1 / 14

PREPARING TO DO BATTLE

PREPARING TO DO BATTLE. PSALM 18:31-34. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE. “ We often approach God with a consumer mentality, making Him a commodity rather than the Creator .”

hayden
Download Presentation

PREPARING TO DO BATTLE

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE PSALM 18:31-34

  2. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE “We often approach God with a consumer mentality, making Him a commodity rather than the Creator.” “God, break us away from the ‘Spirit of Passivity.’ If we truly love someone we will do all we can to protect them when they are in danger.”

  3. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE Psalm 18:31-34: “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”

  4. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE I. WHO IS GOD . . . HE IS THE LORD! David transforms praise and past deliverance into a reminder of our authority and ability to wage spiritual warfare against the enemies of the Lord. There is a difference between confidence and boasting (pride).

  5. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE I. WHO IS GOD . . . HE IS THE LORD! God had delivered David from Goliath. God had delivered David from Saul. God had delivered David from Backsliding. God had delivered David from Israel’s armies. God had delivered David from Absalom. God had delivered David from his own sinful passions.

  6. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE I. WHO IS GOD . . . HE IS THE LORD! When we see God for who He is, it is easy to trust Him. When we know He is our Rock and fortress, deliverer , shield, stronghold and Savior, it is natural to then trust Him completely.

  7. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE II. HE GIRDS ME WITH STRENGTH! If we do not understand and maintain faith, our shield cracks or breaks, ending in disaster. One broken shield can affect all others; when one refuses to obey God, it weakens the entire church. A person who excuses themselves from walking in faith and obedience, does not understand the very elements of what Christianity is all about!

  8. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE III. HE MAKES MY WAY BLAMELESS! David is not claiming sinless perfection. He is speaking, however, of his heart which according to God was one “after His.” There was always within David the sincere and genuine seeking to follow the Lord’s ways. And he took responsibility for cleansing himself for God’s glory and for greater service.

  9. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE III. HE MAKES MY WAY BLAMELESS! In making God a commodity rather than the Creator, we quickly grab our bibles yelling I have got a word from the Lord and we set out claiming what we want before we ask God what He wants. We ask for revival, but God wants to bring holiness! We ask for relief from pain but God wants to establish our character! We ask for a monetary blessing but God wants us to obey the scripture on giving! We ask God to save our unsaved family but God wants us to be the living illustration of His love and grace right before their eyes.

  10. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE IV. HE MAKES MY FEET AS HINDS’ FEET! The hooves of deer are such that they are able to rise above the clouds, the bush and the weather to stand upon the rocky peaks. Personal perception is devastating and if one allows, it will destroy the preceptor – you or me. The antidote is to form our opinion of life based on the promises and person of Almighty God. Prayer is the source of that!

  11. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE VI. HE TRAINS MY HANDS FOR BATTLE! God has positioned the Church as a living bridge between the terrible conditions on earth and the wonderful solutions from heaven. Frankly, too many of us are either too busy or too lazy to spend that time in “carpet time” until the enemy is consumed. Thus, our failure.

  12. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE VII. MY ARMS CAN BEND A BOW OF BRONZE! One could translate bronze as “snake-like.” It would be a double-convex bow which was used in the agricultural society of David’s day. Because the cord was very close to the point of grip of the bow it allowed full extension of the cord-pulling arm and imparting to the arrow great momentum and great range.

  13. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE VII. MY ARMS CAN BEND A BOW OF BRONZE! How crucial it is for the church to begin scoring direct hits, rather than random shooting into the air – “where it lands I know not where.” That’s called activity without accomplishment; futility without fruit; causing discouragement without discernment; and defeat without destiny.

  14. PREPARING TO DO BATTLE What David was explaining here was that his ability to be victorious was based on “all of the above.” This includes: The sovereign and almighty ability of God; the maintenance of an effective shield of faith; a holy life geared towards God; walking in tandem with the timing and temporing of God; dependence on prayer; perseverance in prayer and experiencing deliverance.

More Related