We can’t change their hearts or their minds, nor can we save them.

We can’t change their choice of friends.

We can’t make decisions for them.

The good news is: “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 NKJV); “the battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).

When Sennacherib, king of Syria, camped against Judah, “to make war against Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 32:2), Hezekiah, king of Judah, had the people stop the flow of water to the enemy, fortify the city, and make weapons, Then he organized the military and told them:

“‘Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.’ And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah” (2 Chronicles 32:7–8).

Sennacherib even tried trash talk, but he crossed a line when he spoke against the Lord. So, Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed, and the Lord did it! He “sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria” (v. 21). Sennacherib went home, embarrassed, and when he went into the temple of his god, some of his children killed him.

You just don’t mess with the praying people of God and get away with it.

I am no Hezekiah, but be encouraged by my words today. We’ve done so much in this fight, and we will continue to pray and obey, but we can take courage today, because the enemy will not get away with it. God is so much more than any enemy, so we can stand on His Word and focus on the reality of His promises and watch for them! He is God almighty, and His promises are true—every one of them! They are what are real—not the trash talk of the enemy or the fighters camping around us. We may not even see the victory coming, but God wins every time!

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8).