HEAVEN HELPS
1 Chronicles 5(KJV)
verse 18 " The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the
tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword,
and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war,
were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went
out to the war."
verse 19 " And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and
Nephish, and Nodab."
verse 20 " And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites
were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they
cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them;because they
put their trust in him."
verse 21 " And they took away their cattle; of their camels
fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of
asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand."
verse 22 " For there fell down many slain, because
the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity."
Normally every human being wants to be a winner.
Practically many win some battles and lose some. A few actually
experience a stalemate. Others give up on life to become losers.
A common adage
in
the secular world ‘heaven helps those
who help themselves’ offers motivation to anyone seeking to
succeed in any human endeavour. How can a soldier of Christ
help himself so that heaven can help him in the battles of life? While
many great theologians and Christian leaders criticize this adage,
others in their support propose various ways that a Christian can help
himself to secure divine help against the enemy of his soul.
The following exposition based on
the
integrity and authority of the scriptures quoted above points to the
way of wisdom on which one can truly seek, secure, and enjoy real
triumph. On this pathway, there are
certain signposts which shall be briefly examined:
Background: These people were
Jews who are covenant people of God.In this dispensation of grace,
anyone can have a personal covenant relationship with God only through
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Membership: Each of them
belonged to one of the two and a half tribes of
Israel. No Christian should fight his battles alone. One needs
to be a member of a church, fellowship, or ministry at a local
level to be supported by others, and to support
others too. Similarly, any Christian group can ‘network’ with one or
more other groups to be on the cutting edge in the Lord’s battles.
Maturity: None of them was born
a man.
Spiritual growth is vital to be the Christian to become strong in the
Lord for battle. Trials, other Christians, and basic disciplines like
prayer, fasting, and bible study are vital tools in this regard.
Skill: The Christian should know what his
weapons really are and how to use them, grounded in the Word and
yielded to the Holy Spirit.
Opposition: Discernment is needed to know the
real adversary and courage is important in facing the foe.
Strategy: By the prayer of faith, any
Christian will humbly turn the mighty hand of God to enforce the
victory of Christ on Calvary on his behalf.
Territory:
‘Possessing the land’ goes beyond enjoying being
blessed in the Lord. It also involves being a blessing for the Lord in
saving lost souls from the wicked one in a dying world around us-God’s
kingdom is advanced and the Lord takes all the credit!
2 Corinthians 2(KJV)
verse 14 "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in
Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every
place."
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