172. Conquer your Enemies
Joshua 10:25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
Joshua repeats to the people what has been told to him from the Lord: Do not be afraid or dismayed, but be strong and of good courage. You can be fearless and courageous because the Lord will so vanquish all your enemies against whom you fight. They had just defeated five Canaanite kings, killed them, and put their feet upon their necks as a graphic picture of the overcoming power of the Lord over all the enemies of God and His people.
These are written for our learning that we also may not fear but take courage and comfort from the picture of absolute authority and victory over our spiritual enemies. Our spiritual enemies are ever present to try to destroy the soul and keep us from entering the Kingdom of God. But by faith we are in the Kingdom (actually the Kingdom is in us) and we exercise Jesus’ authority over our enemies.
Pagan religion and false gods are present in the world around us, too, and these ways of thinking and believing are actual living beings and spiritual forces, who are constantly trying to prevent us from enjoying eternal life under the loving rule of God in His Kingdom. The battleground is the heart where the Kingdom lives and reigns. We enter the kingdom by being born from above and we hold on to it by the power of the Spirit who keeps us in the one true faith.
We have this promise of victory, and we have this image of placing our feet upon the necks of our vanquished spiritual enemies, so that we may enjoy life in the kingdom of God. When sin gets us down, when death looms nearby, and when Satan lies to us we remember that we are the ones, under Jesus, with the conquering feet trampling the devil and all evil underfoot. The Lord has done and will do this.to all our enemies. So we should have a daily victory celebration.