Experience Victory in Every Battle You Face By Applying These 4 Laws
As believers we should know that everything God promised us in His word already belongs to us. God promised us He will never leave us (Deut. 31:8). He promised us joy (John 16:24). He promised us victory. (1 John 5:4).
According to Webster’s Dictionary, victory is the overcoming of an enemy or antagonist. It is also defined as, an achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties.
In promising you victory, God ensured that you would have an enemy and struggle.
In John 16:33, He also guarantees us that in this life we will have trouble.
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
We often focus on the second part of this scripture, and it’s important to know that He has already overcome the world. But that doesn’t negate the fact that you will experience trouble. So while the battle belongs to the Lord, know you’re expected to fight in order to achieve victory.
God truly yearns for a relationship with you. He wants you to rely on Him completely - in every situation. When things are going well and when you are experiencing struggle. He wants you reliant on Him.
The word says, In all things we are more than conquerors, through Him. We need the Lord in order to walk in the victory He promised us. If victory was a foregone conclusion, regardless of our walk with Him, it would be too easy to forget about God.
So how do you ensure the victory that belongs to you is fulfilled in every situation?
In Deuteronomy 20, God gave Moses clear instruction on what the Israelites were to do as they prepared for battle. The Amplified categorizes this section of Deuteronomy 20 as ‘Laws of Warfare.’
The commands God gave to Moses can be broken down into four laws for receiving your victory. Let’s take a look.
Law #1: Don’t Fear
The first thing God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites is, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Why? Because He is the same God who brought His people out of Egypt and He would be with them.
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army
greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought
you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
Ignore your sight and rest in what God has said. Regardless of your circumstance, there is no need to fear. It doesn’t matter what your doctor says, what your boss thinks, or even what your bank account says. God said don’t fear.
Because God knows us so well, He told us what to do when we’re tempted to fear. Jesus experienced temptation just like you do. He knows that despite His command not to fear, you would be tempted to do just that. So, being the loving father that He is, He tells us what to do when we are tempted to fear.
Remember.
He put the Israelites in remembrance of what He had already done for them. He reminded them of how He delivered them from bondage in Egypt. It may seem silly to us that God needed to remind the Israelites that He broke them out of slavery, parted the Red Sea, allowed them to walk on dry land, while the sea swallowed their enemies behind them. Yet, it’s equally silly that we have all the evidence we could possibly need in God’s word to be courageous and yet many believers still struggle with fear.
God has been so good to you. He has done great things for you. He saved you. He redeemed you. He broke the curse of sin and death over your life, just to name a few. Whenever you’re tempted to fear, remind yourself of all the amazing things God has already done for you. What you focus on grows. What you neglect dies. Focus on Jesus and neglect fear.
The very next thing God told Moses to do was reemphasize the importance of expelling fear. God told Moses to have the priests tell the soldiers not to fear.
Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your
God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the
victory.
Notice God didn’t tell Moses to have the Israelites stay behind while He fought the battle. The word says God will go with you to fight, not instead of you. But when you show up in faith you will see a victory!
Law #2: Be Prepared
Next, in Deuteronomy 20:5, God tells Moses to instruct the officers to dismiss any soldier who was unprepared to give their all in battle.
What man is there who has built a new house and has not yet dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it. What man has planted a vineyard and has not put it to use [harvesting its fruit]? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in battle and another man would begin to use its fruit. And who is the man who is engaged (legally promised) to a woman and has not yet married her? Let him go and return on his house, otherwise he might die in battle and another man would marry her.
God is essentially saying, ‘If you’re not mentally prepared and fully focused to fight, don’t even bother showing up.’ He’s showing us the importance of preparation. He commanded those who show up to fight without their minds completely consumed with the task at hand, to be turned away. God would prefer to fight the battle with fewer soldiers than to appear strong in number but be weak in spirit.
How can you prepare for the battles you face?
Ephesians 6:11-17 tells us to put on the full armor of God. Armor is used for battle. Whether a physical battle or a spiritual one, armor is necessary to survive and win.
Your armor consists of the following:
The belt of truth - Read the Word so you will know the truth of God’s word (John 8:31)
The breastplate of righteousness - remain in right standing with God by living in obedience to His commandments. (Psalms 106:3)
The peace of the Gospel - rest in the knowledge of the Good News contained in God’s Word (John 14:27)
The shield of faith - Have confidence in God’s word; it serves as protection against fear and doubt (Psalms 27:1-3)
The helmet of salvation - the free gift you receive when you confess your sins and believe God’s word (John 5:24)
The sword of the spirit - Speak the word. Let the alive, active, and powerful word of God flow out of your mouth. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart and defends against the schemes of the devil. (Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 4:1-11)
That’s preparation.
God knew that if the Israelite soldiers were busy worrying about houses, wives, and vineyards they would not be capable of the type of preparation necessary to win in battle. In the same way, if you’re focused on all the cares of this world, you won’t be able to implement the type of preparation necessary to win your battles.
Yes, the victory is yours, but only if you follow God’s instructions on how to win.
Law #3: Remove Fearful Influences
It’s not enough not to fear yourself, you must remove all remnants of fear from around you. In Deuteronomy 20:8, God continues with His instructions.
Then the officers shall speak further to the soldiers and say, ‘Who is the man who is
afraid and lacks courage? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not cause
his brother’s courage to fail like his own.
It’s interesting that God mentions fear three times in His instructions. It’s clear. Fear and victory cannot coincide. He begins by instructing the Israelites not to fear, twice. Then, He commands us to be prepared for the battle. Finally, because He knows that even after He gave His instructions there would still be people who were afraid. He made sure that those soldiers who did not listen to His initial instruction were removed so as to not contaminate the faith of the other soldiers.
This tells us 4 things:
Fear can spread
Fear is contagious
God wants to separate those who fear from those who don’t
God is only interested in using those who don’t fear
Whether fearful influences take the form of friends, family, news, or entertainment, it’s important to distance yourself while you fight your battle. Why? Because fear is contagious. If you’re expecting to win your battle you can’t afford to give fear an inch. Remove fear from your presence at all costs.
Law #4: Receive Your Increase
Deuteronomy 20:9 shows us that immediately following the removal of those who were in fear or unprepared, promotion followed.
And it shall be when the officers have finished speaking to the soldiers, they shall
appoint commanders of armies over them.
Only the soldiers who were courageous, free from fear, and well prepared were considered for promotion. Just like the Israelite soldiers, your faith will be tested before you are promoted. James 1:3 says,
Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Your promotion is on the other side of the testing of your faith.
Notice the soldiers were promoted before the battle even began. It is possible to experience increase BEFORE you fight and win your battle. It takes purposeful preparation and unwavering refusal to fear.
Through the execution of these ‘Laws of Warfare’, you can win every battle you ever face. The devil will attack, but he’s a defeated foe. Jesus gave us all authority over him. When you feel tempted to fear, remember what God has already done for you. Prepare your heart, mind, and spirit for battle, and remove all temptation to fear. When you do, rest in knowing that victory is yours.
