Partnering with Heaven’s Armies through the Posture of Peace
Probably the last thing we think about when considering spiritual warfare is not the recital of scripture, or the vocalising of decrees, but the imperative of being still. We must understand that spiritual warfare is not dependent upon us following any preformatted agenda as though it were our battle to win or lose, rather
success on the battlefield depends upon the posture of the heart we adopt in the secret place before the Lord.
This was the lesson Joshua needed to learn before the defeat of Jericho when he lifted his eyes and beheld a Man stood opposite him with a drawn sword in His hand. Naturally, Joshua enquired “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”(Joshua 5:13), but the reply of the Warrior took Joshua by surprise and totally reframed the context of the battle he was about to engage in.
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”. Joshua 5:14 (NIV)
The Lord proceeded to answer Joshua, first by telling him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground, but then gave him a very peculiar battle plan for how to take the city. Walk around Jericho for seven days without saying a word then blow the trumpets and make a shout would have sounded ridiculous under any normal circumstances, but his encounter with the Lord instantly put the whole battle scenario into the supernatural, and Joshua understood his place was to partner with Heaven’s armies, because the battle belonged to the Lord.
When we posture our hearts in peace before the Lord, we are engaging with Heaven’s armies to act on our behalf and we silence the taunts of fear to plumb the depths of intimacy where assurance and instruction await.
In this sense peace is not passive but the fruit of a wilful adoption of faith over a given conflict. Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting we should not fight, but it’s the manner of how we engage with the enemy that is critical here. On our own, it’s not a fair fight, and we are no match for our adversary. Oh yes, of course, greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world, but that’s the point, it’s the Lord in us that tips the balance in our favour. So what am I saying? Only this, that before we get lured into the gladiatorial ring by invitation of our enemies, there’s a different approach we can employ: One that spares us the blows of direct confrontation and instead partners with Heaven’s armies through the posture of peace.
Whatever battle you’re facing today, whatever fear lurks, the place of overcoming begins with being still. That’s the place to contend for, go there today, the Lord will meet you there.
“(18) He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle [that was] against me, For there were many against me.” – Psalms 55:18 NKJV
