Enemy Of Peace

The Bible text for this offering of peace is Deuteronomy 2: 24 – 31. I have singled out these words of Moses to God’s people. See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.

May the Peace of Jesus come in whatever form or way, 

 May you be empowered to not lose that peace,

 May you conquer any enemy of peace in your way. 

There are two things here for you to recognize and note.

• God has begun His work of delivering the enemy of Peace into your hands.

• God now wants you to begin your work of conquering and possessing the enemy’s land

Moses is recounting about the Hand of God being with them in all their wanderings in the desert, before they came to the place of peace. One such episode is with Sihon, the king of Heshbon. Moses had asked Sihon to allow the Israelites to pass peacefully through his country.  He had also asked the king to sell them bread and water and they would pay in silver. Moses came in peace and would leave in peace. But Sihon, king of Heshbon, refused that peace. He made himself an enemy to peace. He began to set up a battle against Moses and the children of Israel. He did that because, the LORD your God has made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done. The Lord had begun to deliver this enemy into their hands, by exposing the true colours, as it were, of this enemy of peace.

Pause for a moment and see how your God can, and still does operate at times.   Is this not the Will and Way for you today? You also need to know those two previously stated facts, in your own life as well.

God is the One who has begun to deliver an enemy of peace into your hands. 

There is an enemy of peace that you must face as you journey to your place of promise. I say enemy of peace, because, like the Israelites on the way to the place of promise, you must pass through this enemy country.  You have been through other countries peacefully, but there is a Sihon, that you must face, that which will come to challenge and destroy your peace and confidence in Almighty God.

Nonetheless, God is still your Faithful God and He is still with you. Will you accept this word? He has already begun to deliver enemy territory over to you.  The Lord has begun by making the spirit of the enemy of peace, stubborn and his heart obstinate. Will you see that it is God who is allowing you to clearly see the wicked part of this enemy that’s hidden from your eyes? When you have come in peace and are genuine about your ways, and seek only a peaceful time with such a one, you must face a stubborn spirit and obstinate heart. When you face this, rejoice! Praise God! It is the sign that your ever present God and Lord has begun the work of delivering this one over to you. Not only is God delivering the person to you, but all who are in his country.    

God is the One who wants you to begin your work of conquering and possessing.

The Lord has begun a work and has called you to share in it.  In this work He has set Himself up as the Deliverer and has, in His grace, given you to share His work by giving you the work of conqueror.  There is work for you to do.  As God has begun to deliver, you are to begin to conquer and possess the enemy’s country. You are called by God, to conquer, to fight the battle the enemy of peace has set against you. God is calling you to conquer and possess, because He has already begun to deliver this enemy and all that belongs to him, into your hands. Remember, you are doing your work, after God.  You are doing your conquering, after God.  You are doing your possessing, after God. 

Holy Lord God, give me the quiet confidence in Your Will and Way so that anything that is hostile to peace, I will face in full knowledge, and without doubt, that You are Present.  Let me know that even in the hostile response of my challenger to my peaceful steps, You have had a hand. You have exposed the spirit and heart of the one from whom I sought help and assistance. You have exposed what I did not see and know.  You have exposed, so that I will see in this obstinate and stubborn one, Your work of deliverance, delivering this enemy and all that he or she possesses, into my hands. Lord, teach me, help me, show me in Your Holy Spirit’s strength how to begin to conquer and possess all that is before me.  Amen!