Your Secret Weapon

One Year Bible
Old Testament passage for Monday, June 24, 2013:  II Kings 6:1-7:20

¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”  ¹⁶ So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  II Kings 6:15-17 (NKJV)

Throughout the history of Israel there have been wars.  It seems they never stop, but only move from one enemy to another.  In II Kings 6 we read about the war between Israel and Syria.  But, Israel had a secret weapon -- Elisha the prophet.

It is almost comical how God used this great man of God in a very practical, real-world war.  You can read about it in II Kings 6:8-23.  Elisha was continually sending messages to Jehoram, the king of Israel, about battle strategy.  This was supernatural revelation that God gave Elisha about enemy movement!  Elisha would tell Jehoram, "Beware that you do not pass ________ (a particular place), for the Syrians are coming down there" (II Kings 6:9).  Sure enough, the king of Israel would send someone down to check it out, and find that Elisha was exactly right!

Meanwhile, for the Syrian king this was totally frustrating.  In fact, he suspected a spy in his ranks that was sending messages to the king of Israel.  He asked his servants, "Will you not show me which one of us is for the king of Israel?" (II Kings 6:11)  He though there had to be a "mole", someone leaking his strategy.

There was no spy.  One of the servants told him, "They have a prophet of God and his name is Elisha.  He is their secret weapon.  And he tells the king of Israel the words you are speaking in your bedroom!"  (II Kings 6:12). 

Such prophetic ministry is incredible.  By the supernatural gifting of God, Israel had an advantage in battle.  And we do, too!  God can tell you things that only He could know.  And by His Spirit, He can tell you where to move next.  The Holy Spirit is not only our COMFORTER, but also our ADVANTAGE.

The truth is that as followers of Jesus and believers in a supernatural God, we are SUPERNATURAL PEOPLE.  We tap into a supernatural realm and that makes all the difference.

The rest of the story of Elisha and the king of Syria illustrates this well.  Because Elisha was such a crucial figure, the king of Syria re-directed his army away from Israel's army and instead pursued ONE MAN.  Elisha was the secret weapon and so the attack came directly at him.  The Syrian army cornered Elisha and his servant in the town of Dothan. 

When the servant looked out and saw the vast army arrayed against them, he freaked out!  He cried out, "What shall we do?" (II Kings 6:15)  Have you ever been in a situation like that?  Overwhelming odds and no escape!  Elisha, however, remained calm.  Elisha did not pray for miraculous victory.  He did not pray for death to his enemies.  He prayed that the servant's eyes be opened to see things from God's perspective.  "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." (II Kings 6:16). 

When God opened the servant's eyes he saw the battle totally differently.  He saw the surrounding mountains full of the angelic army.  In the words of Paul, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"  (Romans 8:31) 

Two miracles took place that day with respect to eyesight.  First, the servant's eyes were OPENED.  He saw how great God's power was all around them.  Second, the enemy's eyes were BLINDED.  Not only does God help us, He also hinders our enemies.  As a result, we walk into the victory God has promised.

Paul told the Corinthians, "I do not want you to be ignorant of the spiritual realm" (I Co. 12:1).  This is an important message for us all.  Our battle is not against fleshly, worldly enemies.  It is against spiritual forces of darkness that are arrayed against us (Eph. 6:12).  We tend to forget this. 

May each of be reminded today that we are a part of an eternal kingdom that will never pass away -- that will never fail.  As we keep our eyes on Jesus, we share in His triumph.

And one last thing, this is not for the so-called spiritual "superstars."  (There really are none)  This is for every person who knows and loves Jesus Christ.  This is part of your inheritance.