Dharius Daniels - The Art of War

These are the nations that the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan. He did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience. Are you catching this? You see, this is not the generation that experienced the Exodus out of Egypt. This is not the generation that knew what it was like to depend on manna falling from heaven and water coming out of a rock. This is not a generation that had to rely on God to part the Red Sea; this is a generation born in Canaan. They were born in blessing; they were a generation that grew up experiencing abundance. They didn’t have to wait for what they needed. Did you hear what I said? They didn’t know struggle; they didn’t know lack. They only knew Xbox Ones, Nintendo Switches, and PlayStation 4s. They knew Jordans, their own rules, their own televisions, and remote controls. They know how to use a remote control, but not what it’s like to be one. You know what it means to be a remote control? It means sitting on the couch while the grown-ups tell you to get up and change the channel. This is a chance that this generation grew up in Canaan, and the Bible says that God lifted some nations around to teach them skills in the art of war that they didn’t have because they didn’t have to fight to get it. But God knows—listen to this—whatever is possessed must be protected; whatever is gained must be maintained. So even if you didn’t fight to get it, you have to fight to keep it, because whatever you have, the devil is coming after. If you have peace, he’s coming after it. If you have joy, he’s coming after it. Is there anyone here honest enough to say, «I know what it’s like to have joy and lose it? I know what it’s like to have peace and lose it? I know what it’s like to have focus and lose it?» Because whatever you have, the enemy is coming after. And if I don’t know how to fight to protect it, I will not maintain what I’ve gained. Jesus does not just want us to have fruitful lives; he says very clearly in the Gospel of John that he prays not only that we have fruit, but that our fruit would remain. It’s one thing to have it; it’s another thing to keep it. God sees, «I left these trials around so I could train these people in the skills they need so they can fight to keep what they possess.» Because nothing trains you like a trial. You don’t learn prayer in a sermon; you learn prayer under pressure. You learn the principles of prayer through a sermon, but you learn the practice of prayer when you’re under pressure, and your back is against the wall, and you cannot, with your own ingenuity, figure out how you’re going to work this out. So you have to place yourself at the mercy of a deity who is able to intervene into the affairs of your existence and orchestrate all things according to the counsel of his own will. You learn how to pray when you’re in trouble; you learn how to pray late at night. You learn how to pray when your back is against the wall. Nothing trains you like a trial. So we have to learn the difference between knowledge and training because some people have knowledge, but they aren’t trained. There’s nothing that trains you like a trial. Am I making sense? I said, «Am I making sense?» So, the Bible says God specifically, if you look at verse one, there are specific nations he leaves around in their proximity. Specific nations he leaves around in their proximity because he wants this generation to be trained. They hadn’t experienced this before, so they’re all unnerved and undone. God, metaphorically speaking, is sitting in heaven with his legs crossed, laughing, saying, «It’s just training.» Did you hear what I said? They think their lives are on a downward spiral, that they are on a downward trajectory and it’s never going to recover, and God’s like, «This is just training. They’re just in class; this is just a test. This is not a real emergency; this is just a test.» God, I love this! God picked these specific nations to engage Israel in what I call bear battles. What are bear battles? This is based on the biblical character named David, who, before he engaged in battle with Goliath, was having a conversation with the king who gave him permission to fight Goliath. The king was asking him, «What qualifies you to fight this giant who has been trained in military warfare his whole life?» David said, «Well, while I was tending to my father’s sheep, there was a lion and a bear that came to attack some of the sheep, and I protected my father’s sheep from the lion and the bear. The same God that delivered me from the hand of the lion and the bear is the same God that will deliver this Philistine into my hands.» See, some battles are bear battles; they’re not intended to take you out, they’re battles intended to cultivate in you the confidence you need to face your future.