Joseph Prince - Five Words To Live By: The Battle Is The Lord's
God is the maker of good days. You know, the Bible says that he that will love life and see God days and good days is always plural, good days with an S. But when it comes to the day that you go through a trial, maybe some you are in the midst of a trial right now, the Bible uses the word, "stand therefore in the evil day," and there's no S, singular, which means your good days are plentiful. Your evil day is far in between. So, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4 that our light affliction. Whatever you're going through right now, God calls it light affliction, which is but for a moment. Whatever difficulties you're going through, it is only for a moment. I said, it's only for a moment. But it's working for us, what? It's working for us a far more exceeding and eternal, not temporary, eternal permanent, not for a while, weight of glory.
Whoo! Weight of glory. I said, weight of glory. So, even your trouble is working for you, working for you, a far more and eternal weight of glory, amen, that your words will carry weight. Does that mean that everybody who go through trouble, they have these blessings? No. It goes on to say, "While we do not look at the things which are seen," visible, "but at the things which are not seen," invisible. So, all these blessings and your trouble works for you when your eye is on the invisible, not on the visible, on the unseen, and not the seen. The things which are seen are temporary but the things which are not seen, unseen, are eternal. Is God seen? No. Is God here? Yes. God is eternal. Angels are eternal. Blessings are eternal. You cannot see blessings.
We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. You can't see it. What you see are the effects of blessings. Someone is prospering, someone's health is being blessed. Sometimes married life is being blessed. The marriage come around. Water turns to wine in that marriage. You are seeing the effects of the blessing. You cannot see blessing, it's eternal. It's invisible. Learn to live in the invisible. Learn not to let the devil sway you with the visible. He say, "Look at this, look at that. Look at your lump, how big it's growing". You know and the thing is this, the devil will tell you all kinds of things. He will tell you, "See, everything just rhymes with this because you're called to this, you know"?
Don't believe the devil. He won't tell you the worst kind of persuasion is when it's religious. "God wants you to suffer. God wants you to have this disease or wants your child to suffer this, okay? Maybe it's God's will". And you start preaching that and people start believing that nonsense. And yet behind the scene, you are bringing your child to the doctor. If you really believe that God wants your child to be sick, you have no right to try to get the child healed because according to your admission, God wants your child sick. No, when it comes to your own family, all of a sudden, all these silly doctrines go down the drain. Jesus says, "If you as an earthly father know how to give good things to your children, how much more your heavenly Father"?
Please, don't malign God. God made you in his image. We want the best for our children, how much more God? You know what pains God? Unbelief. The world is not going to hell because they have done that, they have done this, they have done that, they have done this. They are going to hell because of unbelief in Christ. Christ paid everything for them, for all their sins. "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it". By the way, rest here is not heaven. Heaven does not have giants. There's no need to battle in heaven.
In fact, when the people of God entered the land, they had battles they had to fight, all right, so it's a land of promise. It's not referring to heaven. In heaven, there's no warfare. The only place that God tells his people to fear is fear that you come short of God's rest. In other words, fear that you're not restful, fear that you're not restful. Right now, are you at rest? I know the problem is still not resolved. I know the difficulty is still there. You can see it. You can touch it but God is saying, "Can you be at rest? I want you to be at rest because this is temporary. The works are finished".
Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. Drop down. Therefore since, "Indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them". The good news was preached to us as well as to the 12 spies and the children of Israel in Kadesh Barnea, but the word which they heard did not profit them, why? Not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. You know why many of them didn't believe Joshua and Caleb? They didn't mix with faith. Their mixer was broken. Okay, drop down. "We who have believed do enter that rest". Very easy, how do you enter the rest? Believe. When God says, "My Son took your diseases on his body and with his stripes, you are healed," say, "Lord, I believe". And the devil says, "But I can still see it". You say, "I believe. I believe you, Lord". The devil says, "Look, you can feel it". Say, "I believe it, Lord. I believe I'm healed. I believe the invisible, not the visible". "So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest, although the works were finished," the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Can you believe that God doesn't... it's like this, he has prepared everything for you. When you listen to him, your life will be easy, not saying there are no trials, no difficulties but Jesus says, "My yoke is easy, it'll be easy inside". The way of the transgressors is hard, amen? I'm gonna give you right now a key, all right? It's the word in Hebrew called "lechem". You find this in Bethlehem, Bethlehem. Every time there's a "bet" in front, it's a house, Bethesda, house of mercy, amen? Bethlehem, Bethlehem. Lechem is bread, house of bread. Jesus the bread of life was born in the house of bread, amen? Lechem is spelled like this, Lechem and it also means bread or feed but lacham also means fight, to do battle, war. The spelling is the same, lamed cheit mem, same spelling. The only thing is the punctuation, the little, little dots, you know, they put a different dots at different places. One is lechem, one is lacham. Lechem is bread or feed, lacham is fight but it's also to feed.
So, why is it that God put feeding bread and fighting as the same word, why? Write this down somewhere. When you feed, you fight. Feeding is fighting the enemy. We don't fight by fighting. We fight by eating. We eat God's Word and the enemy is defeated. That's what you're doing right now in church, people. You are feeding and as you are feeding, when you go back, you find the enemy is defeated. Many a times you go back, hallelujah, God takes care of the problem. You took time to be in God's house. You took time to be with the Lord. And God, when God feeds you, God is fighting for you, that's why in Psalms 23 it says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack". And then it says this, "You prepare a fable before me in the presence of my enemies".
It's a spread, hallelujah. And notice not in the absence of my enemies. You prepare a table before me in the presence. While the symptoms are still in your body, feed. While the difficulty is still there, feed. While the addiction is still there, feed. Feeding is fighting. Feeding is winning and that's why the only fight for us to fight is fight the good fight of faith. 1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith". You see the word "good fight"? It's actually the word in the Greek there is kalos. Literally it's not the word eu for good. It is the word kalos. Kalos is this, the first definition of kalos. Kalos is either beautiful or handsome. In other words, it's fight the beautiful fight of faith. God is saying, when you're in a battle, in a difficulty, your only fight is to stay in faith. Fight to remain in faith. Fight the good fight of faith.
In other words, the difficulty is there but you say, "Father, I thank you this battle is yours. Thank you, Father, my eyes is on you. Thank you Father, you have overcome this problem for me". And devil yells, "You can still see it"! "Lord, my eyes are on you, Lord," Amen? You listening, people? That is your fight and it's a beautiful fight. And I suspect God says it's beautiful because you win. And God loves it. You know, every time we are using faith, God loves it. God loves it. Come on, angels, look at that. Look at that guy. Look at that girl, hallelujah. I want to give you five words of grace for you to use. Every time there's a battle, there's a difficulty, say this under your breath. Look at the problem and say this under your breath, okay?
Before I give it to you, let me show you a story, a very famous story that happened in Israel. You still can go to that place, that valley there and still imagine because the valley is almost unchanged, all right, the topography and all that. 1 Samuel 17, "When the Philistine looked about and saw David". The Goliath has been standing there challenging the people of Israel to challenge to fight him. For 40 days he's been standing there. No one dared to fight this ten footer, some say about 9 to 11, 12 feet. We're not sure but he's one of the giants and he was ugly. He was mean. In those days, all right, they are very, you know, their faces are all like scars and all that. So, he disdained David. When he saw David, he despised David because David was only a youth ruddy and good looking.
"So the Philistine said to David, 'Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?' And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, 'Come to me, come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!' David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a visible sword, with a visible spear, and a visible javelin". Today we'll say, missile, bombs, rockets. "But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts," invisible God who's eternal, "the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied". Next, "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I strike you and take your head from you. And this day I'll give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel". Next, "Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save," with what is visible," with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands".
Right now memorize this, learn to mutter this when you are before your difficulty, learn to say this under your breath, "The battle is the Lord's, it's not mine. It's not mine," amen. Amen, are you listening? "Pastor Prince, my teenage girl is mixing around with bad company". You feel it's your battle, it's not your battle. Don't touch it. It's the battle is the Lord's. Just like the tithe, the tithe is the Lord's, don't touch it. It belongs to him. Same way the battle is not yours to touch, amen. Your arm is not too great. Your sight is not that far reaching, amen. God is stronger. God is greater. God loves you more than you love yourself. He loves your teenage daughter more than you can love her. God is saying, "don't touch the battle, it's mine". The battle is the Lord's. "But Pastor Prince, David still went to meet the". Yeah, but how did it go, dressed in an armor? No, dressed as a shepherd boy. With a sword? No, with a sling. So, obviously he believes this battle is not mine. The battle is the Lord's.
So, learn to look at your problems now. And the devil say, "What are you going to do about it"? Say, "The battle is not mine, it's the Lord's. Lord, this is your battle. Lord, this is your battle. Lord, this is your battle". Through out this year, "Lord, this is your battle". You know, sometimes it won't be as quick as David's victory, but the Lord is hearing what you're saying and the Lord loves it. His arms are bigger than yours. "Lord, this is your battle". The battle is the Lord's. Your five words of grace this year, amen? The doctors gave you a bad diagnosis, under your breath, "This battle is the Lord's". That's the good fight of faith. You fight by not fighting. You fight by not fighting. That's the greatest fight. It's like the devil wants you to think there's a place called healed and you are not healed. There's a place called healed.
You see, you must do your best to go there. And, you know, and he will try to bring in, "But you must be obedient enough to reach there. You must be holy enough to reach there. You must be good enough to reach there and you're never there". Actually, that's not the truth. The truth is you're already there. You are the healed and the devil is trying to take your healing and you're saying, "No, this is a lying symptom. No, Lord, this is your battle. I'm already healed. This is your battle, Lord. I'm already healed. This is your battle, Lord. I'm already healed". It's so much more easier to know that you're in a building when you're already in the building. Are you listening? You're already healed, not trying to be healed. The devil is trying to take your healing. It's not like you are trying to take your healing. No, the devil is trying to take your healing. By calling his bluff, you expose him. It's a fight of faith, might take some time. Not saying it's gonna be easy and that's why the Bible is faith food for all of us, amen?
Now, we go to the time of Moses in front of the Red Sea. Armies of Pharaoh coming behind, the people yelling, "Did you bring us out here to die, Moses? Is this what it's all about"? And the Bible says Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord". Same thing, see Jesus. Stand still, see the invisible, the one who loves you, the one who cares for you, the one who gave his life for you, look at him, all right? The Egyptians, the disease you see on the x-ray, that condition in your child, that lack, that debt, the huge debt you are supposed to pay, that you see today you shall see again no more forever, why? The Lord will fight for you and you will hold your peace. The Lord will fight for you. The word "fight" here is lechem. The Lord will fight your you. You will hold your peace.
Watch this, okay? Hold your peace. "I want to do something". Hold your peace. Hold it, hold it steady. "I want to say something". Hold your peace. The Lord will fight for you. "Maybe God needs my help". Hold your peace, the Lord will fight for you. "I don't see any difference. It's getting worse". Hold your peace. Hold your peace. The Lord will fight for you. "I need to help God"! Then God, hold his peace. Remember this, God must get all the glory, he doesn't share the glory. I always say this and I say this reverently, if God wants to get all the glory, let God do all the work. Just sit there, "Lord, Lord, it's you and my x-ray what it says. You, the battle is not mine, the battle is yours, Lord. The battles is yours. The battle is yours," amen? "My debt, my huge debt, it's not my problem, it's your problem, Lord. The battle is yours. The battle is yours, Lord".
And the devil always come throughout the day. It's a fight of faith. It's a beautiful fight of faith. "What are you going to do about it"? No, it's the Lord. It's not mine. The battle is not mine. You found the wrong guy, right? Look to the one, amen, who sees everything. Praise the Lord. I'll bring this to a close, amen. Jesus has risen from the dead and two weeks after he rose from the dead, the disciples were discouraged, you know, some of them felt guilty, some felt this. They all went fishing and the whole night they work and they caught nothing. Maybe you have tried, and tried, and tried, and tried with your teenage boy, your teenage son, no results. You tried, and tried with your husband, no results whatever it is.
Listen, whatever difficulty is it, they tried all night, a time of darkness. They caught nothing. In the morning Jesus passed by. They saw Jesus. They didn't recognize him at first and Jesus says, "Do you have any food"? Many of you have been there, St. Peter's Primacy, that area in Israel. And they said, "Nothing". "Throw your net on the right side". And they did so and this time they caught so much fish, big fish, that they cannot drag it to land. And finally they did drag it to land and the Bible says they saw coals of fire, they saw a fish, and they saw bread. Somebody prepared breakfast. Watch this, John 21, "So, when they had eaten breakfast". Here's a revelation, they had eaten, when they had eaten breakfast. When they had eaten breakfast.
Let me tell you this, this is from the gospel of John. Of all the four gospels, each one portrayed Jesus in a different way. The highest portrayal of Jesus is Jesus as God. In Matthew and Luke, it talks about, "So and so begets, so and so begets so and so," all right? But in John, there's no begetting because God is not begotten. In the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It's the highest, it's the eagle of the four gospels. It's the highest gospel, yet the very last chapter is this chapter. And how does it end? It end with the resurrected Jesus making breakfast. Even though he's risen from the dead, he still comes into the everyday commonplace of our life preparing breakfast. He's preparing breakfast.
They've been working hard the whole night. They are tired, feeling cold and there's hot breakfast prepared. I'll tell you something right now, "Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know I love you.' 'Feed my lambs.'" Now, some people say, "Well, Pastor Prince, the Bible says that you say that God never demands". I never say God never demands. I say God is supply oriented under grace. Whatever he demands, he supplies first. "But pastor, my Bible says that God commanded Peter by saying, 'Feed my lambs,'" yeah, but after they had eaten breakfast. He feeds them before he places a demand on them. That's my Jesus, that's my Jesus. He feeds them. And what is a demand? It's not a demand. He said, "Do you love me"? It's out of love. "Yes Lord". "Then feed my lambs". He loves to feed. He feeds them. He tells them to feed.
See pastors, your ministry is to feed. It's to feed, not beat, feed. There's correction when you're feeding, yes, but not beat, feed. He cares that his lambs be fed, his sheep be fed, be tended. Isn't it beautiful? Do you remember the story of the storm that came to the disciples when they were on their way to Capernaum? What happened? Jesus was on a mountain and he saw in the Lake of Galilee there was a storm coming and the disciples were rowing, rowing against the storm. And the Bible says he came to them. But what happened before that? The feeding of the 5,000. So, the disciples before the storm, he fed them. All his disciples had 12 basketful left over for the 12 disciples. He fed them before the storm.
Listen, he will prepare you. He'll feed you and after the storm, he'll feed you. During the storm, he'll feed you. You know how you'll win? Not by "Devil, devil, I come against you," all right, just feed. When you feed, God fights for you. He prepares a table before you. I'm glad you came to church today. I'm glad you're feeding on God's Word. Feeding is possessing. Feeding is fighting. Can I have a good amen?