Those With You Are More Than Those Against You
“So he answered, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16–17).
First, know whom you believe. Know the object of your faith When you know whom you believe in, his power and presence will always manifest for you, in you, on you and around you. When you believe in God, for sure know that he is with you. Then, believe it. Believe God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5).
Second, don’t be afraid. “Do not fear”, Elisha told his servant. Why not fear? Because fear always robs you of your victory. The confidence you have in God makes you victorious. Fear is a demonic spirit (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear paralyzes you. Fear unnerves you and strips you of your reward. You are a master but fear will cause you to behave as a bondservant-a slave. In the face of victory, fear causes you to retreat. Fear deviates you from the path that leads to heaven and leads you to hell. The only thing you need to blind your eyes to those who are on your side is fear. Therefore fear not. Be confident that the object of your faith–God is at your side ( Hebrews 13:5). Believe him. Know that he is with you. He is your strength. He is your help. He will uphold you. He is the one who will help you (Isaiah 41:10, 13–14).
Third, your eyes must be illuminated. You must have spiritual insight. “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17). In any situation, the first insight you get is natural. What do your physical eyes tell you? This servant of the man of God saw the Syrian army and their chariots. If you dwell on this physical insight, it will instill fear in you, and thus you will be thwarted and defeated. This is the vision of those who are against you–the enemy. You need higher revelation. Having a higher level of insight and spiritual awareness. The revelation of those on your side. When your eyes are opened and you see those on your side, confidence enters. Victory is inevitable. This is the reason why Elisha prayed that God might enlighten the eyes of the young man–his servant. When his eyes were open and he saw what was on their side– a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha–fear dissipated in thin air. Their victory was sure. What you are going through, let God open your eyes and see Him because He is on your side. See the situation the way God sees it. Identify your situation from a spiritual and scriptural perspective and act accordingly. Run around with it. Put it into practice until you achieve victory.
This story of a missionary couple in the New Hebrides Islands summarizes this. One night these missionaries were awakened by chants outside their mission station. Looking out, they saw that scores of hostile islanders had surrounded the station with torches, intent on burning the place down and killing the missionary couple. The missionary couple got down on their knees and prayed throughout the night, asking God to deliver them. The tense, dark hours passed, yet the islanders kept their distance. Finally, around daybreak, the husband looked out the window — and the hostile tribesmen were gone. A couple of missionaries were baffled. There seemed to be nothing preventing the islanders from attacking, yet no attack came. They did not find out why the islanders left so mysteriously until a year later when the chief of the tribe was won over to Christ. Remembering the night-long siege a year before, the missionary asked the newly converted chief why the tribesmen had departed instead of burning the mission station to the ground. “We were afraid of the men who were with you,” the chief replied.
“What men?” asked the missionary
“There were a hundred tall men around the mission house that night,” said the chief. “Their clothing shone with light, and they had swords in their hands. We knew that they would never let us harm you, so we headed back to our village.”
That is spiritual warfare at its most extreme! It is always God who intervenes in such a dramatic way on behalf of His children. Yet the battle is just as real, just as deadly, in everyday life. This is especially true for a missionary couple in a mission station on the New Hebrides Islands. You are hemmed in by enemies every day. However, God has provided a defence for you that will enable you to stand against the schemes and flaming arrows of the enemy. 1 John 4:4 cements this truth by saying, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world”.
More valuable is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
Contributor
By Gilbert Magomere Ayieko
Minister
