This blog post is dedicated to my Pastor Joshua Randolph. He preached a word on Sunday and I have been studying and meditating on it all week long.

For many of us this has been a very difficult and trying year. It has been one obstacle after another. Sometimes you feel like you can’t catch a break.

As I studied the word God gave me a formula to share. From now on we will not be caught off guard, we will stay ready and we will be equipped for any and everything that comes our way.

Isaiah 59:19b
When the enemy comes in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

The word standard used in this scripture  is a banner which represents or is used by a leader to signify His position of authority, particularly in battle. His standard. As we talk about authority Luke 10:19 NKJV states Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpeants and scorpions and all the power of the enemy, and nothing by any means hurt you.

So now we know God has authority and has given us that same authority. So how do we use it or what do we do when we are being attacked by the enemy?

We must first recognize according to the following 2 scriptures: II Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Ephesians 6:12 KJV For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places

Here is an example in scripture on how to fight this battle and how to use our God given authority and remember it’s not with our fists.

2 Chronicles 20New King James Version (NKJV)

Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir Defeated

20 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, andothers with them besides the Ammonites,^[a] came to battle against Jehoshaphat.² Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria;^[b] and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). ³ And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek theLord.

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,⁶ and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, areYou not God in heaven, and do You notrule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? ⁷ Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? ⁸ And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’¹⁰ And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— ¹¹ here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyesare upon You.”

¹³ Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.

¹⁴ Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not needto fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of theLord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for theLord is with you.”

¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat bowed his head withhis face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.¹⁹ Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

²⁰ So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in theLord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” ²¹ And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”^[c]

²² 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. ²³ For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

²⁴ So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

²⁵ When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies,^[d] and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.²⁶ And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah^[e] until this day. ²⁷ Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of theLord. ²⁹ And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

Now let’s take a look at all that we just read.
King Jehoshaphat was ruler at the time and he was warned that his kingdom was gonna be attacked by rival Syrian nations that the Lord himself spared when he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Now this was a huge army and the King himself was fearful however look what he did first, despite his fear:

1. In verse 3 he set himself to seek the Lord and called a fast throughout all Judah and they all obeyed and sought the Lord

2. He gathered the people together and he himself prayed to God and he reminded God through prayer that he has authority over all nations and asked God to save them from destruction. He recognized that this was a battle that was too great for them and could not be won with weapons

3. They waited for instruction from the Lord. I’m verses 15-17 he told them tomorrow go down against them. You will not need to fight this battle. Just position yourselves and make your presence known. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord

4. Once they received the word of the Lord they bowed down in worship before the Lord and sang praises unto Him in verses 18 and 19

5. The day of the battle Jehoshaphat encourage the people to believe in the Lord to continue to have faith in God, then he appointed those to sing and praise the Lord. Now as they began to sing and praise the Lord. The Lord set ambushments against the armies they turned on one another and killed each other one by one. They went and looked over the hill and saw that all their enemies were dead. They rejoiced and retrieved all the spoils of war and did not lift a finger. It took them 3 days to gather the goods because it was so many.

Seeking God for directions, worshipping and praising him in the midst of the battle and trusting and believing that God is who he says he is and he will do what he said he will do is the formula for every battle you face. Every trial you face! Witness victory after victory. Let the Lord fight your battles! Give him all the Glory!
Remember step one is to pray and wait for instructions
Step 2 is to worship and praise him
Step 3 is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. To keep the faith and to trust and believe!

Sicily has spoken!