Psalm 18 - A Teaching on Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare – Psalm 18
Have you ever wondered about what exactly happens when you pray? Have you ever felt that you weren't sure if God was actually hearing your prayers? If so, I have great news for you! Psalm 18 is one of the greatest prayers that we have to personalize and pray during Spiritual Warfare that we may be experiencing! Let's take a closer look at it:
1. I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. (emphasis added)
Here we notice that David starts out this powerful prayer with PRAISE to the Lord, FIRST. I believe that this is one of the KEYS to answered prayer during Spiritual Warfare.
I believe that it is very important to praise the Lord no matter WHAT trial comes our way, and no matter what it looks like in the natural! I believe that we should PRAISE the Lord FIRST before anything else. After all, He deserves it, doesn't He?
The next thing that I would like you to notice is what David is DECLARING here. Notice that David is making a STATEMENT, he is DECLARING what he knows to be TRUE about our God. What is that, you ask? David is making the BOLD DECLARATION that he knows that he SHALL be saved from his enemies.
Notice that it does not say that he might be saved from his enemies, notice that it does not say that David is merely just thinking that God might save him, but rather, God's Word says that David made the STATEMENT that he knew, without a doubt in his mind, he knew and MADE A STATEMENT THAT HE BELIEVED, that all that he had to do was call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised! He knew that if he just trusted in our God, that God WOULD save him!
Let's go on:
4. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
Here David is letting us know just how bad it got for him, he is letting us know that he knew what it looked like to him in the natural, but yet look at what he does about it...
6. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. (emphasis added)
Did you notice that David lets us know that he did not wait until he was in a better frame of mind to call upon God, but rather he called upon our God WHILE he was in his distress!
How many times have we fallen under attack from the enemy, and instead of running to the LORD, we run to man? How many times have we run to our husbands, our wives, our friends, our Pastors, and then we run to God second, once we have run to all of these other people first? And just who is FIRST in our lives? Ouch....
See, I don't believe that David ran to the LORD first just because he didn't have anyone else to run to, I believe that David UNDERSTOOD THAT HIS HELP HAD TO COME FROM ABOVE!
And quite frankly, if you are in need of dire help, why not go to the ONE who conquers all, the ONE who KNOWS NO DEFEAT because He has the VICTORY over all?
More importantly, David UNDERSTOOD that when he called upon the LORD... when he cried out to his God, that his cries came before the Lord, and THE LORD GOD HEARD HIM!!!
But wait.....there's more! Look at what actually does happen any time that we pray to our God!!!
7. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. (emphasis added)
8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. (emphasis added)
9. He bowed the heavens also, and CAME DOWN: and darkness was under his feet. (emphasis added)
10. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12. At he brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. (emphasis added)
14. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. (emphasis added)
Wow! Do you get the FULL UNDERSTANDING of what exactly it is that happens when we are under attack and pray to God during our distress?
The Word of God says that in his distress, David called out to the God of Israel, and when God heard David crying out to Him, HE WAS WROTH (angry) at what it was that his servant was going through because of the enemy!
The Word of God says that because God became wroth, He made the earth shake and tremble, He made the hills to move and be shaken!
The Word of God says that FIRE came from the Lord's mouth, that He BOWED THE HEAVENS and CAME DOWN!!! That He THUNDERED in the heavens, and SPOKE!
And then all of a sudden....
15. Then the channels of water were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath of thy nostrils.
16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. (emphasis added)
17. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. (emphasis added)
18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. (emphasis added)
Church, I want to encourage you to REALLY UNDERSTAND this part! I want to encourage you to understand that in the midst of Davids trouble, in the midst of this attack from the enemy, that not only did God act on David's behalf, but DELIVERANCE CAME!!!!
I want to encourage you to understand that not only did deliverance come, but that DELIVERANCE CAME BECAUSE THE LORD GOD DELIGHTED IN HIS SERVANT, DAVID!!!
Church, I want to ENCOURAGE you, that when you are seeking deliverance from the Lord, PLEASE UNDERSTAND that HE WILL deliver you for no other reason than simply because HE DELIGHTS IN YOU!!!
Did you hear me? He DELIGHTS in you!!! You are the apple of His eye! You are HIS creation, you are wonderfully and fearfully made for such a time as this!!!
And yes, there is more....
20. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. (emphasis added)
21. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24. Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. (emphasis added)
The Word of God says that when we come to Him and confess our sins to Him, that He is just, that He forgives us of our sins, removes them from us, and they are no more!
As long as we stay in that place of forgiveness with the Lord, as long as we are confessing any sins to Him and we are forgiven of them, we know that our hands are clean in the sight of the Lord, and that He will move the heavens on ourbehalf!
And let's go on to see what else He has for us!...
25. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure, and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27. For thou wilt save the afflicted people, but wilt bring down high looks. (emphasis added)
28. For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
It's looking good so far!...
29. For by thee I have run through a troop, and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. (emphasis added)
31. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33. He maketh my feet like hinds feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Do you notice in verses 32-33, that David acknowledges that it is GOD that girds him with the strength that he needs, and that it is GOD who makes his ways perfect and makes his feet like hinds feet and sets him on high places? Man cannot do that!
As much as we'd like to try to convince ourselves that we can go through a trial on our own, that we can fight the battle ourselves, the truth of the matter is that it is GOD, and only GOD who can give us the strength and endurance that we need to go through the trials that will no doubt come our way in life. David understood that!
David also acknowledges in verse 34, that it is GOD, not man, who teaches his hands to war! It is GOD who teaches him, gives him the game plan needed to win the battle!
35. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Here I just want to encourage you to realize that I don't believe that the mention of God's right hand is coincidental. Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father! We are joint heirs to the throne! We already know that Father God regards us as more precious than the most precious of gems! Why not know that it is His right hand that holds us up?
And now...
36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. (emphasis added)
Do you realize that when GOD plants your feet somewhere, that they WILL NOT slip? How many times have we tried going out on own own, our steps not ordained by GOD, only to find that NOTHING was falling into place like we thought that it would? We'd try and try, only to find out that we were stepping out of GOD'S WILL for us and things were quickly falling apart!
Church, I just want to encourage you, ESPECIALLY during those times that we are engaged in Spiritual Warfare, to keep your feet firmly planted ONLY where GOD plants them! Seek Him, and HIM ONLY! Seek His face before entering into battle! Let HIM give you the game plan on how to win the battle!
Anything that we do outside of Him is OUT OF GOD'S WILL FOR US! Entering into battle without the backing of heaven is just asking for trouble! It's a good way to fall into defeat!
Another word of Wisdom? To remember when we are in Spiritual Warfare that WE ARE NOT WRESTLING AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD! The Word of God says in Ephesians 6:10-13 that we are to be strong IN THE LORD and in the power of HIS might!
Please understand that part...in the power of HIS might!!! Not our strength, but HIS! The Word of God also goes on to tell us that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against PRINCIPALITIES, against POWERS, against the RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, and finally, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in high places!
I think that it is very important for you to understand exactly what it is that you are up against. Very much like our military has an Army of Soldiers, so does Satan have an army of evil and wicked demons in high ranking positions that are given specific assignments to carry out against the body of Christ and all that we believe in.
It is very WISE to learn all that you can about the enemy that we come up against so very often. Learn all that you can in order to better understand what the enemy is capable of doing. That's what any good Soldier does before engaging in any sort of warfare.
Again, I repeat, A BIG key to engaging in Spiritual Warfare to win the battle, is to UNDERSTAND exactly what it is that you are coming up against! I cannot emphasis that enough!
Jesus, Himself, tells us in Matthew 10:16 that He was “sending us forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
We are supposed to learn about the wiles of the enemy, we are to learn about what it is that comes up against us, and be just as WISE as the enemy when it comes to battle!
We are to observe the enemy from afar, learning everything and anything that we can about the capabilities of the enemies camp, so that we do not enter into the battle against the enemy with a blind eye to what the enemy is capable of doing!
We are to familiarize ourselves with the enemies strategies in order to effectively tear them down and destroy them! You learn to be a soldier in an Army that does not know defeat because it is LED by the ONE who conquers all, AND KNOWS NO DEFEAT!!!
To effectively engage in Spiritual Warfare, we MUST learn all that we can about the enemy and what the enemy is capable of doing. Imagine yourself in the military. Any time you go to war, you first consult with the HEAD OF THE ARMY (Which in our case is JESUS), then you get a game plan in place, (Which in our case is us seeking the Lord's plan of attack), then you make sure that your army is in order (which in our case would be making sure that the battle is one that the Lord is leading us into), then you have to make sure that you are armed appropriately for the battle (which in our case is not only making sure that the Lord is leading us and backing us in this battle, but also making sure that we have on the whole armor of God before we start engaging in the battle.
As with any war, were you to wait until you were in the midst of the fight before you armed yourself appropriately for battle with your weapons to defend yourself against the attack of the enemy, you would surely fall into defeat and lose the battle!
So is it also with Spiritual Warfare. We must be ready for battle at all times because the Word of God already warns us that the enemy “walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Remember... You CANNOT win the battle in the flesh any more than you can win the battle WITHOUT the help of the Holy Ghost!!!
Look at what God's Word says happens next...
37. I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. (emphasis added)
What the Word of God is saying here, is once we are engaged in a battle, we are not to walk away from it until we have the victory, that we are to pursue the enemy until the enemy is consumed and overtaken!
One of the worst mistakes that I have seen God's people make is when the enemy comes up against them, and they pray to God, and because they don't see immediate results, they turn and run from the battle like a dog with its tail between its legs, running away in defeat because they did not pursue the enemy until he was overtaken!
They gave up too soon because the battle looked like a lost cause. It looked like the enemy won, when in fact the victory was just around the corner and they would have seen it, had they stayed in the fight and refused to turn away from it!
And there's more keys to victory here.....
38. I have wounded them that were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. (emphasis added)
Read this again! Do you understand that the enemy IS UNDER YOUR FEET?!?
39. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. (emphasis added)
Do you understand that when you grow weary, when you feel like giving up, when you think that all is impossible, that God WILL, His Word doesn't say that He MIGHT, but that He WILL give you the strength that you NEED to make it through the battle?
Do you understand that the word in this verse, “hast” is past tense? This means that God has already girded us with the strength that we need!
Rise up against the enemy in GOD'S STRENGTH, in HIS STRENGTH! Not yours, but HIS! Do you understand that HIS STRENGTH is STRONGER than that of the enemy? Do you understand that without Him, you cannot do ANYTHING, but THROUGH HIM, you can do ALL THINGS, which STRENGTHENS you?
Do you understand that the more that you learn to lean on HIM during the battle, the more you learn to stand at all? Do you understand the more you lean on HIM, the STRONGER you become?
Do you understand that the more you rely on HIM for EVERYTHING, the less you lean on and rely on yourself. You DECREASE so that HE can INCREASE!
Now let's go on...
40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41. They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. (emphasis added)
And here we see things are starting to turn around. The LORD is taking the evil report and turning it around for the good!!!
42. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me. (emphasis added)
44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. (emphasis added)
Do you see here that things have turned around so much that now the heathen are obeying God's servant? Do you see that instead of David bowing to the heathen, the heathen are bowing to David?!?
And there's even more GREAT NEWS....
45. The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46. The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Here we see that not only did David START OUT praising God, but he's also FINISHING this prayer with praise to God. Another thing to keep in mind is that when David prayed this prayer, he MADE BOLD STATEMENTS OF VICTORY, NOT DEFEAT! He SPOKE IT OUT!
Remember....life and death are in the tongue, and your words will either be a curse or a blessing to you. Speak those things which you are believing God for because you WILL have what you say!
47. It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. (emphasis added)
48. He delivered me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. (emphasis added)
Here we see that David is again acknowledging that it is GOD, NOT MAN, that avenges him and subdues the people under him. Do you notice that word SUBDUE?
Do you notice that the word delivered is past tense? After all, isn't this part of the reason why Jesus went to the cross? DELIVERANCE!
Do you also see that GOD has placed us, lifted us up, ABOVE those that have risen against us? How many times have we looked at the battle in the natural and had thoughts that the enemy was winning, that the enemy actually was above US, when in fact the Word of God says the WE are ABOVE those that have risen against us?
It is also important to remember that when people rise up against you, that it is not that person that is rising against you, it is the forces of darkness, Satan's influence, WORKING THROUGH that person.
A lot of times we need to remember that it is not the person, but Satan, coming against us. Too many times the attack is very close and personal to us, and we get offended and take it personally.
Word of Wisdom, when you take it personally, you fall into defeat. You get too wrapped up in your carnal feelings, feelings of the flesh, and it is then harder and harder to see the victory through your own pain, and you give in to defeat.
I have told many people over and over again, “Staying mad at the devil is a real good place to be.” When you are always ready for the battle, when you always have your guard up, instead of down, you are much more able to see and hear clearly what it is that the Lord wants to do, you can pay more attention to the Lord's game plan of attack for the battle.
When you fall under attack, get full of anger, RIGHTEOUS ANGER, that is, toward the devil, and the works of the devil! Don't put up with the enemies attacks! Don't receive that assignment of the enemy!
Learn to see past the pain of the attack, SEEK THE LORD FIRST, get HIS PLAN OF ATTACK, then GO AND TAKE BACK BY THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT WHAT THE ENEMY HAS STOLEN FROM YOU!!!
49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
It is so IMPORTANT to not only give PRAISE to our God for what He's done, is still doing, and is yet to do, but it is equally important to give THANKS to our God for what we are believing Him for!!!
50. Great deliverance giveth he to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
And finally, not only does God's Word say that David praised and thanked the Lord for deliverance, but also acknowledged and DECLARED that he IS ANOINTED, he is DECLARING that not only does deliverance come to him, but also to his SEED for evermore!!! WONDERFUL NEWS!!!
Church, I just want to encourage you, that when the going gets tough, the tough NEED TO GET JESUS!!! I just want to encourage you to understand what the Word of God says HAPPENS when we pray to the Lord in our distress!
I just want to encourage you to remember that the Lord shakes the foundations of the earth, and MOVES all of Heaven ON YOUR BEHALF!!!
I want to encourage you that when you are facing trials and tribulations in your life, to PRAY PSALM 18 over your situation!!! Personalize this POWERFUL SPIRITUAL WARFARE PRAYER, and PRAY it with POWER!!! Put YOUR NAME in that last verse where David puts HIS!!!
Pray this prayer like it is meant for YOU, because IT IS!!! Pray it with ALL of the POWER and AUTHORITY that is YOURS through the BLOOD OF JESUS and the POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST that lives inside of you!!!
You have the MOST POWERFUL SPIRIT living inside of you, the SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD!!!!
YOU are FULL of POWER!!! Start using it!!!
Remember...When entering into the battle, you should be so dangerous that you come with a warning label!!!
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Healing
"And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." - Matthew 14:34-36 KJV (emphasis added)
"For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole, like as the other." - Matthew 12:8-13 KJV (emphasis added)
What do these two verses have in common? Both of the recipients of the healings ACTED ON THEIR FAITH, instead of choosing to look at their circumstances in the natural.
Had they decided to just give in to defeat and look at their circumstances instead of keeping their eyes focused on Jesus and doing what HE said to do, they might have thought something like, "Oh, no. I'll never be healed. This hand is way too withered and beyond help", or "Why should I bother to do anything at all? This is way too complicated, even for God." (though they had God standing right in front of them). Sound familiar?
At the same time, we also see in Matthew 12:13 that Jesus commanded him to 'Stretch forth thine hand'. Do you notice that Jesus always commanded them to DO SOMETHING, and they obeyed, and when they did obey, things happened?
It did not matter if He told them to stretch forth their hand, or told them to go home and know that their loved ones were healed. When they chose to believe God and His Word, and chose to take Him at His Word for what He was saying to them, things happened!
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" - James 2:20 KJV (emphasis added)
That's right! We must ACT on what it is that we are believing God for! I remember when I was very sick, and God healed me. At first, I still felt sick and weak, but then I decided to get up and move, to activate that healing, to not look at things in the natural, and with in ONE HOUR, I was COMPLETELY HEALED by Jesus!
Whenever I pray for healing for people, I never ask them if they are healed, I tell them that they are healed. For instance, Let's say that I'm praying for someone that cannot move their hand at all. When I am done praying for their healing, I tell them, "Okay, now move your hand." By telling them that, you get them to activate their faith right away, and things happen!
I never ask them if they can move their hand. That's a real good way to fill them full of doubt and unbelief. For instance, I never say, "Okay, see if you can move your hand." It's never a matter of 'if' with God when He is healing, it's a matter of 'when' with God when He is healing. We already know from His Word that He is very capable of healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease. There is nothing too hard for Him!
Church, I just want to encourage you, that when you are dealing with healing, whether you are the one seeking the healing, or whether you are the one praying for someone else's healing, to take the Lord at His Word, what He says in it, and ACT on it! BELIEVE Him for it! TRUST Him for it! Even when you are having a hard time seeing it, just remember this..."Be not afraid, only believe." What is His Word saying to you?
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." - Mark 11:24 (emphasis added)
Believing really is seeing!!