GET UP AND FIGHT

• DAY 191
• FEAR FILES: ISRAEL
• SCRIPTURE: ESTHER 8

Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring no one can revoke.” By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

ESTHER 8:7-8; 11-14

When I first became a believer and learned of this thing called ‘Faith’, I thought it was something that I’d just sit down, cross my legs, and just have everything done for me. Because as you see me, I don’t like to fight, I don’t like disturbance or confrontation at all. I just want to kneel down, pray calmly, and just have God do it. I just wanted things to be falling on my lap without me contending for them. But as we see in our text today, that is not always the case. There are some things that you’re going to get cheaply and there are some that you’re going to have to fight for.

Another Decree

The children of Israel had received a decree that they were going to be annihilated, but God granted them favor. He gave Mordecai wisdom and Esther courage, and now the enemy that wanted to kill them was dead, but the opposition, the decree for their death, was still there. Because let me tell you, sometimes the death of your enemy doesn’t stop the problem. Some challenges don’t go away when the person is dead. Maybe that’s the reason why some of our great-grandfathers and forefathers are dead, but their children are still battling with some of the consequences of their actions. That is why we need to fight.

The king said to Esther, “I can’t do anything about this, what has been decreed cannot be undecreed. But here’s what I’ll do, I’ll give you permission to release another decree. To arm yourself and go to war against the people that want you dead. The decree was announced all over Israel, “Get ready for war!” “Get ready to fight!”. You have the capacity for victory, but you are going to have to fight your enemy for it. Your enemies are going to come and they will do whatever it takes to defeat you, you have to be ready to do whatever it takes. 

Fight!

As Christians, there comes a time when we need to be aggressive, the Kingdom of the Lord suffers violence and we can’t win by speaking or negotiating. You need to rebuke that spirit, you need to go to war with the whole armor of God and fight for your children, your nation, your home, and your destiny. You need to go to the place of prayer and declare “Devil, you are defeated, when Jesus resurrected, I automatically got victory over you, so you cannot come into my home and raise dust, not in my family, not on my watch. The victory is mine”. 

You can’t sit there and allow the enemy to come and bamboozle you and take what is yours in your own territory. This is the season for warriors, for people who aren’t playing around. So, you need to arise and take a position. I am tired. Oh, I am tired! I’m tired of seeing the children of God oppressed when they have victory in their hands. It hurts me because I have also allowed the enemy to put me in a weak position countless times because I was crying instead of fighting. Warriors don’t cry when it’s time to fight, they can cry when it’s time to mourn, but they don’t cry when it’s time to fight. 

Beloved, this is no time to cry, this is no time to throw a pity party. This is a time for war. Get up and fight!