Can I be a lover AND a fighter?

This week's memory verse:
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." -- Joshua 1:5

As the old cliche says, I have always considered myself a lover...not fighter. I like to kill 'em with kindness...

But much of this life is a battle...you have to take a fighter's stance to stay standing sometimes. It is good to know that we are not alone in our battles...we have God on our side!

Psalm 24:7-10 says that the "King of Glory" is God. He is strong in battle. He is armed and ready. He is the God of the angel armies.

In Deuteronomy 20:3-4, before they went into battle, God tells his people not to be afraid, not to panic and not to be terrified. He told them he was with them...he would fight against their enemies WITH them, giving them victory.

When I go into a scary situation, or when I know I have to do something hard, I am comforted by the fact that God is with me. When God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31) Just realizing that I am not alone gives me courage to do things I couldn't do otherwise.

Have you ever heard the saying, "God wins in the end?" Well, according to the Bible, it is true. Revelations has always been difficult for me to understand. There is so much symbolism and remarkable and crazy sounding creatures...it is difficult to figure out. The one thing I do get from it though...there will be a big battle between God, Jesus and the angels against the devil and his armies. And...God wins! 

Revelation 20:10 says that the devil will be thrown into a pit of burning sulfur and will be tormented day and night forever. Revelation 15:3-4 says that all nations will come and worship God when his righteous acts have been revealed.

No matter how bad things get here on earth...no matter how scary it is to live in these days...God has a plan and the story has already been played out...the devil and all evil will be defeated and God wins!

Knowing that...we should be confident and less afraid. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says we should stand our ground, don't hold back. Throw yourself into the work of Jesus, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time.

NOTHING YOU DO FOR JESUS IS A WASTE OF TIME....Hmmmm...perhaps that could help us work on our goals! When we do good things for our family, for our own bodies, for our communities...in the name of Jesus...God will do great things through us! Those things are not always easy for us to do...we have to have some FIGHT in us! If I know I have God there beside me...I think I can be a lover AND a fighter!