Growing up my parents taught us not to pick fights; they wanted us to learn how to resolve our differences without fighting. They also said when fighting was unavoidable we should fight back. I remember hearing my dad or grandfather telling me if you are faced with overwhelming odds, and you know that you are about to receive a beat down, make sure you are the aggressor. Make sure one of your opponents pays for all the others who were about to put a beating on you.

Some of us fight over things we have no business fighting over. As I get older, I get wiser, and I have learned not to fight without the possibility of winning or receiving a reward. David had asked this question before he fought Goliath: “David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?'” 1 Samuel 17:26 (NLT)

As believers, there are times when we must fight and there are times when we must not fight. Solomon said, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT) If you are constantly fighting then there is no balance in your life. You need to learn how to pick your battles.

When the twelve spies returned from spying out the land, ten of the twelve gave a bad report to the people and discouraged them from fighting to possess the land. After the Lord rebuked them and told them that they would wander forty years in the desert, they decided to go forward into the promise land and fight. However, God instructed Moses to give them this message:

“But the LORD told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.'” Deuteronomy 1:42 (NLT)

It’s important that you learn when to fight and when not to fight! If God says not to fight you need to be obedient and not fight. Too many of you are fighting battles that the Lord does not want you to fight, or He is not in the fight with you. When you fight battles that God does not want you to fight, or He is not in the fight, there is only one outcome, defeat!

What battles are you fighting? Evaluate every battle you are currently fighting. If God is not in it, stop fighting, focus your energy someplace else, and learn to only fight when God says fight. When God says fight, you can be assured of victory and reward.

Some battles are not yours to fight, and some battles you can’t fight. You should never fight several battles at the same time. In this New Year, stop fighting a losing battle; choose your battles wisely and remember if God is not in the battle with you, don’t fight.

Be Blessed,
Bishop Jemmott