others and give up missionary work and prayer altogether. When everyone thinks that way, they quickly become spiritually tired and eventually become a spiritual loser. Even if we are weak and difficult, when we help each other and pray for each other, the works of blessing will appear. Spiritual warfare is a battle of prayer. So, no matter how hard or tired you are, never stop praying. Even if there are many temptations and trials, if the worship life and prayer life are alive, the work of victory will surely unfold.
During World War II, Winston Churchill visited a coal mining village. He gave his famous speech in front of numerous miners. “In the future, when people ask what you did during the war, some will say that they fought on battleships, and some would say that they fought bloody in front of bullets from the front line, but you will also be proud to say, ‘I move the trains that transport soldiers to the front lines and move them. , the soldiers were digging deep into deep pits to thaw their frozen hands and stay in warm barracks'. You are great too.”
As such, the prayer work behind the scenes is a great work that is not easily revealed. In the future, when you stand before God later, when God asks, “What have you done on this earth?” then answer this way. "God! I tried to raise my brother who had fallen, prayed for the church, family, and children, and prayed at my knees every morning with the vision of sharing and mission in particular.” Who is the Blessed One? Those who quietly open their hands of prayer every day are the most blessed.