THE WAR IS ON
“See, the Lord God comes with strength, and His power establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His gifts accompany Him.” (Isaiah 40:10)
In trying times in the life of a believer, it is good to dwell on who God is and His promises. Above, the prophet Isaiah points to the source of our strength. The Lord promises help, strength, and protection to His people. He also provides us with a reminder that Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He declares the power-packed characteristics of the Almighty that are available to you and me: God never grows faint or weary; and there is no limit to His understanding. “Those who place their trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40: 28-31) Together with it comes two commands: “Do not fear” and “Do not be anxious,” (Isaiah 41:10) for fear is the diabolical opposite of faith. The enemy of our soul uses them to choke our faith by diverting our focus on our circumstances instead of being anchored on almighty God. Then this becomes fertile soil for fear and anxiety to blossom unhindered.
Recently, during the run up to an election, this tactic was on display in plain sight. Rumors of civil disturbances; possible irregularities; opposition to the laws of the land were all discussed by the “experts” in the media, with an evaluation of possible means of preventing our worst fears from coming true. The war was on! Instead of becoming more confident, this encouraged certain segments of society to be anxious about realizing how powerless we are. (Isaiah 40:29) Thankfully, none of this came to pass.
This is the same strategy Satan uses against God’s people. By focusing on possible negative circumstances, we are opening the door to anxiety, doubt, and fear. These are feelings that are not to be entertained in the daily life of the believer. Instead, we can focus on God’s promises: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid. . . I will strengthen you; I will help you. . .” (Isaiah 41:10) Let us make this our anchor and march on with confidence and win the war of faith over fear. (Psalm 121:1-2)