Yesterday was our son Kedar’s 15th birthday. I’m grateful that he is healthy and strong and that he enjoyed his special day. He’s getting so tall Daily Cup family. I can hardly believe how quickly the years are flying by!

When Kedar opened his presents, he was excited—especially about his action figures. He still enjoys his toys and is especially fond of the superhero, Iron Man. I find it so adorable that Kedar and his younger brother, Kaleb, can play for hours with their superhero toys. This morning, they were up before 5:00, already playing.

Marvel’s popular character, Iron man, a man covered in iron, can fly and has a number of powerful weapons that make him pretty hard to defeat—similar to a fierce opponent Israel needed to beat in Bible days.

I’ll explain.

This morning, during my personal time of devotion, I was reading Psalm 83, which is a distressed plea for God to deliver Israel from their enemies. Their foes were plotting and conspiring against them, hoping to utterly destroy God’s chosen ones.

In verse 9, the writer prayed that God would take action against Israel’s opponents and defeat them the way He had done Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon. In order to get the history of this story, read Judges 4.

To briefly recap, Israel was under the oppressive rule of Jabin, King of Canaan and the ruthless commander of his army, Sisera. King Jabin had 900 chariots of iron, which means their iron-clad military forces at that time were very strong and advanced. Together, King Jabin and Sisera terrorized God’s chosen ones for twenty painstaking years until the Israelites couldn’t take it anymore.

This wasn’t some made-up battle against a fictitious superhero named Iron Man. These 900 chariots of iron really existed and posed a serious threat.

Verse 3 tells us the Israelites cried out to God for help and He sent assistance to them using a woman—a prophetess—named Deborah. The Lord told her He was going to lead King Jabin and Sisera to the river Kishon and give them over into the hands of Israel, the unlikely victors.

Although, in the natural, it didn’t make any sense for Israel’s inferior army to believe they could win against such strong soldiers, Deborah managed to rally them, along with a cowardly general named Barak, to fight. General Barak was so nervous and intimidated by the Canaanite troops, in fact, that he refused to wage war against them without Deborah coming along!

She agreed and got together a coalition of 10,000 Israelite soldiers to fight Jabin’s army. And just as the Lord said it would happen, Israel got the victory. Not a single Canaanite soldier was left alive. Though King Jabin escaped on foot, his life was not preserved either. He sought safety at the home of a housewife named Jael, whom he thought was an ally, but she wasn’t.  While he was sleeping, the Bible says Jael drove a tent peg through King Jabin’s temple, killing him.

The battle was won. Victory was secured and it was all because God heard the cries of His people. He showed Himself strong on their behalf, just as He will do on your behalf.

In Psalm 83:18, in the midst of his distress, the writer prayed that God would show off His dominion and power. He said, “Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”

Pray this same prayer over your situation and watch God make a grand announcement to your adversary, and anything coming against you, that He is the Lord. All power belongs to Him!

There is no opposition that is forceful enough to force you out of your place of destiny. You will be what God says you will be; you will do what God says you will do; you will possess what God says you will possess.

The blessings, favor and breakthroughs God has for you are unstoppable. I know the battle might be raging. Satan’s attacks may be vicious and intimidating. But don’t be afraid of the enemy’s army because God is coming to your aid. He is rushing to your defense. He will put the enemy in his place: under your feet. Shackles will be loosed. Burdens will be lifted. Yokes will be destroyed. Why? Because you are God’s chosen, beloved and anointed, and His purpose for your life will prevail. It must.

Satan will not triumph over you.

To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring the latter portion of Isaiah 59:19 KJV into your cup of inspiration, which says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, your life may be flooded with problems today, overrun with issues, and overwhelmed with trouble. But God is stepping in and intervening in your circumstances. He’s fighting the enemy for you. Therefore, the battle is His and this fight is already won.

Rejoice! Satan will not triumph over you. God’s purpose will prevail.

Now let’s pray.

God, I know You are mighty and more than able to secure victory for me. And yet, sometimes, it seems like the enemy is too strong to win against. But today, I rebuke discouragement, fear, intimidation, worry and stress off of my life. Instead of giving into anxiety, I will trust in Your mighty name and claim my deliverance even though I don’t see it yet. Thank You for being a way-maker, a yoke-destroyer, a burden-lifter and a mighty fortress against the enemy. I place all my trust in You alone, my Master, my Savior, my Conqueror, my Deliver. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!

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