How To Fight A Battle The "Right" Way

Usually when we think of fighting or hear a group of people chanting, "Fight fight fight" we are thinking of a physical struggle that involves physical blows with hands and feet or sometimes even weapons. This is how Moses thought a fight or a battle was won, by getting in there and fighting; physically. Exodus 2:11-12 says, "One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." Moses saw one of his friends getting beaten up by an Egyptian and he went out there and physically fought the Egyptian and killed him! He did not think or consider his options; Moses just reacted. He reacted with physical violence!

Later in the book of Exodus, in chapter 17, we see an amazing story. In Exodus 17:8-13 Amalek comes to fight Israel and right away we see Moses take a different approach to fighting this battle! He calls on Joshua, who was Moses assistant since Joshua was a little boy (Number 11:28a). He tells Joshua to go and to get the army ready and lead Israel into battle and fight Amalek. Joshua, being a faithful servant of the Lord and of Moses, obeys him and goes into battle! While this is happening Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up on a mountain to fight as well! Now these men were not physically fighting Amalek but they were doing something greater. They were fighting spiritually, through prayer, for victory on the behalf of Israel.  In his early days Moses thought the only way to win a battle was to fight physically (Exodus 2:11-15). Now Moses let Joshua fight while he did the more important work; praying for the victory.

Here are three reasons why we should fight through prayer in our lives today!
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1) It Gives Us God's Perspective
God sees everything! He doesn't just see some things or only certain things He wants to see; He sees everything! So if He sees everything why would we not try to gain His perspective! We do not have the ability to see how something in our childhood like abuse or in our life like divorce, can work out for the good of God's Kingdom! God used my parents divorce to get me to the place where I would be called into the ministry! I never saw that when I was in the middle of it, but God did!

2) It Gives Us The Truth We Need
When we see God's perspective and we are seeking Him in prayer God brings truth to our heart, which points us back to Him and His Word! In Exodus chapter two when Moses took the situation into his own hands he was not acting on truth. When he entrusted Joshua to fight the physical battle so he could fight the spiritual battle, he was able to pray and reflect on God and His truth.

3) It Allows God To Work And Receive The Glory
When we try to fight our way through life or pull ourselves up by the boot straps, when we succeed (we really never do) then we absorb all the glory and praise that is truly meant for God. When we pray and fight the battle through prayer, when there is victory the only explanation is God and His power! When we allow God to fight we are always on the winning side, even if we do not see it at that very moment. We allow glory and praise to be given to the only one that truly deserves it; the Lord Himself. 

We must learn to fight our battles not on our own and not physically, but by prayer and with the power of God! This gives us peace when we are going to war!