There are two battles we face in any personal issue. The first is to become free, and the second is to stay free. We’ve all seen people who received a breakthrough but who did not maintain it. There is no breakthrough without follow-through.
There is a situation involving David that wonderfully illustrates this principal.
Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David King over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of rephaim. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines in your hand.So David went to baal perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, the Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of waterTherefore he called the name of that place baal perazim. And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away. Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of rephaim. Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and he said, you shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. Then the Lord will go out before you distract the camp of the Philistines. And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back to Philistines from geba as far as gezer. – Second Samuel five; 17 – 25.
Historically, the Valley of Rephaim is one of the places populated by the sons of Anak, who were giants. When moses sent out the spies to look over Cannan (numbers 13) they brought back a bad report regarding the land.
The people who live in the land are strong and we say the sons of Anak, (v 28).These people are too strong for us, we’re not able to go up against them, verse 31. It is a land that devours its inhabitants; all the people we saw are men of great size. We saw the Nephilim (sons of anak)and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight – versus 32 to 33.r
Rephaim is a place of stubborn resistance. It represents fear, intimidation, unbelief, and a poor self image. It is the place of past defeats and accommodations with the enemy.
It represents in our lives the areas of our heart that still stubbornly resist the grace of God – areas of constant defeat where we give way to sin. It describes a poor self-image, where we cannot take ourselves seriously; therefore no one else can see us differently. We are a visual aid to low self-esteem.
Rephaim symbolizes areas where we have little or no control, and we blow it on a regular basis. However it is also the place that God has chosen for breakthrough. It can become the opportunity to believe God in the battle for personal territory.
The first rule of warfare is that we cannot take ground from the enemy if he has ground in us. Hence the message of Jesus, Paul, and James. The prince of this world has come but has nothing in me. – John 14: 30. Give no place to the devil – Ephesians 4; 27. Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you – James 4: 7.
rephaim can also typify the life of believers who have stopped responding to the Lordship of Christ. The enemy has them convinced that nothing will happen; nothing will change. Therefore people learn to accommodate their sin and weakness. They learn to live with it, which means that everyone else has to settle for less in their relationship with that person. When we fail to respond to the overtures of God, we remain the product of all our yesterdays.
Warriors fight unbelief. They are committed to a relationship that trusts and a lifestyle of faith. They are committed to a relationship that trusts into a lifestyle of faith. Warriors love people enough to not allow them to settle for anything less than overcoming. Warriors recognize that they have a spirit of breakthrough and therefore want to pursue the certainty of victory. They have become accustomed to fixing their eyes on Jesus. Like David, their heart is fixed.
In warfare, it is one battle to take ground in another battle to hold that ground. Jesus said, occupy till I come – Luke 19; 13 – in the parable about a noble man who went away and resourced his servants to do business in his absence. It is a story about being fully engaged and totally occupied with the matter at hand. Once we’ve taken territory, we must be about the business of keeping it and occupying it wisely.
If we concede to the enemy, then he reoccupies it for his own agenda. Jesus must take up residence in our hearts, or we will lose his presence by default. By his death and resurrection, Jesus has broken the power of the enemy once and for all. Now he must take up occupation of our lifestyle. Our ongoing obedience is the key.
Each battle has different strategies, objectives, and tactics. Not every fight is the same. In the first battle at Rephaim, the enemy controls the ground, and there is a need for direct confrontation. In the second battle, David controlled the ground and could therefore fight in a different way as the Lord led him.
A breakthrough means to a) force a passage through a barrier or restraint and b) to open the way for new development to occur. There is a breaking out and a breaking in.
We break out of things that bind and hold us back. We push through areas of defeat and overcome. We take on the issue of our poor self image and develop a new identity.
We break into an anointed lifestyle that provides us with the victory and the power to live as God intends. Our relationship with God goes to a new level of passionate intimacy. We begin to develop gifts, anointing’s, and presence that not only empower us but also have an impact on other people.
The purpose of warfare to a spiritual warrior is that the majesty and supremacy of Jesus can be realized. Warfare empowers us to demonstrate the power of God because the enemy should bring out the best in us. Conflict, whether it is human or spiritual, will always release the anointing.
As the enemy attacks, we get to establish oneness of heart and unity of purpose. Warfare enables us to produce the next tier of warriors who can learn to hold on to the vision. Hostile action can establish the purpose we are here to accomplish. We also get to know the areas of weakness and learn how to develop them into overcoming. We are in franchised to restore what was stolen.
Often the greatest outcomes are achieved in time of challenge, confrontation, and contesting. Warriors have developed an internal fortress were Jesus reigns. It is unthinkable that God would commit us to a battle and not resource for the fight.
Of course, it is incredibly important that we really understand and develop the astonishing good news of the gospel in all its fullness and glory. We are betrothed to a king and must behave accordingly. God is not reluctant to bless us. He is our place of refuge and shelter. When we are placed in warfare situations, we must always return to our source in God. It was in the refuge were David wrote Psalm 91 about the secret place of the most high.
To a warrior, warfare is a good test of their resolve and their capacity. When the enemy attacks our weakness, the father is teaching us to live in our strengths. He is our stronghold, our life, our truth. We are learning how to fight his way.
The issue in each battle is how do we fight in this particular conflict. What specifically are the weapons of warfare that God is choosing? Sometimes the weapons are simply rest and peace – not allowing ourselves to become anxious or worried. Other times the weapon may be worshiped, praise or joyous celebration – to be occupied with God in the face of the enemy.
Always, it is the truth of who God is in himself and in who he is choosing to be for us in that particular moment. He fills all things with himself.
We must come to a place where we can breakthrough over the past so that we cannot be dictated to in the present by previous events. We must receive the promise of God again – to know that we can go up against the evil one and that God will give that territory into our hand. He loves to restore and rebuild. He loves to teach us to rise up in our inner man. He loves to prove that he is with us.
This is Holy Spirit territory. He excels at all he does. He does everything with such grace, kindness, and innate cheerfulness. His exuberance for life and outrageous enthusiasm for us makes him the ideal life companion, tutor, and friend.
What is established in us regarding the truth, through confrontation and contesting now forms the base of operations launched against the enemy.
Warriors love the Holy Spirit. They receive him as he is meant to be received – as Lord. Jesus is the undisputed, incredible, incomparable Lord over the church. The Holy Spirit is the unparalleled Lord within the church. His genius for life, truth, and warfare is legendary. He is a master strategist, a warrior who has never tasted defeat.
Warriors know that there will always be opportunities to fight. They receive them from the Lord! We learn from the spirit the ways of war. We are meant for breakthrough. All public victories are preceded by private ones. The Holy Spirit shares in all our life events to make us like God. We are made in his image so that we can face each day as he does – joyful, peaceful, and powerful.
Warriors know the art of receiving breakthrough. They are familiar with it in their own lives first, and then through their ministry to others. War is concerned with taking territory. First, we must reclaim our inner territory. Secondly, we must retake our streets, cities, states, and then the nations.
Heaven is a breakthrough community. We, as its citizens, are consumed with a passion to bring heaven to earth – on earth as it is in heaven.
Assignment – what is your next place of personal breakthrough? Is there any place in your life that is resisting the grace of God? Is your self-esteem on the same level as the Holy Spirit’s confidence? What is the promise of God over you as you contest the inner territory of your life? Keep a personal record of your breakout, in the space provided.
Commission – look around you; at family, friends, fellow travelers in Jesus. What breakthrough do your companions need at this time? What can you be for them? How will you help them to break out of their restraints and break into their anointing and provision? Devise a process, a step-by-step guide to aid them in breakthrough. Teach it, model it, and mentor in it