Two particular stories in Scripture came to mind this morning as I was contemplating this question.<\/p>\n
One is from 2 Kings 18 and 19. King Sennacherib of Assyria was threatening King Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem. His menacing words contained lies and misinformation mingled with bits of truth. This is the way of the enemy. He did it to Adam, he tried it on Jesus, and his tactic is the same with you and me. Don\u2019t buy it. Don\u2019t bite it. Bits of truth, combined with lies, make lies. Brownie batter mixed with a little bunny poop is destined for the compost heap, and truth mixed with lies is no truth at all. It is inedible, undigestible, and downright gag-inducing.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the strategy that saved Jerusalem when they were threatened with disaster. Try it if you are facing the battle of a lifetime today.<\/p>\n
Shut up.<\/strong> Hezekiah\u2019s first strong move was to instruct his people to not respond to the taunts of the enemy. Don\u2019t even speak. There is a time to be quiet, and this was that time. Save your breath to cool your porridge. Thank you, God, that you see the battles I am facing today, and you are engaged, instructing me, encouraging me, and strengthening me for victory. And You have a way out. I am reminded by You that, unlike Hezekiah\u2019s perspective, You teach in your word that my battle is not with flesh and blood, but with the accuser of the\u00a0brethren\u00a0whom I defeat by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of my testimony. Give me grace to do that today. Help me to walk in forgiveness and love. In Jesus Only. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n Proverbs 26:4 Nehemiah 9:32 Two particular stories in Scripture came to mind this morning as I was contemplating this question. One is from 2 Kings 18 and 19. King Sennacherib of Assyria was threatening King Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem. His menacing words contained lies and misinformation mingled with bits of truth. This is the way of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[436,109,433,437,435,434,439,79,438,440],"class_list":["post-605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-assyria","tag-battle","tag-battles","tag-fight","tag-jerusalem","tag-king-hezekiah","tag-lies","tag-prayer","tag-victory","tag-win"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nPray up.<\/strong> Don\u2019t underestimate the power of praying friends. King Hezekiah called on the prophet Isaiah. He asked him to pray for them, which he did, and the Israelites were greatly encouraged. True friends will offer affirmation and the word of the Lord. Nurture relationships such as these, friends that will be there for you when the going gets rough. They will help bear the burden. After just a few minutes of talking on the phone with a friend about a challenge I am facing, the confusion and pain is alleviated. I feel lighter, yet stronger.
\nGear up.<\/strong> Accept the fact that things can get worse before they get better. Hezekiah receives a scary letter from his enemy. He was tempted to panic, but he did something more productive than fear: he called himself on the carpet: flat out \u00a0in prayer.
\nTidy up.<\/strong> This is God\u2019s part; Hezekiah simply spread the letter out before the Lord. He got on his face and talked to Him with the nasty letter laid bare. Essentially, the Lord\u2019s response was, \u201cI\u2019ll take care of this.\u201d God sent a word to Hezekiah\u2019s enemy. I\u2019m not sure if Sennacherib ever got that literal message, but he got the fulfillment of that message. From that point on Hezekiah knew exactly where God stood in this conflict. Sennacherib was simply distracted by another war, as God had said he would be. Israel was safe.<\/p>\n
\nDo not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNow therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes\u2014the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"