Let God Fight the Battle

At the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, there was no mightier army on the face of the earth than Pharaoh’s army. Imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites to see that army pursuing them with chariots and horses, with shields and swords and spears. If it were happening today, it would have been tanks and hummers and aircraft coming at them all at the same time.

The Israelites thought they were dead. So what did Moses tell them to do? He said, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” (Exodus 14:13–14 NLT). Just stay calm. . . . That’s kind of hard to do.

Sometimes the devil comes at us with everything he has, with all his temptations and all his deceptions. We think we’re not going to survive it. Yes, we will. The Bible says, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4 NLT).

Christ is in you. You belong to the Lord. Yes, the devil can tempt you. He can hassle you. But he cannot overcome you, because you are under God’s protection.

That is why Ephesians 6 tells us about the believer’s spiritual armor: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, and so forth. But before the apostle Paul begins describing this spiritual armor, he writes, “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10 NLT).

Stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.