Psalm 44:4-8

4You are my King, O God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5Through You we will push down our enemies;
Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
6For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
7But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
8In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever.
-Psalm 44:4-8

Take a moment and analyze your life. Think of times of trial and how you waged warfare through that. Perhaps you are going through a trial now and can see. Maybe you are battling through a particular temptation, seeking to overcome. For some you may be struggling through depression or a mental health crisis. Be honest with yourself and ask, "Where do I believe my victory comes from?"

The goal here is not for you to shame yourself if your answer is not God. Rather, the goal is that we would learn as believers where true, genuine, and long lasting victory comes from. We often throw around the trope that nothing is too big for God to handle and we know we have to trust in Him. Yet those are often concluded with a "but" statement. The issue here is not that God is unable, but that we lack the faith to believe that God will bring victory. There could have been an experience where you really sought after the Lord and believed He would bring victory yet you seemed to slip. Alternatively you've heard of similar testimonies. Whatever the cause may be, your faith has been damaged by experience.

We run into a lot of issues when we allow experience to triumph over the word of God. We begin to lose trust in the Lord and then He becomes a conceptual crutch for us bearing no real substance in our lives because our faith is so shallow. The result we end off in poor warfare and a mountain of losses. We must learn not to trust in our own strength to possess victory. Not only was such an idea rejected by the Lord against Israel, but because of this the Lord allowed for Israel's enemies to conquer them as they trusted in their own strength. Your flesh cannot be trusted in any regard. When we came to Christ and died to our flesh, we did not just die to the weakness of our flesh but also to our strength. All of who we are and ought to be is in Christ.

Seek the face of the Lord and wage war differently. Long for the Lord earnestly. Seek Him in prayer and through His word. Practice walking in radical obedience to Him being concerned with eternal matters over earthly matters. Let Him lead as your King.