Training Us For War- Part 1

Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 13:17-18 (NKJV)

God saw that the people would change their minds when they saw war and return to Egypt. That is why He took them the route that He did. He was training them for the eventual warfare that would be required to take the land of Canaan. They endured the wilderness to harden them and prepare them to wage war.

We fight many things in life. In those fights, God uses it to train us for war. The wrong response is for us to fight in the flesh. like fighting out of wrong anger or trying to get even with someone. We are to fight using God’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). If we never face anything in life, we will not learn how to fight. That will cause us to be defeated Christians.

So, we go through trials and difficult times- yes, many times taking the long way to our destination. Why? It is because we are not yet ready for what God wants to take us into. As we go through things, we learn to fight the right way, like overcoming evil with good, conquering hate with love, beating fear with faith, and choosing peace over strife. We learn battle strategies like blessing and cursing not and doing good to those who wrong us. In this, we are learning how to fight to win. All along, God is maturing us and leading us into what He has promised and prepared for us.