DOMINION IN LIFE’S BATTLES (I)

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle – Psalm 144:1

Life in the natural is a succession of battles. Life is battles, not just a battle. Virtually every department of life involves battles. The world is warfare. There are battles everywhere. More often than not, it takes battle to find the right partner in life, for a woman to give birth safely, for a child to grow up healthy and proper, for a marriage to be sustained in harmony, for a business to blossom; it takes battle to stay alive through all of life’s trials, to sleep and wake up, to walk and not slip, to swim and not sink, to rise and not fall, and even to breath in and out – all involve battles, conflicts, and warfare!

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is a Book of battles. Humanity lost the first battle in Eden and became a slave to sin, Satan, and the flesh. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, and many other Kingdom-Champions, all fought their various battles, won some, lost some, but ultimately conquered, and emerged victorious. David for example, fought several battles, some of which are recorded in the Bible: the battle of recovery against the Amalekites (1Sam.30:1-20) and that against the Philistines in the valley of Rephaim (1Chr.14:13-17).

Diverse other battles were fought by many characters in the Bible: Moses defeated Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red Sea (Exod.14); Joshua overcame Jericho – with its wall of defence and all (Josh.6); Gideon's army prevailed over the Midianites (Judg.6-8); and kings such as Jehoshaphat exercised dominion in battles against formidable enemy-forces (2Chron.20). As there were national battles, so were there personal battles. Some others walked in ignorance, careless or foolishness and ended up as preys or victims in the battles of life. Those who take life casually often end up as casualties in life’s battles.

Dominion is not demonstrated in the absence of battles, but in the thick of it. Still pondering on David: the young lad actually emerged on Israel’s scene via the battle-arena (1Sam.17:15-20). No wonder he testified in Psalm 144 that God taught his hands to war and fingers to fight. God always guided him on what to do, when to do it, as well as where and how to go about the strategies of warfare. His success and victory majorly depended on such divine guidance.

In like manner, God knew that humanity will face battles, hence He gave us those warfare words or Dominion Instructions: “be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue, have dominion”! He pre-designed us for dominion in destiny. To the extent we follow His instructions; to that extent we’ll manifest His Dominion and Victory in all the battles of life!