I was so excited when I received this revelation! As always, the Holy Spirit will bring a verse to mind, and as I read it I will remember another passage with similar circumstances and search the Scriptures for this new found theme. In many cases they are woven together in a common thread. Only through diligent study will “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:17) Each passage has a hidden gem, a strategy for victory. Let us unlock each one using their newly discovered spiritual keys. Passages taken from the NASB.

“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into a place which I have prepared. For My angel will go before you and drive out [the enemy armies] and I will completely destroy them. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries…I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. I will send hornets ahead of you so they will drive out [the enemy armies] before you.” (Exodus 23:20-23, 27- 28)

The key to victory in this passage is obedience. It may seem simple enough, but it is a daily battle with our flesh to submit to the perfect will of Christ. Keep your body under submission (1 Corinthians 9:27) by living a life of fasting, prayer and meditating on the Word. Just look at the Lord’s reward for our obedience!

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.” So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword. (Joshua 10:6-11)

The key to victory in this passage is mercy and loyalty to others. Long before Jesus taught us to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31), Joshua understood the importance of this principle.

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me’… The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped [water like a dog, which was the sign from YHVH to Gideon of whom He wanted in the army] and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home…Now the same night it came about that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands. But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, and you will hear what they say; and afterwards your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp.”…So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled…(Judges 7:6, 7, 9-11a, 19-22)

The key to victory in this passage is simply God’s desire to glorify Himself. It is too easy for man to trust in his own strength (Proverbs 3:5, Psalm 20:7, Jeremiah 17:5) and forget who really fights our battles (Exodus 14:14, 2 Chronicles 20:17, Isaiah 41:10).

Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.”…So it came about on the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan…Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.”…And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders trembled, and the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling. Now Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away; and they went here and there…Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel…Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. (1 Samuel 13:19, 22; 14:6, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21)

The key to the victory this passage is unwavering faith (in your Deliverer) despite the circumstances. The Israelites were outnumbered and outgunned, yet Jonathan believed YHVH would give them the victory. Remember, you and Christ are a majority. Saul called for the Ark: remain in the Lord’s presence. Worship, get up an hour early, seek His face, study the Word. And did you notice the last verse? When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies be at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7). Are your ways pleasing to God?

For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.” Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank [remember, there was a famine in the land], and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.

Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”…So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. (2 Kings 7:6-10a, 16)

The key to victory in this passage is not so much the victory itself but who was brave and desperate enough to seek a morsel of food in the enemy’s camp during a famine. They were lepers; the unclean, the unwanted, the outcasts. We have all felt that way at some point in our lives. These lepers could have kept the food and goods for themselves. After all, who would listen to them? Who wants to hear about God’s love from a former prostitute, a recovering addict, a convicted felon? Or from a christian struggling with sexual sin, or who cannot control his temper, or who wages a silent war against her child’s rebellion? There is a famine in the land; the world needs to hear your testimony and watch you battle those demons. Bring the lost to the foot of the cross. They need Christ just as much as you.

[And YHVH spoke through the prophet] “You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice…When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His loving kindness is everlasting.”

When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. When Judah came to the outlook of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much. (2 Chronicles 20:17, 18, 21-25)

The key to victory in this passage is praise and worship. The king led his army with praises to their Deliverer in full confidence and gratitude. The battle was won before it was even fought. Your worship is a powerful weapon of warfare; these verses teach us that praise and worship confound the enemy. Be proactive in your faith. Brandish your weapon of worship and watch the enemy flee before you seven ways (Deuteronomy 28:7).

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of demons.” And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “A kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:24-29)

The key to victory in this passage is unity. It breaks my heart to see how far we have strayed from the original church-the church in the book of Acts. They were with one accord (Acts 1:14); can today’s church say the same? All these denominations looking down on one another, thinking they have got it right and everyone else is wrong. Truly a shame. Christ Himself set the Pharisees straight: if you say I’m demonized, then you’re saying the exact same thing about your children (denomination). For we all serve the same Elohim. Many bible scholars believe blaspheming the Holy Ghost (Mark 3:29) is doing just that: accusing the brethren who minister in the spiritual gifts and cast out demons of being demonized themselves. Be careful! He imparts the same gifts equally to His church; it is up to us to band together and use them for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Note how several of these passages end: the Israelites plunder the enemy’s camp. The spoils of war are set aside for you! It is the reward for your obedience, mercy, loyalty, faith, courage and perseverance. I pray this blesses you.