Jehovah Tsabaoth - The Lord of Hosts

As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. ---Isaiah 31:5

Before Satan rebelled in Heaven, it wasn’t necessary to have armies of warring angels. But when the great deceiver, Satan challenged the Most High God (El Elyon) there was a cosmic battle between Satan, God and their respective “angels.” When Satan was cast out of heaven, he deceived Adam and Even in the Garden, then the perpetual battle began. Until Satan is finally cast into the pit, the battle will continue.

The term Lord of Hosts appears 282 times in the Bible. It is a military term that means “God of Battles.” You see, God is a Warrior and a Fighter. You and I are His army. One reason we see people in the Body of Christ live defeated lives is because we fail to acknowledge the Lord of Hosts…the God of Battles. We cannot live in the deception that once we are saved our battle with sin and the devil is over. To the contrary, we have all been activated to the front line!

Paul tried to help us understand when he wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Our warfare is spiritual. If you have a spouse or loved one involved in something immoral or self-destructive, the battle you must wage is not against that person, but with the cruel, satanic forces bent in destroying, killing and stealing from that person. Wage war with the real foe. Battle against the spirit realm, not the flesh.

I love the story of the youthful David when he approached the giant Goliath. He said, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the Armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.” (1 Samuel 17:45,46) This is how you must talk to your circumstance, with confidence that you know God will fight your battles in the spirit realm. But it is your responsibility to speak to your situation and speak to the Lord of Hosts releasing His hosts to fight on your behalf.

You and I have the victory against Satan and all his devices because of Jesus. He destroyed the works of the devil so the only tool the devil has is deception. Our success will not be accomplished through human manipulation, but by the Lord of Hosts. He is the One who defeated the devil! He is the Almighty God! Anchor your trust in the Lord of Hosts. Depend upon Him. He is the Lord of Battles, the Lord of Victories. Call on Him by His Name, and ask Him to do what He is capable of doing.

Confession: My God will fight for me. He is the Lord of Hosts and wants me to be the victor. I’ve got enemies and the Lord of Hosts is ready to defend me. So I call on Jehovah Tsebaoth to “go get em.”