Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth

The Spoils of Spiritual Warfare

"Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 26:27)

This verse opens us to a profound, life-changing truth. It speaks of spoils that can only be won in battle. And once these spoils are won, they're dedicated to the building up of God's house. I believe if we grasp the powerful truth behind this verse, we'll understand why the Lord allows intense spiritual warfare throughout our lives. Many Christians think once they're saved, their struggles are over, that life will be smooth sailing. Nothing could be further from the truth. God not only allows our battles, but he has a glorious purpose for them in our lives.

If we didn't have conflict, pressure, trials, wars, we would become passive and lukewarm. Decay would set in, and our temple would lie in ruins. We wouldn't be able to handle the territory we've gained. That's why the enemy's plan against us is clear: he wants to take us out of the battle. His aim is to remove all the fight from us.

Try to imagine your temple as a literal building, made of brick and mortar. If you walked around it, you'd be able to point out the maintenance work that's been done through trials in the past. You could say, "See that roof? At one point it was leaking badly. I remember the battle I went through for God to repair it. In fact, he put a whole new roof on the house. And that window over there - it was once smashed and broken. The Lord allowed me to go through the test of my life over that. Now it's been replaced with this beautiful stained glass."

We find all our resources for maintenance - strength to go on, power over the enemy - in our spiritual battles. And on that day when we stand before the Lord, he will reveal to us: "Do you remember what you went through on that occasion? And on this date, and in that awful battle? Look at what you accomplished through it all: a house maintained, in divine order, without spot or blemish. It was all secured through the battles you won. Behold the result of your trials now. Wasn't it worth it all?"

Imagine what it would be like on that day to take the devil on a tour of your temple. You could show him the results of all his attacks against you, and tell him, "See what you did for me? You meant it to destroy me. But that trial proved to keep me pure. It gave me patience, and it kept my fire burning for Jesus. What you meant for evil, he used to maintain this house."

Are you in a battle right now? Are you facing intense spiritual warfare? Be encouraged: God has a purpose in it all. And his plan for you involves much more than merely surviving. He wants you to come forth with more - more resources, more spiritual riches, more strength - than you had when you entered the conflict.

The simple fact is, God has put his treasure in human bodies. He has made you a temple, a house for his Spirit to dwell in. And you have a responsibility to maintain that temple. If you become lazy and careless, neglecting the maintenance work needed - regular prayer, feeding on God's Word, fellowshipping with his saints - decay will set it. And you'll end up in absolute ruin.

Maybe right now you're confused, discouraged and questioning. You may wonder, "I don't see any purpose to this struggle. Why do I have to go any further in it? I've had enough."

Tragically, many have quit the battle. And they've ended up bitter, hard, angry, their faith a heap of ashes. Why? They have no resources. They threw away their treasure when they walked away from their trials. Sadly, I know many pastors whose lives turned out this way. They simply gave up the fight. And when the winds of struggle and trial blew hard, their faith ended up shipwrecked.

As I look back on my own fifty years of ministry, I recall many times when it would have been easy for me to quit. I would pray, "Lord, I don't understand this attack. Where did it come from? And when will it end? I don't see any purpose in it at all." But over time, I began to see fruit from those trials. And that fruit - resources, strength, spiritual wealth - supplied me in a way I couldn't have gotten through any other means.

I urge you: take hold of your trial by faith, and believe God has allowed it. Know that he's using it to make you stronger... to help you take spoils from Satan... to make you a blessing to others... and to sanctify it all to his glory.

This devotional is an excerpt from David Wilkerson's newsletters.

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