Blessings in the Mighty Name of Yeshua Hamashiach!
[Encouragement for the fight of your life]
Be strong and of good courage, do not be terrified or shattered (Joshua 1:9).
Soldiers are often told "chazak v'amatz" (be strong and courageous) before they encounter the dangers of the battlefield, but its vital to remember that each of us is engaged in a spiritual war every day of our lives. This war is essentially a battle for truth. If we accept false ideas about the nature of reality, we will live in a state of weakness and fear, even if our reasoning otherwise seems sound.
Before a soldier goes into the thick of battle he must be assured of the rightness of the cause. There can be no wavering or second-guessing the mission to fully engage the enemy. The whole person is involved in the fight - body, mind, soul. Second-guessing the cause can lead to indecisiveness and lethal weakness. Similarly the war for spiritual truth requires your total commitment - your body, mind, and soul. You cannot evade the enemy by avoiding the fight. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THIS WAR! It comes to your doorstep demanding your response. And since indecision amounts to a type of surrender, you must consciously choose to engage the enemy with all your heart... In this way, fighting evil is a corollary to loving God: If you truly love God, you will "hate evil and love good" (Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 8:13; Amos 5:15).
Shalom
Pastor Williams