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DEUTERONOMY
CHAPTER 20

1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. 7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart. 9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

These verses, I believe, deal with preparations for battle with the enemy (the devil).
God promised His Presence to His people, and that's enough to calm our fears. Christians should remember this when they go to share their testimony or when they speak against injustice or immorality. To do these things is spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12), and we most definately need God's presence.
It is God Himself (verses 2-4) Who will go before us, and unless He goes, the battle is useless.
God understands there are times when we are less able to do battle (verses 5-7). Building new houses (verse 5), starting new businesses (verse 6), and getting married (verse 7) require extra attention. Isn't it good to know that God is protecting us during those times?
God doesn't excuse the fearful because He accepts fear (verses 8-9). He excuses the fearful in order to keep fear from spreading. These verses speak to us as individuals and as a church. The church should ALWAYS be battling with evil; but only the able should go out.

10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. 11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. 12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

Now let's apply this to spiritual warfare. These verses describe the manner in which Christians should engage the enemy. The church is not to "pick fights" with other people. But there is a time when Christians and churches should stand up and speak boldly against evil in the world.
To me, that's the battle of the church and individual Christians TODAY.
First, we should spake to the "head" of the problem and proclaim a peaceful settlement.
For instance, a few years ago K-Mart owned Walden Book Stores. And those stores sold pornography. Dr. Don Wildmon, President of the American Family Association saw that and asked K-Mart to sell the chain of bookstores. This was offering a peaceful settlement while confronting the immorality.
However, the Chairman of the Board for K-Mart at that time, would not accept the offer. Then Dr. Wildmon called for Christians to boycott K-Mart. Christians did, and eventually the chairman of K-Mart's board was forced to resign, and K-Mart sold Walden Book Stores.
THAT'S economic warfare and spiritual warfare!

13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: 14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: 17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: 18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God. 19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege: 20 Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

The war God defines for Israel here is a physical war, and deals with conquering Canaan Land. God promised His Presence and Power, but they would have to GO and FIGHT.
God promises His Presence and Power today for the church and Christians who will enter the spiritual war.
Our battle today, we must remember, is not against "flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12), but against Satan and demonic influence in the world.
In describing the manner of war, God says first, offer a peaceful solution. If that doesn't work, then go to battle and be assured that God will do the conquering.
We are simply instruments in God's hands. But we must be WILLING instruments.
A word of caution is given here in verses 19-20. We are not to destroy innocent things. Our battle should be directed at the real problem, and we should use honorable warfare.
For instance, in the battle against abortion, it is not right to use FORCE. God Himself is our force. We should simply be bold and speak against abortion. Remember, spiritual warfare must have credible warriors. Credibility is lost when we use force.

Are you willing to be used of God in battle against evil today?

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