Deuteronomy 20
Claiming our spiritual inheritance will involve battles as well as blessings, for the hosts of evil are against us (Eph. 6:10–13). God’s words to Israel help us understand how to defeat the enemies we face.
Before the battle: courage. We walk by faith and not by sight (v. 1) and must never judge the victory by our own resources or the resources of the enemy. God gives us the power to overcome, so take courage from the fact that God is with us and fights for us. Read
During the battle: obedience. We must be totally devoted to the Lord if we are to win the battle (2 Tim. 2:4). The battlefield is no place for the fearful and fainthearted or the doubleminded. We must obey whatever battle plan God assigns to us, for the enemy often employs a different strategy.
After the battle: complete conquest. Even in defeat, the enemy is still the enemy and can entice us into sin. Remember what happened to Achan (Josh. 7) and King Saul (