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Fighting on Two Levels: Spiritual and Physical Warfare
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Connected by scripture or shared themes.
Fighting on Two Levels: Spiritual and Physical Warfare
Continue exploring
Connected by scripture or shared themes.
Let me give you some context for what we're about to explore. The children of Israel have just left Egypt, headed toward the promised land, when they face an army in warfare. This story is unique because Moses's time was not characterized by wars—yet we see a recorded war in Exodus that I believe formed a blueprint for Joshua, and a blueprint for us today.
"While the people of Israel were still in Refidim, the Warriors of Amalec attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua: 'Choose some of the men to go out and fight the army of Amalec for us. Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill holding the staff of God in my hand.' So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalec. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalec in battle." (Exodus 17:8-13)
Moses realized something critical: We're going to fight this on two levels. While Joshua fought on the physical level, Moses held the rod on the spiritual level. This principle is foundational to understanding how to win the battles we face.
Exodus 17 opens with Israel in transition. The whole Israelite community set out from the desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. This teaches us something profound: this was not going to be a one-phase journey. It was going to be many small journeys surrounded by transitions.
Most of us are frustrated with God because we expected Him to do one big move and solve all our problems. We expected to get the job the first time we applied, find our spouse in the first year, get the promotion on the first round. But winning teams—in soccer, in basketball, in life—win in transitional play. They learn how to transition well from defense to offense.
The question is: How is your transition? Transition between jobs, between marital status, between sickness and health, between abundance and lack, between prayers and answers. How are you moving between the things you don't understand?
Up until this point, God had done everything for the children of Israel. They sat back while God plagued the Egyptians. God gave them favor to take gold and silver. God parted the Red Sea. When they were thirsty, He brought water from a rock. When they needed bread, He sent manna from heaven.
But in Exodus 17, something changes. A new nation attacks, and God doesn't respond the way He did before. Here is some breaking news for you: You will always miss out on God's best if you expect Him to deliver it the same way He did last time.
Yes, God parted the Red Sea for them. But when Joshua led the same people to the Jordan River, God said, "Walk into the river." Not "I'll dry it again." Walk in. God is not obligated to do things exactly the same way.
Isaiah 43:18-19 says:
"Forget what has happened long ago. Don't think about the past. I am creating something new. Don't you see it? I have put roads in the desert. I have put streams in thirsty places."
God is so unhinged from conventional methodology that He will make a way where there is no way. Most of us are waiting at the old door and despising the new door because we say, "No, God works this way. I fasted for 40 days before and God gave it to me." But this time, God says, "Fasting is not going to do it. I need you to love your neighbor."
When the Amalekites attack, Moses realizes: God doesn't want us to operate the same way. God has switched up His strategy. This is not going to be a "stand still and watch Me" kind of warfare. This demands change.
God had been walking with the rod the entire time. Now God was adding a new dimension. He said, "I know the rod brought diseases on Egypt. I know the rod parted the Red Sea. I know the rod brought water from a rock. But I'm making a shift in play. I'm adding a sword to the equation. The rod alone is not going to work now."
Here's the tricky part: These people had never fought a war before. There is no mention of them having a sword. God is saying, "I believe in you. Find a sword somewhere and use it. Because this is not going to be about the rod—it's going to be about the rod AND the sword."
When you're a slave, you need a deliverer—someone you watch. When you're a nation, you need an ally—someone you fight alongside. God was transitioning them from slavery to nationhood. God was teaching them how to win the wars in your life.
Exodus 17:8 tells us the Amalekites attacked. But Deuteronomy 25:17 reveals the real strategy:
"Never forget what the Amalakites did to you. As you came out from Egypt, they attacked you when you were exhausted and weary. They struck down those who were struggling behind. They had no fear of God."
This was not a head-on attack. This was an attack from behind—an attack on their vulnerability.
The devil is not going to attack you where you're strong. He's going to attack you in your tired places, your hungry places, your lonely places, your desperate places.
When did Samson lose his power? When he was sleeping. When was Jesus tempted by the devil? After fasting for 40 days, when He was hungry. The devil doesn't show up when you're powerful. He shows up when you're vulnerable.
We must guard what I call our H.A.L.L. places:
When you're tired, when you're emotional, when you're lonely—guard it. What is your system for dealing with disappointment, heartbreak, discouragement, depression? Get some friends. Get into a small group. Join a small group today.
If we don't secure our tired places, we leave ourselves open to attack. The devil is sneaky. He will sneak up on your disappointment and turn it into discouragement. Sneak up on your discouragement and turn it into depression. Sneak up on your depression and turn it into thoughts of suicide.
You can let your hair down, but you cannot let your guard down. You can take a vacation, but the devil is not on vacation. Vacation is when he works hardest.
One glass after work becomes compulsory. One movie becomes a series you watch all night. One conversation becomes a relationship you weren't supposed to be in. The devil is sneaky like that.
Guard your vulnerable places. Don't make major decisions when you're hungry, angry, lonely, or low. When you're in that state, you're vulnerable to making choices you'll regret.
Here's something that bothers me about the story. In Exodus 17:9, Moses commands Joshua to fight, and then says: "Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill."
Tomorrow? People are dying now! You're asking them to sleep knowing people are losing their lives? And yet Moses says: "Tomorrow."
The devil wants to get you to react. He wants you to abandon your spiritual sensibilities and take on an emotional reaction to what is happening.
If David had reacted, he would have run toward Goliath wearing Saul's armor. If Jesus had reacted to what was coming, He might have called angels to stop the crucifixion. But God waited. Jesus came in the fullness of time. Emotional reactions do not produce Divine results.
James 1:19 says:
"Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. For the resentful deep-seated anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
Emotional responses do not produce Divine results. Fear, worry, and anxiety will always sabotage God's best for your life.
When you get an email that upsets you, don't send a reply today. Write it, but don't schedule it. Sleep on it. Tomorrow, write a fresh email. Tomorrow.
The devil will try to speed you up if he can't slow you down. "You have to reply now. You have to confront them now. You have to make this decision now." No. Take time to pray.
First Timothy 2:1 says: "The first thing I want you to do is pray."
I make a rule for myself: If I can't pray about it, I'm not saying anything about it. If I can't pray about it, I'm not doing anything about it.
When someone insults you, close your eyes for a few seconds. "Father, help me. Give me grace." Then shut your mouth. Don't reply. Don't respond. Just be silent.
Common sense produces common results. But Divine wisdom produces Divine results. Take time to ask God: Is this for me or against me? Is this what God wants, or is this the enemy's trap?
Don't say it. Don't reply. Don't do anything until you've prayed about it.
Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, wrote: "He who occupies the high ground will fight there to advantage." But God gave this principle to Moses long before Sun Tzu.
God told Moses: "I know the Amalekites are fighting you on this level. But this battle cannot be won on one level. You have to fight it on two levels. Joshua, pick some men to fight down here. Moses, go up the hill."
The devil is seldom attacking you where he's really aiming. He can aim at your peace and attack you through your boss. He can aim at your joy and attack you in your car. He rarely attacks you where he's aiming for.
Your spouse is not the enemy. Your boss is not the enemy. Your difficult child is not the enemy. Ephesians 6:12 says:
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood."
Your real enemy is spiritual. You have to learn how to fight on two levels—the physical and the spiritual.
On one level, I'm having a conversation with my boss about something in the office. On a higher level, I'm asking God for wisdom and favor. On one level, I'm disciplining my child for their carelessness. On another level, I'm praying for their destiny, praying that they recognize who they are in Jesus.
On one level, I'm budgeting with the money I have now. On a higher level, I'm sowing seeds for a harvest of abundance. On one level, I'm working hard, sleepless nights for my business. On another level, I'm spending time in God's presence, downloading marketing principles, downloading wisdom from God.
If you don't fight on two levels, you lose on every level.
Why do you need to be on the hill? When you get on the hill, you see things the way God sees them. You get God's perspective. The giant doesn't shrink because you're on the hill, but your perspective changes.
Second, you eliminate distractions. The noise of swords clashing, the chaos of conflict—you get away from it. Most of us try to engage God in the midst of the conflict. You're looking at the email and praying at the same time. You're still in the same environment that triggered you. Why don't you take a break? Go to the restroom. Pour water on your face. Listen to some worship music. Pray. Get away from it first.
If someone sends you an email, don't reply in that moment. Leave the room. Come back when you're calm. When you're on the hill, you can see clearly. You can download wisdom from God.
My personal example: I was not scheduled to preach last Sunday. A guest speaker was coming. But she fell ill. We kept searching for someone, but nothing worked. As I was driving to pick up my son from school, I began to pray in the spirit. At a certain point in my prayer, God said: "Preach." I was fighting it. I didn't even tell my wife at first.
But when I finally told her, she said, "Okay, preach." Then I had to go back up the hill—back to God—and say, "Sir, You said preach. What are we preaching?" I prayed for 40, 45 minutes. The word "Refidim" came into my spirit. I opened my Bible, looked at it, and immediately I knew: This is it. This is what God wanted to preach.
Download wisdom from God. Go back up the hill when you don't understand something. Don't just download once and run away—come back for clarification.
Verse 11 says: "As long as Moses held up his hand, Israel would win. But as soon as he put his hand down, the Amalekites would start to win." Moses got tired, but he had friends—Aaron and Hur—who helped him hold his hand up.
Joshua was not winning because of how good he was. Joshua was winning because Moses's arm stayed up. It's not because of your excellence, your communication skills, your spectacular resume. Yes, be exemplary. But understand: It's what happens in your prayer closet that determines what happens in your life.
Your devotional life, your time of worship, your Sunday engagement—that's what sets the tone. You cannot mess with it.
The devil will cost you your prayer time. You're watching a series late into the night, episode after episode, your eyes wide open at 2 a.m. Then you say, "Let me just pray," and suddenly a wind from nowhere makes you so tired you can barely keep your eyes open. Why? Because the devil is coming for your prayer. He's coming for your worship. He's coming for your devotion.
Get people who will hold you up. Have a system where you separate your emotions from your spiritual life. Don't skip church because of the way an usher looked at you. Don't abandon your devotion because you're having a bad day.
Victory flows downhill. What you do as you engage God determines the victory. It's in the place of prayer that you get confidence to live out your life.
Keep your hands up in worship. Keep your hands up in devotion. Keep your hands up in reading your Bible. Keep your hands up in getting answers and downloading wisdom from God. That's where the victory is won.
It's not because of what your hands can do and your brilliance can do. You have to learn to fight at the pace of your worship, fight at the pace of your prayer, fight at the pace of your devotion.
If you cannot pray about it, don't do anything about it. If you cannot pray about it, don't say anything about it.
Make sure your physical exertion is always behind your spiritual commitment. Go when God says go. Stop when God says stop. It's better to be late and responding to God than reacting to circumstances.
The king demanded that Daniel interpret his dream immediately or face death. But Daniel asked: "Can we go pray and come back tomorrow?" The king agreed. Why? Because if you can go up the hill and hear what God says, you can come down and tell others what God says.
Most of us are saying things God didn't say, doing things God didn't send us to do, because we're reacting instead of responding.
My heart's desire for our church is that we live victorious lives every day. When Pastor Amby and I pray, we can pray all we want. But if you don't take time to seek God for yourself, you will always miss the mark. You'll be caught reacting to circumstances when you should be responding to God's direction.
Guard your tired places. Don't react—respond. Take the hill and engage God on the spiritual level while you handle the physical. That's how you win.
Are you ready to live the victorious life that God has for you?
Let me give you some context for what we're about to explore. The children of Israel have just left Egypt, headed toward the promised land, when they face an army in warfare. This story is unique because Moses's time was not characterized by wars—yet we see a recorded war in Exodus that I believe formed a blueprint for Joshua, and a blueprint for us today.
"While the people of Israel were still in Refidim, the Warriors of Amalec attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua: 'Choose some of the men to go out and fight the army of Amalec for us. Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill holding the staff of God in my hand.' So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalec. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalec in battle." (Exodus 17:8-13)
Moses realized something critical: We're going to fight this on two levels. While Joshua fought on the physical level, Moses held the rod on the spiritual level. This principle is foundational to understanding how to win the battles we face.
Exodus 17 opens with Israel in transition. The whole Israelite community set out from the desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. This teaches us something profound: this was not going to be a one-phase journey. It was going to be many small journeys surrounded by transitions.
Most of us are frustrated with God because we expected Him to do one big move and solve all our problems. We expected to get the job the first time we applied, find our spouse in the first year, get the promotion on the first round. But winning teams—in soccer, in basketball, in life—win in transitional play. They learn how to transition well from defense to offense.
The question is: How is your transition? Transition between jobs, between marital status, between sickness and health, between abundance and lack, between prayers and answers. How are you moving between the things you don't understand?
Up until this point, God had done everything for the children of Israel. They sat back while God plagued the Egyptians. God gave them favor to take gold and silver. God parted the Red Sea. When they were thirsty, He brought water from a rock. When they needed bread, He sent manna from heaven.
But in Exodus 17, something changes. A new nation attacks, and God doesn't respond the way He did before. Here is some breaking news for you: You will always miss out on God's best if you expect Him to deliver it the same way He did last time.
Yes, God parted the Red Sea for them. But when Joshua led the same people to the Jordan River, God said, "Walk into the river." Not "I'll dry it again." Walk in. God is not obligated to do things exactly the same way.
Isaiah 43:18-19 says:
"Forget what has happened long ago. Don't think about the past. I am creating something new. Don't you see it? I have put roads in the desert. I have put streams in thirsty places."
God is so unhinged from conventional methodology that He will make a way where there is no way. Most of us are waiting at the old door and despising the new door because we say, "No, God works this way. I fasted for 40 days before and God gave it to me." But this time, God says, "Fasting is not going to do it. I need you to love your neighbor."
When the Amalekites attack, Moses realizes: God doesn't want us to operate the same way. God has switched up His strategy. This is not going to be a "stand still and watch Me" kind of warfare. This demands change.
God had been walking with the rod the entire time. Now God was adding a new dimension. He said, "I know the rod brought diseases on Egypt. I know the rod parted the Red Sea. I know the rod brought water from a rock. But I'm making a shift in play. I'm adding a sword to the equation. The rod alone is not going to work now."
Here's the tricky part: These people had never fought a war before. There is no mention of them having a sword. God is saying, "I believe in you. Find a sword somewhere and use it. Because this is not going to be about the rod—it's going to be about the rod AND the sword."
When you're a slave, you need a deliverer—someone you watch. When you're a nation, you need an ally—someone you fight alongside. God was transitioning them from slavery to nationhood. God was teaching them how to win the wars in your life.
Exodus 17:8 tells us the Amalekites attacked. But Deuteronomy 25:17 reveals the real strategy:
"Never forget what the Amalakites did to you. As you came out from Egypt, they attacked you when you were exhausted and weary. They struck down those who were struggling behind. They had no fear of God."
This was not a head-on attack. This was an attack from behind—an attack on their vulnerability.
The devil is not going to attack you where you're strong. He's going to attack you in your tired places, your hungry places, your lonely places, your desperate places.
When did Samson lose his power? When he was sleeping. When was Jesus tempted by the devil? After fasting for 40 days, when He was hungry. The devil doesn't show up when you're powerful. He shows up when you're vulnerable.
We must guard what I call our H.A.L.L. places:
When you're tired, when you're emotional, when you're lonely—guard it. What is your system for dealing with disappointment, heartbreak, discouragement, depression? Get some friends. Get into a small group. Join a small group today.
If we don't secure our tired places, we leave ourselves open to attack. The devil is sneaky. He will sneak up on your disappointment and turn it into discouragement. Sneak up on your discouragement and turn it into depression. Sneak up on your depression and turn it into thoughts of suicide.
You can let your hair down, but you cannot let your guard down. You can take a vacation, but the devil is not on vacation. Vacation is when he works hardest.
One glass after work becomes compulsory. One movie becomes a series you watch all night. One conversation becomes a relationship you weren't supposed to be in. The devil is sneaky like that.
Guard your vulnerable places. Don't make major decisions when you're hungry, angry, lonely, or low. When you're in that state, you're vulnerable to making choices you'll regret.
Here's something that bothers me about the story. In Exodus 17:9, Moses commands Joshua to fight, and then says: "Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill."
Tomorrow? People are dying now! You're asking them to sleep knowing people are losing their lives? And yet Moses says: "Tomorrow."
The devil wants to get you to react. He wants you to abandon your spiritual sensibilities and take on an emotional reaction to what is happening.
If David had reacted, he would have run toward Goliath wearing Saul's armor. If Jesus had reacted to what was coming, He might have called angels to stop the crucifixion. But God waited. Jesus came in the fullness of time. Emotional reactions do not produce Divine results.
James 1:19 says:
"Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. For the resentful deep-seated anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
Emotional responses do not produce Divine results. Fear, worry, and anxiety will always sabotage God's best for your life.
When you get an email that upsets you, don't send a reply today. Write it, but don't schedule it. Sleep on it. Tomorrow, write a fresh email. Tomorrow.
The devil will try to speed you up if he can't slow you down. "You have to reply now. You have to confront them now. You have to make this decision now." No. Take time to pray.
First Timothy 2:1 says: "The first thing I want you to do is pray."
I make a rule for myself: If I can't pray about it, I'm not saying anything about it. If I can't pray about it, I'm not doing anything about it.
When someone insults you, close your eyes for a few seconds. "Father, help me. Give me grace." Then shut your mouth. Don't reply. Don't respond. Just be silent.
Common sense produces common results. But Divine wisdom produces Divine results. Take time to ask God: Is this for me or against me? Is this what God wants, or is this the enemy's trap?
Don't say it. Don't reply. Don't do anything until you've prayed about it.
Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, wrote: "He who occupies the high ground will fight there to advantage." But God gave this principle to Moses long before Sun Tzu.
God told Moses: "I know the Amalekites are fighting you on this level. But this battle cannot be won on one level. You have to fight it on two levels. Joshua, pick some men to fight down here. Moses, go up the hill."
The devil is seldom attacking you where he's really aiming. He can aim at your peace and attack you through your boss. He can aim at your joy and attack you in your car. He rarely attacks you where he's aiming for.
Your spouse is not the enemy. Your boss is not the enemy. Your difficult child is not the enemy. Ephesians 6:12 says:
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood."
Your real enemy is spiritual. You have to learn how to fight on two levels—the physical and the spiritual.
On one level, I'm having a conversation with my boss about something in the office. On a higher level, I'm asking God for wisdom and favor. On one level, I'm disciplining my child for their carelessness. On another level, I'm praying for their destiny, praying that they recognize who they are in Jesus.
On one level, I'm budgeting with the money I have now. On a higher level, I'm sowing seeds for a harvest of abundance. On one level, I'm working hard, sleepless nights for my business. On another level, I'm spending time in God's presence, downloading marketing principles, downloading wisdom from God.
If you don't fight on two levels, you lose on every level.
Why do you need to be on the hill? When you get on the hill, you see things the way God sees them. You get God's perspective. The giant doesn't shrink because you're on the hill, but your perspective changes.
Second, you eliminate distractions. The noise of swords clashing, the chaos of conflict—you get away from it. Most of us try to engage God in the midst of the conflict. You're looking at the email and praying at the same time. You're still in the same environment that triggered you. Why don't you take a break? Go to the restroom. Pour water on your face. Listen to some worship music. Pray. Get away from it first.
If someone sends you an email, don't reply in that moment. Leave the room. Come back when you're calm. When you're on the hill, you can see clearly. You can download wisdom from God.
My personal example: I was not scheduled to preach last Sunday. A guest speaker was coming. But she fell ill. We kept searching for someone, but nothing worked. As I was driving to pick up my son from school, I began to pray in the spirit. At a certain point in my prayer, God said: "Preach." I was fighting it. I didn't even tell my wife at first.
But when I finally told her, she said, "Okay, preach." Then I had to go back up the hill—back to God—and say, "Sir, You said preach. What are we preaching?" I prayed for 40, 45 minutes. The word "Refidim" came into my spirit. I opened my Bible, looked at it, and immediately I knew: This is it. This is what God wanted to preach.
Download wisdom from God. Go back up the hill when you don't understand something. Don't just download once and run away—come back for clarification.
Verse 11 says: "As long as Moses held up his hand, Israel would win. But as soon as he put his hand down, the Amalekites would start to win." Moses got tired, but he had friends—Aaron and Hur—who helped him hold his hand up.
Joshua was not winning because of how good he was. Joshua was winning because Moses's arm stayed up. It's not because of your excellence, your communication skills, your spectacular resume. Yes, be exemplary. But understand: It's what happens in your prayer closet that determines what happens in your life.
Your devotional life, your time of worship, your Sunday engagement—that's what sets the tone. You cannot mess with it.
The devil will cost you your prayer time. You're watching a series late into the night, episode after episode, your eyes wide open at 2 a.m. Then you say, "Let me just pray," and suddenly a wind from nowhere makes you so tired you can barely keep your eyes open. Why? Because the devil is coming for your prayer. He's coming for your worship. He's coming for your devotion.
Get people who will hold you up. Have a system where you separate your emotions from your spiritual life. Don't skip church because of the way an usher looked at you. Don't abandon your devotion because you're having a bad day.
Victory flows downhill. What you do as you engage God determines the victory. It's in the place of prayer that you get confidence to live out your life.
Keep your hands up in worship. Keep your hands up in devotion. Keep your hands up in reading your Bible. Keep your hands up in getting answers and downloading wisdom from God. That's where the victory is won.
It's not because of what your hands can do and your brilliance can do. You have to learn to fight at the pace of your worship, fight at the pace of your prayer, fight at the pace of your devotion.
If you cannot pray about it, don't do anything about it. If you cannot pray about it, don't say anything about it.
Make sure your physical exertion is always behind your spiritual commitment. Go when God says go. Stop when God says stop. It's better to be late and responding to God than reacting to circumstances.
The king demanded that Daniel interpret his dream immediately or face death. But Daniel asked: "Can we go pray and come back tomorrow?" The king agreed. Why? Because if you can go up the hill and hear what God says, you can come down and tell others what God says.
Most of us are saying things God didn't say, doing things God didn't send us to do, because we're reacting instead of responding.
My heart's desire for our church is that we live victorious lives every day. When Pastor Amby and I pray, we can pray all we want. But if you don't take time to seek God for yourself, you will always miss the mark. You'll be caught reacting to circumstances when you should be responding to God's direction.
Guard your tired places. Don't react—respond. Take the hill and engage God on the spiritual level while you handle the physical. That's how you win.
Are you ready to live the victorious life that God has for you?
