Battles are exhausting, but they are necessary for us to overcome an enemy. Apathy is the reason we do not have victory over the enemy. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross. Jesus disarmed him, making a public spectacle of him according to Colossians 2:15. We have been deputized by Jesus Himself, not to defeat the devil, the devil is already defeated, we are called to enforce the victory Jesus won on the cross. We are deputized as enforcers.

When we refuse to enforce what was won, we then have a battle on our hands, because we have not kept Satan under our feet. All is not lost, for most of us have not been taught how to be more than a conqueror, how to be an overcome, how to operate as a deputy for the kingdom of God. But it is a new day and there is a new sheriff in town. Christ in you is the hope of glory and you have been authorized to put the defeated devil back under your feet.

Judges 7 lets us know we will first conquer the princes, before we get to the kings. The two princes we must put under our feet are the spirit of Oren and Zeeb. Oreb means raven and Zeeb means wolf. Oreb and Zeeb are the princes seeking to block your blessings of water and wine. “They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.” Once you put these two princes under your feet the blessings of water from the rock and wine from the press will flow again.

Judges 8 then says, we may be exhausted from the battle but we must keep pursuing until we defeat the two kings Zalmunna and Zebah whose names mean deprived of protection. These kings will be defeated for they are without protection, but we can’t settle for only defeating the princes and being blessed, we must conquer the kings who are deprived of protection so we are not robbed by the spirit of Midian anymore. Come on warriors with shofars, don’t stop the pursuit, we have kings to overcome.