God's Penetrating Presence

Then Jesus * said to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.' But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." But Peter answered and said to Him, "Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You." All the disciples said the same thing too. (Matthew 26:31-35)

The recent Iraq war was something to watch on television. With real time satellite images, live cell phone calls, and imbedded reporters, it was like we were there with the armored mechanized units as they raced across the desert sands. More soldiers and equipment moved across more territory than ever before. It was like a race to Baghdad. In one instance, a unit moved so rapidly that some of the media reported they had outrun their supply lines and were in danger of being cut off. As it turned out, this news was not accurate and the unit was able to be resupplied so they could continue their advance. But if that unit had outrun its supply lines, life could have gotten real ugly, real fast. They would have been exposed to the enemy in a vulnerable position. Or if the unit had not had good reconnaissance reports, they would not have known what awaited them as they were moving into unknown territory.
Spiritual warfare operates with much of these same principles in place. We have very good reconnaissance because we have Superior Intelligence on our side. We can know the enemy's movements and his strategies. We can know what his strongholds look like and how to destroy them. We can also be assured that our supply lines are sufficient as long as we stay connected. But when we move into unknown areas without the Lord's commands, when we move faster than He wants us to go, we will have encounters with the enemy we will not quickly forget! God is about fighting the battle. It is not ours to fight. It is just ours to obey. God wants His soldiers to stand on the battlefield and see the glory of God and not our own power. Fighting the enemy without God's strong support or superior intelligence is a painful experience.
God can be glorified in those painful and purifying experiences. When we are scarred by our many battles with the enemy, we become seasoned veterans and learn to fight smarter. We allow God to choose the battles, we allow Him to pick the place of our skirmishes and we trust Him to go before us. If we are fighting a particular addiction that seems to overwhelm us, we can ask Him to go before us and deliver us from temptation. When we keep coming against a particular stronghold of the enemy, we can allow God to give us the wisdom to stand against it. Today's passage is given in the context of Jesus predicting Peter's denial and failure. The best news is that God is already making plans for restoring His people who stumble and resupplying His warriors who are weary. Here’s a good word from a good God.

I. GOD ALWAYS GOES BEFORE US.
He sends us only to where He has been. If we are walking closely with Him, we can hear when He gives us our marching orders. He knows best the mission that awaits us there.
II. GOD ALWAYS GOES WITH US.
He promises His presence. Even though He goes before, He goes now. He is the God of the present and the God of Presence. That is pretty comforting to me.
III. GOD IS ALWAYS SUPPORTING US.
He is like a supportive force, standing ready to supply and assist. None of His grace is stretched to the limit. None of His resources are in scarce supply. There is always enough to get the mission done.
With God, we will go farther and faster into the enemy's territory than ever before. In fact, the gates of hell will not stand. The Lord said so.