Author

Bible Verses About War

Strategic Aspect of War:
- Proverbs 20:18: “Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.”
- Don’t go to war without a plan. This verse teaches that counsel is a key component of warfighting.
  
  You need more perspectives than just your own. In life war, business war, spiritual war, or otherwise, gain other perspectives from the warriors around you.
  
  Attempt to gain information that would help you in your fight. This is called strategic intelligence. Gain as much of it as you can before initiating your campaign.
Positive Aspect of War:
- Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
- People love to say that war is immoral, even Christians who have not taken the time to read their Bible. God initiated many wars not because He is a warmonger or one who enjoys violence, but because war is a cleansing mechanism by which evil is expelled from a land.
  
  This was the purpose behind the utter destruction of the Canaanite nations.
  Across the generations God trained His people for war in a figurative sense.
  
  This aspect of war cannot be overlooked. war is necessary. It cleanses evil. It purges lands and gives relief to the innocent.
Necessity of War:
- Ecclesiastes 3:8: “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
- War is necessary. It is a cleansing tool. As God has articulated, there is a time for it. and if there is a time for it, there is a use for it.
Spiritual War:
- Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
- We know that war applies in the spiritual sense. Many separate verses teach this. We are constantly at war with ourselves. Our spiritual nature wars against our physical nature. And the war of a spiritual nature is the war of ages.
Physical War:
- Joshua 10:25: “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.'”
  
  God armed His people with the mentality to survive war and to be successful. He armed them for war. God armors the minds. As recorded, when God is for us, who can be against us?
Personal War:
- 1 Timothy 1:18: “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.“
  
  There is good warfare. Of course, this is the spiritual war of ages though it can be contrasted with physical war.
  
  We are at war with a physical nature that lends itself to evil based on its frailties.
Warlike Mentality:
- Jeremiah 51:20: “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms.”
  
  What a passage of warlike mentality. God is the weapon of warfare. Incredible. Awe-inspiring.
  
  And through the power of God, justice is delivered. The mighty engines of war are fired up and do incredible damage to those who oppose the Lord.
Positive War Mentality:
- Deuteronomy 20:1: “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.“
  
  When God was fighting for nations and going before them in war, there was less reason to consider the size of the force of the enemy. who cares what the enemy brings when we have God? That should have been their mentality.
Teaching War:
- 2 Samuel 22:35: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can break a steel bow.“
  
  God Himself educates in the art of war. When God wages war, men should fall in line. Though God does not act directly like this anymore, understand it was perfectly within His nature to use the tool of war to spread righteousness and clease evil.
Spiritual War:

2 Corinthians 10:3-4: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”

The most important modern war is against the spiritual enemy. We war against sin, against the adversary, and the false philosophies of the world.

In this war, our weapon is within the mind. the applied word of God is a weapon [Heb 4:12, Eph 6:10-17].

God’s War Nature:

Exodus 15:3: “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.”

This is one of my favorite verses in the bible. It shows part of God’s very nature. that He is a man of war. He uses the cleansing fire of war to purge evil. And he is a mighty warrior.

War and Peace:

Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.“

Do your part to keep peace. this is the other side of the coin of war. Live at peace, but be always ready for warfare.

Make War With Available Tools:

Joel 3:10: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.'”

When you have nothing in your arsenal, then turn what you have into weapons of war. Pick up rocks, sticks, stones, whatever you have, and continue to make war with the enemy.

End of War:

Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.“

At a certain point, all wars end. One day even the spiritual war will end and the final enemy will be done away with. Until that moment, we are at eternal war.

Civil War:

James 4:1: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?“

Improper wars come from improper desires. Don’t fight for something not worth the cost of war. And don’t fight wars amongst allies. This verse discourages internal warfare and fighting among brothers and sisters. Strain to keep desires in check so they do not lead to civil warfare.

Misapplication of War:

Matthew 24:6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

Though there is always war, the end of the world is not here yet. Every new war makes some people think the end of the world is at hand. But that is just an emotional thought. Ignore emotions in war. Harness them to do your bidding.

The Hands that Make War

Psalm 18:34: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.“

And repeat of a verse we had before. We mention this repeat because it is always worth noting when something occurs in scripture twice The Bible is brief compared to what it could be. when God sees fit to record something twice, it’s important to take note.

God teaches the art of war to His people. then His people apply the purifying fire of war to their enemies.

The Correct Thinking of War:

Psalm 68:30: “Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples, till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.”
War is not supposed to be something that is enjoyed. It is a tool. It is a nasty tool when we are speaking about literal war with men killing other men. But a necessary and even enjoyable tool when used against our evil. As men, we are wired for war. Though most of us won’t go to physical war, we go to war with ourselves, our weaknesses, and sin daily.

Symbolic War:

Revelation 12:7: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.“
Recall that the information contained in the book of Revelation is symbolic in nature. It is not literal and much is misunderstood about that in the text.

Prepare For War:

Numbers 31:3: “So Moses spoke to the people, saying, ‘Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian.‘”
God Himself was the initiator of many wars. We need to remember this when debating whether or not war is moral or not. It is a tool that God Himself has authorized for the purification of a land. Prepare for war, then go to war. But it must always be with purpose. Not mindlessly done with planning and purpose.

The Bible teaches us that Daniel excelled because he had an excellent spirit in him. This is undoubtedly speaking about his animating energy. This excellent spirit is his attitude, his character, and how he conducts himself.

“Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm” – Daniel 6:3

We can have this same excellent spirit and generate similar results to Daniel. We may never be a high-ranking and powerful official in the land, but we will be infinitely more successful if we have excellent spirits.

Attitude

A good attitude leads to success. This is where it begins. Attitude influences everything we do, but can also be shifted in a moment. Have you ever “snapped out” of a bad mood almost instantly? If you have, then you know it can be done. Knowing something can be done is incredibly valuable. Now all we have to do is figure out how to do it.

Whatever you do, attempt to shift your thinking to an optimistic mentality. Approach every task as if you can do it. Approach every obstacle as if you could crush it. Maybe you can and maybe you can’t, but your optimistic attitude will propel you farther than a pessimistic attitude will.

Aura

Be enjoyable to be around. No one wants to be around a Loser who makes everything around him worse. When you enter a room, make a concerted effort to leave it better than you found it. Give the compliment. Start the conversation. Focus on optimistic outcomes.

Look Beyond Obstacles

Don’t let the struggles of the present distract you from what you can accomplish. We mistakenly magnify our struggles, whine about them, and make them much bigger than they should be. But nothing is ever that difficult in the modern world. To think it gives external events more power than they deserve and drains us of our strength. Instead, train your mind to look beyond the moment and into the future.

Continual Effort

Focus on the long term. Learn to be patient with and love the process. Deliver the same excellent results day after day and you will be rewarded in the material world. But beyond that, you will gain confidence that you didn’t have before. That sense of value in yourself is worth its weight in gold.

Professional Efforts

Notice that Daniel became a success in the physical world. This physical success was due in no small part to his spiritual success. Do not let people discourage you from pursuing excellence in your earthly life. We are built to do work with all our might and truly attempt to achieve. It is only those people who want to justify their lack of success who look for moral reasons to avoid work and training.

Recognition

Daniel’s efforts and successes made the king take note of him. When you do work to the best of your ability, eventually, the best may take note of you. It’s not guaranteed, but you are more likely to be noticed if you are excellent and have an excellent spirit than if you are mediocre in work or attitude.

Competition

The workers around Daniel were jealous of him. This is the normal course of events that occurs when you become more and more successful. Your success is a spotlight on the failures and missed opportunities of others around you.

Humility

Daniel’s success did not make him arrogant. He kept it in perspective. Always placing spiritual things above physical things in a rank of importance. This is critical to remember that in all this success, we must prevent success from becoming an ideal we worship.

Copy these traits of Daniel and become more successful

The Lord’s Supper: Remembering Christ’s Death and Sacrifice

Introduction

The Lord’s Supper, instituted by Jesus Christ on the night before His crucifixion, is the foundational event behind a solemn observance that we participate in today.

While Christ’s entire life and ministry are significant, the Lord’s Supper is meant to direct our attention specifically to His death and the cost of our redemption.

It is not about celebration.

It is not about the resurrection of Christ.

It is about the death of Christ.

I. Biblical Foundation

A. Christ’s Explicit Instructions

During the Last Supper, Jesus clearly connected the bread and wine to His body and blood:

“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19)
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20)

These words pointedly refer to His sacrificial death, not His resurrection or other aspects of His life.

This is incredibly clear.

Christ set two emblems to be used for this practice: one for His body and one for His blood.

Those are the only symbols used in this act of worship.

B. Apostolic Interpretation

The Apostle Paul provides clear guidance about the focus of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:26:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

This unambiguously emphasizes that the focus of the Lord’s Supper is on Christ’s death.

Not His resurrection.

Not His ascension.

Not His life.

Not His ministry.

Just His death.

II. Symbolic Significance

A. Elements of the Supper

The bread and wine used in the Lord’s Supper are symbols that Christ used to direct the attention of the disciples (and now ourselves):

Bread represents Christ’s broken body
Wine represents His shed blood

These elements specifically represent His physical sacrifice on the cross, not His resurrected state or other aspects of His ministry.

This is incredibly clear. With each passage of scripture it becomes clearer.

It becomes clear that the focus of the Lord’s Supper is strictly on His death.

B. Passover Context

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal, which itself commemorates deliverance through sacrifice.

This context further emphasizes the focus on Christ’s sacrificial death as the means of our redemption.

III. Theological Implications

A. Reflection on the Cost of Redemption

By focusing on Christ’s death during the Lord’s Supper, our desire to focus on the resurrection or “celebrate” is short-circuited.

We are compelled instead to reflect on:

The immense cost of our redemption
The gravity of sin
The extraordinary lengths to which God went to secure our salvation

What falls away is the desire to make this some happy occurrence.

The sacrifice of Christ was not happy.

While it produced redemption for us, the cross is nothing to celebrate.

B. Proclaiming His Death

Paul’s instruction that we “proclaim the Lord’s death” through this practice emphasizes its public aspect:

We declare to the world the central message of the gospel
We affirm that Christ died for our sins

Notice that nothing else is involved with this reflection.

We don’t proclaim his resurrection or ascension or even His life.

We proclaim His death.

That’s what the Bible specifically says that we proclaim and that is where the argument stops.

C. Self-Examination

The call to self-examination before partaking (1 Corinthians 11:28) is directly tied to recognizing the significance of Christ’s death:

We consider our own sinfulness
We acknowledge our need for the redemption provided by His sacrifice

This meditation will shortcircuit our desire to celebrate or ponder the ressurection if we do it correctly.

IV. Maintaining the Focus

While remembering Christ’s resurrection is vital to Christian faith, the specific context and symbolism of the Lord’s Supper point to a focused remembrance of His sacrificial death for our sins.

We can remember the resurrection any other time. We have all week to be joyful about the resurrection. But Christ has set one act of worship that calls us to focus specifically on His death.

A. Honoring Christ’s Instructions

By maintaining this focus, we:

Honor Christ’s explicit instructions
Preserve the profound meaning of this observance

B. Regular Reminder

The Lord’s Supper serves as a regular, tangible reminder of:

The cost of our redemption
The depth of God’s love demonstrated through Christ’s sacrifice

Conclusion

The Lord’s Supper stands as a solemn reminder to the central truth of the Christian faith – that Christ died for our sins, securing our redemption through His sacrifice.

We must focus on His death during this act of worship.

Women Take Your Strength

Proverbs 31:3 – “Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings”

What is the Bible talking about when it mentions “giving your strength to women”? The text is almost certainly talking about sexual discipline. Many ancient texts throughout history have taught the importance of controlling one’s sexual drive. As the Bible is the true authority for life, it is even more impactful when a similar teaching is found in the scriptures.

The lesson of Proverbs 31:3 is quite clear: a man is supposed to control his sexual drive.

The Bible teaches that uncontrolled sexual drive leads to a depletion of strength.

Physical strength
Mental strength
Emotional strength
Spiritual strength
Strength of will

All of these are damaged when men mindlessly engage in sex or sex substitutes.

This is what the Bible means by “do not give you strength to women”.

We know what to do.

We are told to control our sexual drive.

We are taught that uncontrolled sexual drive depletes our strength. What are some quick tactics for doing it?

The first step is to maintain a controlled environment. The environment contains triggers that lead to craving which leads to failure. The best way to control yourself is to control your environment. Environmental control is 80% of discipline. Get out of those situations that would lead to temptation:

Parties
Late night one-on-one interactions with women
Late night on the computer.

Be very selective about the information and media you consume. If you want to walk into a cesspool of lust, log into your social media feed.

You have to maintain control of what goes into your mind. If you feed your mind lust-producing entertainment, you will make your struggle ten times harder. The sexual urges will be more powerful and will surface more often. You have to cut off the supply at the root. Prevent your mind from being able to generate those cravings in the first place.

Next, work to fix the parts of your life that are lacking. Uncontrolled sexual drive is often the result of a lack of purpose and other emotional problems.

Men do not use sex because they want sex. They use it to numb negative feelings in other avenues of their life. Negative feelings exist because we are doing something that is in opposition to our nature.

If you begin to work on this lack of purpose, the problem of compulsive sexual urges will begin to resolve naturally. This is because many men use sex and pornography as a way to numb emotional pains. These emotional pains are often the result of problems with a man’s day-to-day life.

Identify the problems in your daily life.

Where are the areas of life that are leaving you unsatisfied?
What are you unhappy with in your life?
And What is within your power to fix [almost everything]?
And What are you going to do to fix it?

Many men find that with increased purpose through meaningful work, family, the church, and marriage they can take the high ground against sexual temptation.

Not all of these will be motivating for everyone. For example, I can tell you the church itself does not motivate me to be sexually disciplined. I don’t draw much strength from my local church – which I understand is a problem, but it is a reality at the moment.

Whatever you can find to draw strength from, use it. Use everything in your arsenal.

Nothing is off-limits.

Start with these tactics and begin to go to war against lust.

Drinking Damages Justice

The NKJV quote of Proverbs 31:4-5 is: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted.”

Key lessons from Proverbs 31:4-5:

1. Abstaining from Alcohol

The text advises kings and princes to avoid wine and intoxicating drinks. This applies not only to people in high-ranking positions but also to people who rule their own lives. We are all kings over our own lives. We make decisions that impact our immediate and future success.

The same applies when we make decisions for our families. We have to be careful to ensure that our minds are sharp, and in the best possible condition possible or we risk making poor decisions.

Alcohol is one of many ways we blunt the strength of our minds. If you want a guaranteed way to perform worse, think slower, make worse decisions, and damage your mind, choose alcohol. It is great for all those outcomes.

2. Maintaining Mental Clarity

In this text, drinking is linked to the risk of forgetting the law. The lesson is clear, a man’s mental facilities are damaged by using alcohol. I don’t think this is a surprise to anyone. Did anyone think that a person’s mental abilities are improved by drinking alcohol? Better decisions are made with a clear mind. Keep your mind clear.

Otherwise, you may forget the law and cause suffering for those around you.

3. Preserving Justice

Sobriety is crucial for leaders to ensure just decisions, safeguarding the rights of the afflicted. The negative effects of alcohol are widespread. This teaching demonstrates that society as a whole can be negatively impacted when a ruler makes poor decisions.

We’ve seen the effects of when immoral men rule in positions of power. It’s also the case that many times they are using drugs to keep them focused and driven and alcohol to keep them relaxed. Their foundation of immorality prevents them from making just decisions at every stage of Justice.

4. Responsibility of Rulers

This passage is a teaching for rulers to maintain sobriety. They have a unique responsibility to keep their minds clear when making legal decisions so that justice within a nation is preserved. When a ruler’s mind is unclear, those he rules over suffer. The ruler carries a heavy responsibility to make the best decisions possible for those around him. And good decision-making is the result of clear minds.

5. Avoiding Moral Pitfalls

Moral problems arise when those in positions of power dilute their mind through the use of alcohol. There is no benefit to a leader who cannot think clearly. At that point, you would be better off having no leader than having a drunk leader. Many modern leaders have difficulty thinking clearly as it is! There is no need to worsen the problem by adding alcohol.

6. Focus on Legal Principles

Leaders are meant to concentrate on legal matters and think clearly with their rational minds. This demands that their minds be clear and unaffected by intoxicating compounds like alcohol. So much rests on the mind of a leader. The leader then has the responsibility to keep that mind in perfect working order and firing on all cylinders.

7. Recognition of Vulnerability

Leaders are vulnerable to corruption and indulgence. With high-pressure work comes the need for ways to relieve that pressure. Many leaders and modern executives in the world turn to depressants like alcohol. While they use these compounds to relax and destress, they end up adding to the stress in life because they generation so many poor decisions of their own.

8. Prioritizing Societal Health

The passage implies that leaders must prioritize the greater good of the afflicted over personal indulgences. Something bigger than the leader is at stake. The system of justice within the societal system hangs in the balance of a leader’s clarity of thought.

9. Wisdom

Leaders are urged to use wisdom in their choices, recognizing the potential impact on the administration of justice. A man can’t be wise while under the influence of a compound. Wisdom demands complete presence of mind.

The principle of this passage is clear – kings and princes don’t drink. And if it’s good enough for kings and princes to be sober, it’s good enough for us as kings and princes over our own lives and individual family units.

Page 11 of 84

« Previous 1 … 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 … 84 Next »