“And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;” Judges 1:34 NKJV
God had given the tribe of Dan both mountain and the valley but their enemy the Amorites was squatting on their land.
How often do we allow the enemy to squat in those places that should be turned over to the glory of God?
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Moreover, every mountain and every valley belongs to our God.
But when we make it all about us, it’s easy to compromise. But when we make it all about Jesus, then our focus shifts and we seek and obey our commander’s strategies in obedience. Not every battle we face is easy but this does not mean that we should just sweep it under the carpet and not tackle the issue at hand.
Standing firm on the victory that Jesus has won
We need to commit ourselves to continue to press more into Jesus for the victory He has won for us.
The beliefs we hold concerning God and ourselves will have massive consequences on our fruitfulness and on our ability to take a hold of the land that God has given to us. Importantly, we are not called to be pacifists but to be warriors.
Ephesians 6:12-13 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 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 firm”.
The Bible is clear that battles will come and that not every day will be without challenges. So do not let the battles you face discourage you, it is a part of the journey. We have the ability to withstand the devil and to overcome, God has equipped us for the battle.
David never compared himself with Goliath
Maybe the tribe of Dan had tried to take the valley from the Amorites but had given up after an unsuccessful attempt. We are not provided with the details but the Bible makes it clear that Dan fell short . Dan did not gain the territory that God had allocated to them.
We may fall short at times but let us fix our eyes and point our focus on the all sufficiency of Jesus. It’s not ignoring the sin or shortcomings in us. But it is belittling these compared to Jesus Christ. Jesus went right into that valley of the Amorites and destroyed every power of the enemy. Yes, through His death on the cross and resurrection to the right hand of God the father.
David never compared himself with Goliath. David compared Goliath with his God. Andrew Murray stated that just like the cold invalid seated before the warming rays of the sun. So are we, before our saviour. Jesus is the source of our strength and He is the source of our victory.
We are the David’s dressed as a shepherd with sling and stone. Earthen vessels whose sole source of spiritual strength, power and motivation is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not the Amorites in the valley versus us, but versus our God. This is not a fair fight. It does not matter how many Amorites are present in the valley or how big the giant Goliath is. God is bigger.
Focus on Jesus and not on the problem
We must not spend out time gazing upon our problems but we must spend much time praising God’s solution. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us focus on Him. Let us focus on His victory and upon His promise to lead us through the valleys we face. Yes, let us focus on His faithfulness and the ways that God has already enabled us to overcome by His grace. The places where God has already enabled us to inherit His promises.
Numbers 14:8-9 If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.”
God Himself will bring us into our inheritance. But in the middle, before the inheritance of our promises our faith can grow. As we wait as we pray as we focus on Jesus and not on the problem, we will grow stronger in character.
Exalting God in the waiting
Although the Amorites may still be squatting in our valley, as we pray, they have been put on notice of eviction. Our eyes of faith will grow stronger as we hold our gaze on God as will our ability to stand firm (James 1:3). We can thank God that our trials are not without purpose. Yes, those trials will work together for our good; that we may be perfect, complete and lacking nothing (James 1:4)
The battle belongs to the Lord. Don’t look to your own strength or you or you will very easily be disappointed and frustrated. But look to God’s strength and rest in that, celebrate that, speak of that. Diminish the problem and exalt God as you wait on Him. He will remove every Amorite that remains in the valleys of your inheritance.