Serious servants of the Lord understand the reality of spiritual warfare, and have enlisted in the the age old conflict between good and evil, truth and error, light and darkness. These soldiers of light are keenly aware of the battle that rages in the ever present, but unseen, realm of God, angels, and the souls of men. They will stand until the promised day of victory. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (2Tim. 2.4).”
Generally speaking, when men go to war, commanding officers don’t lead their soldiers into battle. Not so with our God; the soldier who carries the banner of truth takes comfort in the words, “The Battle Is The Lord’s.” The shepherd boy, David, spoke to the giant, Goliath, in 1Samuel 17:46-47, “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee… for the battle is the LORD’S.”
Nowhere is the promise of His presence more powerfully illustrated than in Exodus 13-14, where Israel had just been delivered from their 430 year bondage in Egypt, and God led them out into the wilderness toward the “land of promise.” The Bible declared that He went before them in “a pillar of cloud by day,… and a pillar of fire by night.” The purpose of His manifested presence becomes obvious as we read the text: He wanted to maintain a high morale (Exodus 13:17-18), provide reassurance and guidance (13:20-22), and to protect them from their enemies (14:10-14).
What our Lord did for His people Israel in the physical realm, He has promised to do for us in these times of spiritual warfare. “…If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)”
The Omnipresent Almighty is out front leading the way, and He is behind us, guarding our backs. The outcome of the conflict has already been determined, and by faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin, you can be enlisted on the winning side!