You’ve had a word from God. It’s been prophesied over you that this certain thing belongs to you, and you’ve believed it and waited patiently to come into possession of that promise. However, what you didn’t expect was for the enemy to put up a fight and attempt to hinder you from possessing what rightfully belonged to you. Maybe you weren’t aware that when the Lord promises something to you, the enemy tries everything he can to prevent you from receiving.

And then there’s the time when that one virus ran rampant throughout the United States, you lost your job, couldn’t pay your bills, and you experienced a feeling of defeat. It’s as if you’re trudging through the wilderness, and you’re not sure how much longer you can continue on. You know in Christ there is no lack, and you’ve heard He provides all your needs, so what is going on and what do you do?

 I want to look at 2 Kings 3 today, and how the enemy tries to attack our promises and prophecies, and how the enemy tried to steal what was rightfully due to Israel.

It says in 2 Kings 3:4-5, “Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

Now I’m not sure why, but the King of Israel had a vast amount of lambs and wool coming from the King of Moab. As I was thinking on this verse, I imagined the enemy probably began thinking to himself, “now is my chance.” He may have been thinking, “This new king isn’t aware of what belongs to him,” or even “He won’t come after me.”  Now the Scriptures don’t say what the king of Moab was thinking, but from my experience with dealing with the enemy, the devil banks on us not knowing what rightfully belongs to us, and us not fighting back to obtain our promise.  

When we’re going into battle to obtain something the Lord has promised us, we do not have to go it alone. We have each other, brothers and sisters in Christ, whom we can call on to battle alongside us.

“A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory,” Proverbs 24:5-6

Together, we can devise a plan. Oftentimes others may see things from a perspective we have never considered, allowing us to cover all sides in prayer, and allowing us to come at this thing from a different direction if need be. Our plan of action may be good, but it may be lacking in an area, leaving us open to attack if we never acknowledge our blind spots. Proverbs 11:14 also tells us there is safety in a multitude of counselors.

King Jehoram was one who decided not to go into battle alone. He gathered all of Israel together to engage in battle with him; he joined together with the king of Edom, and “sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: ‘The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?’” (2 Kings 3:7) Instead of going into battle alone, they joined as one and even went through a wilderness experience together. “So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom,” (2 Kings 3:9).

I love what Jehoshaphat said in verse 7 – “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” He was willing to join as one with King Jehoram, sacrificing himself, his time, his people, and his belongings in order to help another. He was willing to face the wilderness and hardship in order to help King Jehoram. How many of us are willing to sacrifice ourselves in order to help another? How many of us are willing to go into battle with another and stick close until the battle has been won? Are we willing to be temporarily uncomfortable for the sake of another? As brothers and sisters of Christ, and as sons and daughters of God, our answer should be yes.

As the three kings went forth, journeying through the wilderness, they came to a point where they felt defeated. They had entered into a dry season, and it appeared as if their needs would not be met; there was no water for the army or their animals. The wadi only filled with water during the rainy season when there were heavy rains, and the streambeds were completely dry. Death seemed to be knocking at their doors, and they didn’t know what to do. Sometimes after you’ve come so far in order to obtain the promise, the enemy crouches at your door saying things like, “You never should have left your comfort zone. What are you doing out here? You’ll never reach your final destination. You are lacking everything you need – you can’t continue on!” The devil IS a liar!

When the three kings stood at the crossroad, not knowing what to do, they sought the Lord. They found Elisha and because King Jehoram had Jehoshaphat on his team, Elisha gave them the word of the Lord. Elisha said, “were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.” At times, the favor on others can open doors for you that you could not open for yourself.  This is another reason why it’s good to ask for help when you’re entering into battle.

Elisha gave them the word of the Lord in verse 16-17, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals. He will also give the Moabites into your hand…’”

The kings and the army thought they were goners, but the Lord miraculously provided for them. They had no idea how the provision would come – it was the dry season with no rain, and the Lord Himself said it would not come via the typical way – through a rainstorm. Their provision would come in a way in which they never expected it to come; it came from a different direction. Oftentimes we get stuck in our heads the way we think things should happen; the way we think God should provide our needs. However, when God provides, it’s often in an unexpected, unorthodox, highly unusual way. Our provision can come when we least expect it, and in a form we never would have thought of.

Water soon filled the streambeds, and the Moabites were alerted to the fact that the kings had come to fight. The Moabites, from the young to the old, began to suit up and were called to the border.

Declaring war on the enemy, and going forward with the intent on retrieving what he has stolen from us, and obtaining our promise, calls the enemy to attention because he will not give up without a fight. The devil will not volunteer to give us back our identity, our peace, our finances, or anything else he’s commandeered. At times it is necessary for us to enter into battle. When the Lord says it’s ours, and when He says He has given us the victory, we can be sure nothing in hell can stop us. We’re a mighty force to be reckoned with.

The water in the streambed was a source of provision in more than one way. Not only did the water provide the people with life and something to drink, but it also provided protection from the enemy. When the Moabites saw the way the light had shone on the Israelites provision (on the water), it appeared to them as if the Israelites had been defeated. Sometimes the provision looks like defeat.

It says in 2 Kings 3:22-23:

“And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. And they said, ‘This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!’”

Right now amidst the coronavirus pandemic, churches are shut down, and people are isolated in their homes. It has the appearance of defeat, and to the world it may look like the enemy has defeated the church, but we have been positioned in such a way that when this thing is over, we will shoot forward like a bull out of the bull pen, and make progress for the Kingdom of God like never before.

God positions us in such a way that we have the advantage over the enemy. Not only are we positioned in Christ Jesus, but the Lord will orchestrate things around us in such a way that we are guaranteed the victory. Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12) and the Light blinds the enemy to what is really going on. He’s not able to clearly see what stands before him. When the Light shines on a situation or circumstance, God children will see it one way (as provision and blessing), and the enemy will see it in another. It may appear as a victory to the enemy, like he’s defeated us, but that’s not the case.  Satan’s defeat is imminent.

Verse 24 says, “When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went.”

Imagine the kings and the army just getting up in the morning, the sun is shining, they’re happy because the Lord is with them, they’ve had their fill of water, and they’re preparing to move out when suddenly the enemy rushes into their camp with their guard down. The Moabites thought they had won the battle, so they let their guard down, unaware that the Lord had positioned the Israelites for victory.

To close this out, it may appear like you’ve been defeated. You may be going through a dry place right now, travelling through the wilderness, but you can be sure the Lord has set you up for the victory. You may have lost things that belonged to you, but the Lord will restore everything you have lost, including the time.

Proverbs 6:31 “But if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.”

Jeremiah 30:17 “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord…”

Joel 2:25-26 “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.”

Also, it may seem like the promise has been long in coming. It may seem as if you have been denied, but if you are willing to step out and fight for it, you will see it. The Word of the Lord never returns to Him void, but it always accomplishes what it sets out to do (Isaiah 55:11). If He said it’s yours, believe Him! The Lord is with you, and He will cause your paths to be straight and level; He will give the enemy into your hands, you need only believe and take hold of the promise.