FAITH CAPSULE: The wars that you engage in on a regular basis are the challenges, afflictions and tribulation of life.

1 Samuel 4:1-10, John 16: 5-33
 
In these days of wickedness, war and rumors are always within or just outside of man’s camp. There is no one under heaven that is exempted from wars and rumors of wars except that one is living somewhere outside of this world.
The wars that you engage in on a regular basis are the challenges, afflictions and tribulation of life. As a child of God, these wars are not meant to overcome you; you are to overcome them. It is clear in the word of Jesus that tribulation is certain to come but peace that is enough to see one through as overcomer is available when He stated, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Accept Jesus and gain the peace that is made available in Him to overcome tribulations of this world.
Also, overcoming battle comes with knowing that God is in your camp. The children of Israel went to battle against the Philistines and the Israelites were defeated. The Israelites went back to get the ark of the LORD hoping to regain victory. It is written in1 Samuel 4:5-6, “And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, ‘What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?’ Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.’” The children of Israel were happy to know that the LORD was in their camp. 1 Samuel 4:7, “So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, ‘God has come into the camp!’ And they said, ‘Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.’” In your challenges, it is not enough to have God on your side if you are not on His side. God can still be in your camp even though you have “camped out” from Him. The Israelites had the ark, but still were defeated. God has said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God will always honor His Word and He will not leave us unless we have left Him in our walk. He is always there for us, but are you always there for Him? The children of Israel lost the battle not because God was not in their camp, but because they had camped out from God’s Word. Are you in camp with God? Where one is standing; how one stands will have a direct effect on how war and rumors of war in the world affect us.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to count yourself out of His camp of deliverance and preservation.