Then, this one with human appearance touched me again, and strengthened me. He said, “O man , of high esteem , do not be afraid. Peace be with you: take courage and be courageous! Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak to me, for you have ‘strengthened me’. Daniel 10:18-19 NASB
If you are facing a battle with someone, you need to be armed. Not only with weapons, but with knowledge of who you are up against. There’s an old saying that you never want to bring a knife to a gun fight. But often times we, even devout Christians, tend to forget who it is that we are truly up against. The bible is very clear on the fact that there is a war going on in the spiritual realm. If you are a Christian who is trying your best to live as Jesus taught us to live, then the spiritual forces of evil may come against you. They may try to stop you from studying God’s word. They may try to stop you from praying. They may try to stop you from going to church. Just as God has angels which are mentioned in the bible, we must be aware that the devil has his army as well. But if we turn to God, He will send His angels to strengthen us and help us.
Now in the book of Daniel in chapter 10, verses 10-21, an angel appears to Daniel 21 days after Daniel had prayed. He tells Daniel that his prayer was heard 21 days prior, but that he was delayed by a supernatural creature that was trying to direct the rulers of Persia to oppose God’s plan. In other words, this angel had been involved in an intense battle. He goes on to say that Michael (who is mentioned several times in the bible as an archangel) mentioned in the NASB version as one of the chief princes, came to help him. In verse 20, he tells Daniel that he must return to Persia to fight against this evil force and that there is no one to help him except Michael.
In Revelation 12:7-12, John describes the war that is to take place between Michael and the devil. It is believed that this will occur at the midpoint of the tribulation. In Revelation 20:1-3 it describes the angel coming down and binding the devil and throwing him into the abyss.
You see this spiritual war is going on day in and day out. If you read the news reports, you can see the dark forces of evil at work. You can see it on the streets and you can definitely see it at work in all levels of government. But as Christians, we should have no fear, God is with us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel says that when he came face to face with this angel, he lost all strength. But in the verses that follow, Daniel describes how the touch of this angel strengthened him.
We all need strengthening at times, but we must understand where true strength comes from. We must understand that there is a battle raging in the spiritual realm. There is a battle raging for the soul of every person on this planet. God doesn’t want any one to go to hell. The devil doesn’t want anyone to trust in God. We have to choose. We have to pick a side.
Now many of you reading this are hopefully saying this is a no brainer, but know this. It will be a battle. You will need to be strong. But the good thing is this, God will strengthen you with his mighty strength. Psalm 91:11 tells us, He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. When you are heading into battle know that it is not your sibling, your spouse, your friend, or your arch enemy that you are fighting. You are fighting the dark spiritual forces of evil. Know that only God can win this battle. Suit up and join His army, but know that the battle is not yours, but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). God’s got this. I have read the end of the book (Revelation) and we win!
I tell you these things not to scare you, but to strengthen you in the Lord’s power and His might. If you want to be on the winning side, you better join up with God’s army. As you head out today, be aware of the spiritual forces at work. Call on God to fight whatever battle you are facing. Stand firm in God’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Have a great day!