Joel 3:9 – Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare (qadosh) for war!”
Literally this verse says that the nations are to ‘make holy for war’.
The Bible uses the word ‘holy / qadosh’ not simply to mean ‘sin free’, but also to mean being prepared, being at the very height of readiness and being dedicated to a single purpose.
In war, having a gap in the armour could be a fatal mistake.
When we face difficult personal situations, it is very tempting to respond in fleshly, angry and self-defensive ways. In so doing, we step right out from the defence of God’s holiness and are immediately vulnerable to the darts of the wicked one.
What to do when the battle is raging?
We need to stay close to God and keep a close eye on our own heart attitudes and responses.
If we miss it along the way, we need to be quick to ask for forgiveness and come back under God’s covering of holiness.
In the wilderness Israel missed it many times. Yet when Balaam the prophet tried to curse Israel he ended up exclaiming ‘God sees no inquity in Jacob, and no wickedness in Israel’. For this reason Balaam could not curse the people of God.
You and I might have our own checkered histories, but when we confess our sins, the enemy is no longer able to curse us or strike us with his arrows. Truly holiness is what prepares us for war and protects us in battle.
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
