“I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run” (Exodus 23:27).

We have just experienced Halloween with its diverse cast of characters, some cute and some devilish. Halloween seems to bring out the dark side. As I reflected on this, my mind turned to depictions of “bad guys” in the movies and on television. Have you ever noticed that so many times, their ultimate demise is the result of their own stupidity, their selfishness, and/or their lack of unity. For example, the three bank robbers all try to get more of their share of the loot at the expense of the others and end up killing off their partners or getting themselves caught.

Whether or not the writers of these dramas know it, they are following a script we see in the Bible numerous times. For example:

• During the time of Gideon: “When the threeunits blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ And each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. And when they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the entire army; and the army fled” (Judges 7:20-22).
• During the time of King Saul: ^“While Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, ‘Withdraw your hand.’ Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow Philistine, and there was very great confusion” (1 Samuel 14:19-20).
• During the time of King Jehosaphat: “’Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.’ When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.’ When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. (2 Chronicles 20:20-23).

The assumption is that there will be battles during our lifetime—whether military or interfamily, financial, physical, emotional, spiritual, or cultural—and we will face the enemy. In fact, the more we are attuned to God’s holiness, the more likely we are to sense the presence of evil because it becomes even more abhorrent to us.

The message is that God is faithful, and good will win over evil. God uses different means to accomplish his good purposes. Sometimes he allows evil to just play itself out. We can trust in God’s victory over evil.

What is instructive is that we all have a role to play in the battle. Sometimes our role may seem irrelevant or ineffective in the face of conflict. In Gideon’s case, the people were to carry a torch and a trumpet, shout, blow their trumpets, and stand in place. Saul’s people had to show up for the fight and watch the Philistines fight with each other. The subjects of King Jehosaphat were to sing and praise and give thanks. I think that’s great advice to live by. In any event, we must trust in Him. In this day, as in the days of old, battles are being fought both here and abroad, even in the Holy Land. The battles are sometimes physical, always spiritual. We must be prepared to do whatever is required of us. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).”

Lastly and most importantly, we must not be anxious or fearful. Remember, Jesus said in John 16:33b “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Notice the verb tense: The present perfect is a grammatical combination of the present tense and perfect aspect that is used to express a past event that has present consequences.) Our confidence in the sovereignty and victory of our Lord and Savior is a powerful testimony to others.

“Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

In Christ,

Judy