Twice yesterday a specific passage of Scripture was brought to my attention and when that happens, I usually take the time to take a closer look at it because I figure that God is trying to bring it to my attention for a reason. The passage that He brought to my attention was from 1 Samuel 30 which is the story of David’s conflict with the Amalekites. David and his men returned home to find that the Amalekites had burned their town and taken all their women and children. David and his men were so upset that the Bible says they “wept until they had no power to weep” (v. 4).
The men were so upset there was even talk of stoning David and here we come to one of the first parts of this passage that really caught my attention. The Bible tells us in verse six that “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” David knew exactly where to go when facing one of the very worst days of his life! He went straight to the Lord; he knew Who the source of his strength was! David went to God for the strength and comfort he needed, and he also went to Him for the guidance he needed. He consulted God to find out what he should do.
David asked God if he should pursue the enemy and if he would be able to overtake them. I love God’s reply! This was the verse that jumped out at me both times this passage was brought to my attention. “And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all’” (v. 8). God was telling David, “Go after the enemy, you will overtake them, and get back what belongs to you!” When David did what the Lord told him to do, he not only took back what the enemy had stolen, he got a little extra! The battle wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it!
David went after the enemy and took back all that had been stolen from him and the Lord even gave him more than the enemy had taken from him. Each time I heard this story and later reading it on my own, I felt a stirring deep within my spirit as I read God’s direction to David. Pursue. Overtake. Recover. Go after the enemy and take back what belongs to you. As I said, something stirred in my spirit as I read this, and I began to think of all the things the enemy has stolen in my life. The more I thought about it, the more a holy indignation began to stir in the pit of my stomach.
Friend, to be honest, I started getting mad! The enemy has stolen a lot from me and reading this passage, I felt like the Lord was telling me that it was time for me to go after the enemy and take back what he has stolen from me. It is time for me to do some pursuing and recovering! It’s time that I said, “Enough!” and took back what belongs to me! I look around me and I see a lot of Christians backing down and letting the enemy wreak havoc in their lives and the lives of their loved ones. I see a lot of Christians forgetting who they are and Who they serve.
I see a lot of Christians who are standing back while the enemy takes over our families, our churches, our communities, and our nations. I see a lot of Christians who have forgotten how to do battle with the enemy. I see a lot of Christians who have forgotten that the enemy has already been defeated. My friend, please forgive my harshness but weep if you must, but after that, do what David did. Seek God for the strength you need and ask Him to give you a battle plan. It is time to rise up, pursue the enemy, and take back everything he has stolen from you!
Beloved, you are not powerless! You can do battle in prayer! You have armor and it is time to put it on and use it! This is not the time to give in; this is the time to suit up and go out to battle. It is time to pursue the enemy and when you do, battle him! Battle the enemy as long as it takes for you to overcome and take back what has been stolen from you! And just so we are clear, when I say suit up and go to battle, I am not talking about a physical battle, although there are times that may be required. The battle I am talking about will be fought in the spiritual realm.
The first step to battling the enemy is to get serious about praying. The truth is that the battle will be won or lost through your prayers or the lack thereof! You will never be victorious over the enemy until you learn to do battle in prayer. Prayer is the key to victory over the enemy! “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” James 5:16. This verse not only explains the power of prayer over the enemy, but it also explains what we need to do in order for our prayers to be effectual over the enemy. We need to be living righteous lives.
We need to do all that we can to live in complete obedience to God’s Word so that sin does not hinder our prayers in any way. We will never achieve perfection this side of heaven, but we can do our best to live righteously before God. Righteous living not only makes our prayers more effective, but it also gives the enemy less ammunition to use against us. I have been studying through the book of Daniel this past week and a couple of verses in particular really stood out to me. Daniel 6:4-5 tells how the men who were jealous of Daniel tried to find fault with him but couldn’t find any error or fault with him!
In fact, not only could they not find any fault in him, they realized the only way to get him was to do something “concerning the law of his God.” Daniel lived a life of such integrity the only way they could get him in trouble was to pass a law that attempted to get him to obey it rather than God. Of course, it didn’t work; Daniel chose obedience to God no matter the cost! Can you imagine that being said about you? I wish I could say that a careful search of my life would reveal no fault or error, but I have not yet reached the level that Daniel did! But I want to!
I may not be as righteous as Daniel, but I believe that this is the kind of righteous living every believer should be aiming for. I believe that if we want to pursue the enemy and take back what he has stolen, we are going to have to get very serious about two things. We must get serious about praying and living righteously! We cannot continue to allow the enemy to take ground; we must start fighting back. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of seeing the destruction of the enemy! I think it is time for us to pursue the enemy and take back what he has stolen, my friend!
Many people know the verse found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” You know what strikes me most about this verse? The fact that it is God’s people that are being called to repentance and held responsible for the state of the land. It is God’s people who are held responsible for the state of their nation! They are the ones He holds responsible for the nation’s sin and sickness!
I believe that God wants believers to realize the need for us to repent and turn to Him; we are the ones that can change the course of a nation! We as believers are responsible for the state of our nation right now! Our country has gotten to the place it is because we have failed to stand strong in battle against the enemy. Little by little, we have surrendered ground to the enemy instead of standing firm on the Word of God and fighting back. My friend, I believe God is saying it is time to pursue the enemy and recover what we have lost! It is time to humble ourselves and turn back to God!
My friend, what has the enemy stolen from you? What are some things you need to recover from the enemy? What ground do you need to take back from the enemy? What do you need to pursue, overtake, and recover? May I suggest you get mad? Get mad and decide to do something about it. Get mad and decide to get serious about praying and doing battle. Get serious about living righteously before the Lord. Ask God to give you a battle plan and then determine to follow it. My friend, it’s time to take back what the enemy has stolen! Pursue. Overtake. And recover!
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 2 Cor. 10:3-4
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” Joel 2:25.
Father God, thank You for the victory You have already won against the enemy. Thank You that we are fighting from victory and not for victory. Remind us who we are in You! Remind us that we have authority over the enemy because You gave it to us. Forgive us for the areas we have failed to stand against the evil one. Forgive us, Lord, for we Your people have sinned greatly. We have failed to stand firm on Your Word, and we are reaping the consequences of that failure. I pray that You would help us to humble ourselves and seek Your forgiveness and cleansing. Teach us to obey Your Word. Help us to return to You, to return to righteous living. Help us to once again be the light that You called us to be. Show us the battle plan we need to follow so that we can pursue and overtake the enemy. Help us to take back what was stolen from us. Help us to live worthy and battle as long as it takes to defeat the enemy in every area of our lives. May all we do bring glory to Your precious and holy name. Fill us with a holy boldness and help us to wholeheartedly seek and serve You! May Your perfect will be done! In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the name that is above all other names we pray! Amen.
Katrina Douglas
8/4/19
Revised 10/11/2022
