But the Word of God says!

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 (NKJV): "When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them."

The Hebrew title for the book of Deuteronomy is 'Haddebharim'; 'ha' meaning 'the', and 'dabar' meaning 'Word', taken from the opening phrase in Deuteronomy 1:1 that says, 'These are the words...', addressed to the new generation destined to possess the Promised Land (i.e. those who survived the forty years of wandering in the wilderness). This book is therefore God's words ('dabar') for the new generation of people, a 'picture' of you and I in the New Covenant today!

The 'land' (i.e. the Promised Land) mentioned in Deuteronomy 7:1-2 speaks of 'God's inheritance and promises for your life'. Notice it is the Lord your God who 'brings you into the land' and 'has cast out many nations before you'.

The 'seven nations' mentioned here are 'symbolic' of 'the enemies illegally occupying your 'land' (i.e. your life, family, ministry, or vocation)', just like sicknesses (and viruses) illegally occupying your body! You see, these 'nations' were not supposed to be there in the Promised Land! They are the 'illegal occupants', and they have not been given the permission from the Lord to occupy the land!

Genesis 15:18-21 says, '...the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates - the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."'

Notice the word 'covenant' here? It means an agreement or a promise that cannot be broken! Notice 'To your descendants' here? Abraham's descendants! Are you Abraham's descendants? Yes! Galatians 3:29 says, 'And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed (i.e. offspring, descendants), and heirs according to the promise'!

Let's study some Hebrew words now to find out the symbolic meanings of each of these 'seven nations', and how 'you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them' (see Deuteronomy 7:2 again) - by the Word of God!

Hittites
'Khittee' in Hebrew, from the word 'khayth', meaning 'fear, terror, dread'.
The first weapon the enemy usually comes against you is by causing fear, terror or dread.
But the Word of God says:
'You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked' (Psalm 91:5-8)
'For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind' (2 Timothy 1:7)

Girgashites
'Girgashiy' in Hebrew, from the word 'garah', meaning 'strive, contention'.
The enemy likes it when you strive and struggle, instead of relying on God's grace (ability, supply) and being at rest in the Lord.
But the Word of God says:
'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you' (2 Chronicles 20:15, 2 Chronicles 20:17)
'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge' (Psalm 46:10-11)

Amorites

'Emoriy' in Hebrew, from the word 'amar', meaning 'challenge, boasting'.

The enemy likes to boast against you, and taunt you into giving up, like what Goliath did to Israel.

But the Word of God says:

'You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied' (1 Samuel 17:45)

'Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands' (1 Samuel 17:47)

Canaanites

'Kenaaniy' in Hebrew, from the word 'kenaan', meaning 'humiliation, shame'.

The enemy likes to humiliate you and shame you, reminding you of those dark past, sins and mistakes of yours.

But the Word of God says:

'Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth' (Isaiah 54:4-5)

'There is therefore now no (never, not at all, not even one) condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit' (Romans 8:1)

Perrizites

'Perizziy' in Hebrew, from the word 'paraz', meaning 'separation, nakedness'.

The enemy wants to separate you from God, just as he did to Adam and Eve (they saw their own nakedness and began to hide from God).

But the Word of God says:

'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us' (Romans 8:35, Romans 8:37)

'For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 8:38-39)

Hivites

'Khivvee' in Hebrew, from the word 'khavvaw', meaning 'smallness, self-pity'.

The enemy wants to make you feel 'small', miserable and discouraged, like a snake (a python that 'constricts the victim') squeezes life and energy out of you.

But the Word of God says:

'What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies' (Romans 8:31-33)

'You are of God, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)

Jebusites

'Yebuwciy' in Hebrew, from the word 'yebuwc', meaning 'trample, oppression'.

The enemy wants to trample you (put you down), making you oppressed and depressed, so you will not fulfill all that the Lord wants you to fulfill.

But the Word of God says:

'Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you' (Luke 10:19)

'All (any, every, the whole, whatsoever) authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen' (Matthew 28:18-20)

People of God, whatever the 'illegal occupants' may be in your life at the moment, speak and declare the Word of God aloud, so that your ears will hear! Romans 10:17 says, 'So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God'! You may even want to 'personalize' these words of the Lord for yourself! Go ahead! And this is how you overcome! By the Word of God that you speak and declare aloud! 1 John 5:4 says, 'For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith'!

Hallelujah! Amen!

No weapon formed against you shall prosper!

I heard these words from the Lord recently:
"This is a month I will teach you and lead you to triumph in your spiritual warfare! Whatever your spiritual warfare may be at the moment, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn! By the Blood and by the Word! So, fear not! Victory has already been won for you! Claim it! Receive it!"

Revelation 12:7-9 (NKJV) says, 'And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him'.

Revelation 12:10-12 (NKJV) continues, 'Then I (John) heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation (Yeshuwah), and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the BLOOD of the Lamb and by the WORD of their testimony..."'

By the Blood (of Christ) and by the Word (of Christ)! That's exactly how John saw the people of the Lord overcome the devil! That's all they needed! And the same it is for you and I today!

Let's do a simple checklist.
Has the Blood (of Christ) been shed for you? Yes! Some 2,000 years ago! (see Ephesians 1:7)
Has the Word (of Christ) been given to you? Yes! When He came on earth! (see John 1:14)

And there you are! The truth is you ALREADY have everything you need to triumph in warfare today! Victory has already been won for you on the cross!

Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV) says, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ'.

See the words 'who has blessed us' here? Notice it is not written 'who will soon bless us', but written 'who has blessed us'! It means as a believer in Christ Jesus, you are not 'trying to get it' (trying to earn it or achieve it), but you ALREADY have it!

Now watch the word 'every' in this verse. It is translated in King James Version (KJV) as 'all'. In Greek, it is even better! It can mean 'all, any, every, the whole of, whatsoever'! Wow! In other words, our Abba Father in heaven has blessed us with 'all, any, every, the whole of, whatsoever' spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ!

Some may ask, "But why are there so many Christians not living in victory?" Because they do not know! They do not know they have ALREADY been given everything they need in order to live in victory! The Bible says, 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...' (Hosea 4:6) And this knowledge is not just head knowledge, but revelation knowledge!

"Now that I know, what should I do now?"

Ephesians 6:10-11 says, 'Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (schemings) of the devil'. Ephesians 6:13 then says, 'Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand'.
And finally, Ephesians 6:14 says, 'Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness...'

See the word 'stand' mentioned three times here? The number 'three' in Hebrew numeric can mean 'perfect testimony, invincibility'. Let Scripture interpret Scripture, and we shall go all the way to 2 Chronicles 20 now. Here, it happened that a great multitude (the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir) came to battle against Judah, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah began to seek the Lord for help (2 Chronicles 20:1-4). The Spirit of the Lord then came upon Jahaziel, 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... You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation (Yeshuwah) of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.'" (2 Chronicles 20:15-17)

Notice the word 'stand' here? In Hebrew, this word is 'aw-mad', and it can mean 'to present self'. See? Your part is to present yourself (and not absent yourself!) and watch the Salvation (Yeshuwah) of the Lord, who is with you! As for Jehoshaphat, he appointed those who should sing praises to the Lord, and when they began singing praises to the Lord, the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir were so confused that they began to destroy one another! (see 2 Chronicles 20:19-30)

People of God, just as for Jehoshaphat, the Lord your God will also give you the strategies for victory, when you seek Him and ask of Him!

What is the 'warfare' you are facing now?
Against: Spirit of death? Spirit of infirmities? Spirit of lack? Spirit of fear? Spirit of discouragement? The list goes on.
Symptoms: You have tried everything you know how in the natural, but it still comes attacking you!
Then you know this 'war' is invisible, and it is spiritual.
The fact is the devil hates you, and will throw 'darts' at you whenever there's an opportunity! But fear not! Because He (the Lord) who is in you is greater than he (the devil) who is in the world! (1 John 4:4)

Not convinced? Here's the difference between the Lord your God and the devil:
1. The Lord your God is omniscient (all-knowing). But the devil does not know everything.
Otherwise he wouldn't have put Jesus on the cross, and got himself 'checkmated'! (see Hebrews 10:12-14)
2. The Lord your God is omnipotent (all-powerful). But the devil is not all-powerful. Otherwise he wouldn't have begged Jesus to leave him alone and not to torment him! (see Luke 8:28)
3. The Lord your God is omnipresent (all-present). But the devil is not everywhere all the time. Otherwise the Bible wouldn't have mentioned that he was cast out! (see Revelation 12:7-9)

And because the devil knows he isn't as great as what he wants men (and women) make him out to be, his one tactic is to make you think you don't have what you ALREADY have! That's why he is called a liar! (John 8:44)

People of God, the truth is you ALREADY have everything when you have Jesus!
He is in you the YHWH Shalom. He is not just giving you shalom peace, but HE IS your shalom peace!
He is in you the YHWH Rapha. He is not just giving you healing, but HE IS your healing!
He is in you the YHWH Yireh. He is not just giving you providence, but HE IS your providence!
He is in you the YHWH Tsidkenu. He is not just giving you righteousness, but HE IS your righteousness!
He is in you the YHWH Nissi. He is not just giving you the banner and the victory, but HE IS your banner and your victory!

Therefore, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord (Isaiah 54:17). Amen and Amen!

The Lord shows Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV): For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

The word 'strong' here is 'khaw-zak' in Hebrew, which means 'sure, powerful', and the word 'loyal' here is 'shalem', meaning 'full, whole, at peace'. You can therefore read it this way: 'For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong, sure, and powerful on behalf of those whose heart is full of Him, wholly for Him, and at peace with Him.

The Lord in all His power and strength could have shown Himself strong directly against the enemy, but He chose to show it through His people, just as He did through Moses, David, or Elijah. Today, He still works the same, and He is looking to and fro throughout the whole earth for hearts that are loyal to Him.

These words in 2 Chronicles 16:9 were actually given by Hanani (a seer) to Asa (a king of Judah), and in the context of our Bible study today, one can also say a loyal heart is a heart that put God first, put His Word first, and is faithful till the very end. You'll find out why as you read on.

To begin with, let's go all the way to 2 Chronicles chapter 14.

2 Chronicles 14:1-4 says, '... Abijah died and rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place... Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the places for pagan worship, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment'.

2 Chronicles 14:6-7 then says, 'And Asa built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest. Therefore, he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered'.

The word 'seek' (or 'sought') here is 'darash' in Hebrew, literally meaning 'to follow, to pursue, or to search diligently'. The Bible says those who seek Him shall find Him (2 Chronicles 15:2). Notice the land had rest when God's people sought the Lord their God. Interestingly, the word 'rest' here is 'nuwach' in Hebrew, meaning 'comfort, quiet, settled down', just like Noah (same word 'nuwach' in Hebrew) rested in the ark during the great flood (see Genesis 6:17-18). The 'ark' here is a 'picture' of 'the salvation (Yeshuwah) of the Lord, a place of rest for the people of the Lord'. Today, as believers in the New Covenant, you and I can also find rest in this 'ark', no matter how perilous the world has become.

Asa learned to rely on the Lord
2 Chronicles 14:9-12 continues about Asa, 'Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots... So Asa went out against him... And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, "Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!" So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled'.

Here, when the enemy came against Judah, Asa learned to rely on the Lord, and not man. The word 'rest' here is "sha'an" in Hebrew, and it means 'to rely on, to lean on'. Asa knew his army was outnumbered by the enemy (who had a million men and three hundred chariots), and he did the right thing by relying on the Lord his God. The enemy was eventually defeated (2 Chronicles 14:13-14), and as a result, there was no war for Judah for a long time, that is until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign (2 Chronicles 15:19).

You can see that Asa started off very well, and as long as he continued to rely on the Lord his God, he also continued to be victorious as king in Judah. So, what could possibly go wrong later in his life?

Learning from the mistakes of Asa
In 2 Chronicles 16:1-4, the Scripture says, 'In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah (meaning 'a height, a high place, a seat of idolatry'), that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria... saying, "Let there be a treaty between you and me... See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me." So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel'.

In 2 Chronicles 16:7-9, the Scripture says, 'And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: "Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on (i.e. lean on, rest on) the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars (i.e. struggles)."'

And not only did Asa ignore the words of the seer, he became angry with him and threw him into prison! (2 Chronicles 16:10) Everything began to go downhill for Asa from then on.

Proverbs 3:5-6 has this to say, 'Trust in the Lord (lean on the Lord) with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths'. Proverbs 3:7-8 then says, 'Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones'.

In 2 Chronicles 16:12-13, the Scripture says, 'And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa died and rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign'.

A tragic and sad ending indeed. As ministers of God, we all have so much to learn from Asa. Not only his victories, but also his mistakes. Through the past centuries, many ministers (or ministries) in the Body of Christ started off so genuine and innocent before the Lord, totally relying on the Lord when they were 'young' and 'small'. But when they have grown 'bigger' and more 'well-known', they stopped relying on the Lord for His wisdom (and His way) and began looking to the worldly ways (or patterns of man) to try to 'make things happen'. This is a mistake that every minister (or ministry) today should avoid.

As a matter of fact, it's easier to rely on the Lord when you have nothing (or when you have nothing to lose). But how about when you already have much, and life has become 'comfortable' with many options to choose from? Will you still rely on Him and only Him?

"Will your heart still be loyal and faithful to Me till the very end?" That's exactly what the Lord asked me in a personal time of worship and prayer recently. Now I know why He asked. Because He wants to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9), till the very end - till the Day when He comes in all His glory. Will you also allow Him to do so in your life, in ministry, and in every other area of your life?