But thus says the LORD: “For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.” â€â€Isaiah‬ â€49:25‬b NKJV‬‬
We often read these verses believing they were written specifically for the nation of Israel. We look at the Old and New Testaments as two separate books, believing the Old Testament was written to the nation of Israel only and the New Testament to the Gentiles. We fail to see the inclusiveness of both sections to all of mankind.
Enemies have always waged war against the nation of Israel and against God’s children. And while the nation of Israel was held in bondage by other nations, believers in Jesus contend with enemies determined to destroy their families.
A Fierce Enemy
When I considered the opposition I face as the parent of someone who struggles with addiction and mental illness, I came to the desperate realization that I need a Contender mightier than these forces of evil waging war against my child and my family.
Headline news around us shouts that this foe is too strong for us to contend with. Social media blasts that more are dying than can be saved. No one knows what to do or how to help. Drugs deadlier than ever before are flowing through our borders daily, reaching the hands of those desperately craving more.
No wonder we are afraid. The enemy is fierce and will settle for nothing less than total obliteration of this generation. We are told to believe that this is an unstoppable disease rather than discerning that we have an enemy who claims to be more powerful than the Creator of the Universe.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” â€Ephesians‬ â€6:12‬ â€NIV‬
We have been fighting a spiritual battle with earthly weapons. Our hope has been placed on a secular model of recovery rather than in the hands of a mighty God who is able to save and deliver His children. Instead of believing for freedom, our only hope is that our loved one will be helped with a twelve-step program or medication-assisted treatment. We have ceased to believe for freedom from captivity.
Now before you think I’m saying these are bad or a poor substitute, please hear me out. My son has accessed all the resources available for help in this battle. I am grateful for their help. But as believers, we have to guard against accepting a mentality that says true freedom and healing is unavailable. Our children and loved ones will always be in bondage.
Why believe that science has the final say? Why believe that the government or medical professionals or Big Pharma have all the answers? God will always have the final say when it comes to His children. We either hold fast to our faith or we don’t.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV
Another challenge set before us as believers is to ask ourselves if we believe that the weapons we fight with are meant to protect and defend all areas of our lives or only the spiritual areas. God has proven repeatedly that He is the Faithful Protector of His children, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?
His word is filled with stories of His deliverance. David’s victory over Goliath. Daniel unscathed in the den of hungry lions. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego unharmed in the fiery furnace. Moses and the Israelite’s unstoppable exit from Egypt when being chased by Pharoah’s army. How about the enemies of blindness, paralysis, and demonic possession that were powerless in the presence of a Contender more powerful than them? Since when did our enemy’s forces of darkness become impenetrable to the power of the name of Jesus?
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
â€â€Philippians‬ â€2:9-11‬ â€NIV
‬‬In order to change our thinking and become people of faith who will not back down against the evil waging war against our families, we will need to understand our enemy. More importantly, we need to know the character of our Lord. We must challenge our thinking about what we accept as merely an incurable disease. Science is already discovering that the brain has the power to heal and rewrite itself, but it won’t do it if we convince ourselves and our loved ones that they are “once an addict, always an addict.”
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John‬ â€10:10‬ â€NIV‬‬
Jesus has come to set His children free. And while not everyone is healed or set free from addiction or mental illness, that does not change the mission He was sent to do. He set people free from sickness, demons, and sin. He offered salvation to those who asked for it. How can we stop short of praying and believing for anything less for our families? We must never give up because we serve a God who will never give up on us or them.
It is my prayer that we will no longer sit in two opposing camps in our views of addiction. One that says addiction is a disease or the other that says it’s a choice, a sin, or a moral failure. I believe that if we were to ask Jesus to answer that question, He would not respond with a “why,” but would instead answer with a “how.” When we ask why someone became that way, it places us in the seat of judgment, reserved for an all-knowing God. When we ask how to help, how to pray, or how to encourage them, it seats us in a place of compassion.
Jesus is the only righteous judge. Only He can discern why someone fell into such a desperate condition. And only Jesus knows what it will take to truly set them free from the bondage and pain they are suffering.
It is our job to stay in faith and keep our eyes on Jesus, our Protector, who fights for our freedom and for the freedom of our families. Until we see Jesus face to face, let us fight these battles in faith, with a trust that is immovable and steadfast.
Dear Lord.
We admit our faith has become small. Our enemy is a mighty foe. He has worn us down. Contend for our loved ones. We pray for a faith that moves mountains. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You. We stand on the promises that You are for us and not against us. We believe you have the answers to the freedom your children so desperately need. We praise you.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on The Faith to Flourish
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
