They were going at it.
Two little girls—siblings, I assumed—were trading blows in the back seat of the car in front of me this afternoon.
As I sat at the intersection waiting for the light to change from red to green, I noticed the squabble through the rear window of the gray station wagon the young girls were riding in.
The more they got into it, well, the more they got into it.
It grew pretty intense.
The youngest, who appeared to be about three, smacked the oldest, who looked to be about seven or eight.
That’s when the retaliation hit came.
It was all downhill from there.
Though I wasn’t inside the vehicle, I knew an adult would need to intervene to keep these two from injuring each other.
Then, about a minute after things began escalating, a man in the front passenger seat turned around and set the feuding pair straight.
Whatever he said, though inaudible to me, was enough to make the hitting cease.
Each one, appearing angry, turned away from the other and calmed down. They were both little cutie-pies, getting caught up in their feelings as children so often do.
Without someone older, calmer and wiser stepping in, youngsters in general will allow their emotions to get the best of them. Their visceral responses, however, can be quite destructive. So they need guidance.
As a mom of four, I remember when the Hobbs children were younger. My husband Kenya and I had to teach them the importance of taking turns, sharing, saying please and thank you, and choosing talking over hitting, biting, or falling out.
They had to be taught how to interact with each other, even in moments of disagreement.
As adults, if we aren’t careful, our emotions will also get the best of us. We’ll react to situations that frustrate, hurt, annoy or anger us, in the wrong manner.
God, like that adult who set the dueling girls straight, often intervenes to stop us from fighting when we shouldn’t be.
After all, every battle is not ours to fight.
I’m reminded of 2 Chronicles 20, when the enemies of King Jehoshaphat, Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, came against them.
When Jehoshaphat got the news that the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites were waging war against him and his people, the Bible says he was afraid.
He called a fast and consulted God. People from all the cities within Judah came together and sought the Lord for help.
The people began talking to the Lord about how He was the one who had driven their enemies out and given them the land as an inheritance, as He promised to Abraham.
They told Him how they built Him a temple, a dwelling place, to worship His name.
They further expressed that, without God, they had no power to defeat this great multitude coming against them.
They flat-out admitted that they didn’t know what to do and said, “But our eyes are upon You.”
So God sent a word through Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, whose lineage was tied to the Levitical Priesthood.
The Father sent this powerful word forth: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Friend, you’ve got some battles in your life that are too great for you to fight. You can’t handle it on your own. Through this word, the Lord is saying, Take your hands off. Let me handle it. I will take care of you. The battle is not yours, but God’s.
God also told Jehoshaphat, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
The next day, just as God said, they didn’t even have to lift a finger against their enemies.
Rather than fight, Jehoshaphat appointed people to sing to the Lord.
Verse 22 says, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”
Their enemies turned on each other and killed one another!
The Bible says when Jehoshaphat and the people came to get the spoils of war, they discovered dead bodies, precious jewelry, and “more than they could carry away.”
In fact, the word of God says, it took them three days to get all the spoils because it was so much.
Look at how the enemy was defeated because God was exalted.
Praise was their weapon. It’s also yours.
As you praise, God fights for you. When you lift up your voice to exalt His name, the Omnipotent One defeats your enemies. Things start to happen when you praise!
Chains are broken, shackles are loosed, strongholds are shattered and Satan is defeated when you lift up the name of the Lord.
If you want to be victorious, then praise. If you want to see breakthrough in your life, then praise. If you want to go into the enemy’s camp and take back what he stole from you, then praise.
As you release praise, God will release blessings into your life. There is power in your praise.
Right now, you may be going through something difficult. You don’t feel like you have any fight left in you. Well, you don’t need to fight; you just need to praise.
Begin lifting the Savior up. Exalt Him for who He is. Rejoice in His goodness, favor and majesty.
As the saying goes, “When praises go up, blessings come down.”
Psalm 92:1 NKJV, which is what I’m stirring into your cup of inspiration, says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, release a praise and trust God to release a breakthrough.
Now let’s pray.
God, I give You praise. You’re wonderful, awesome and majestic. There is none like You in all the earth. I exalt Your name above all else. You are righteous. You are holy. You are my savior. Unto You, oh my King, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
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