When the Battlefield Becomes a Blessing Field: Part 1 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

1 Samuel 17:53-54 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent. In this message we address Biblical principles on how to turn your battlefields into blessing fields. We take a look at Isaiah 40:31 and the importance of waiting on the Lord and what that means. The words "wait upon" are from the word qavah {kaw-vaw'}, which means "to bind together, giving the image of two separate things twisting around each other so they become one." As one moves, the other moves. As one is still, the other is still. When we wait upon the Lord, we are making the decision to bind together and abide in Him. We mirror the leading of the Lord in our lives. He can take whatever you are facing and turn your battlefield into a blessing field. After the Israeli soldiers chased and defeated the Philistines, the Bible says they returned and spoiled their enemy's tents. This statement is rich in truth. Let's look at the word "returned." It is derived from the word shuwb {shoob}. The word means "to return, to turn back, to restore, to repent, or to recover." It is one of the most important words in the Old Testament. It is frequently used for: returning spiritually to God, restoration, repentance, and renewal. Beloved, there are times for standing, battling, pursuing, and returning. The Hebrews returned as victors. You will find that in the Christian life, there are seasons of warfare, pursuit, sorrow, suffering, struggle, and seasons for gathering the blessings of victory, which include returning, resting, reflecting, and rejoicing. God never intended continual exhaustion without renewal. Jesus had times of rest and renewal after intense labor and ministry. There is a time to pursue and also a time to RETURN. The Hebrews eventually returned. There is wisdom in knowing when to advance, when to stop, when to serve and labor, when to regroup or rest, and when to gather the blessings God has provided for you for your battles. Some Christians spiritually and emotionally burn out because they do not have a balance in their lives. Toward the end of the message, we begin looking at lessons from the word “returned.” We look at the first lesson in this message that was preached on Sunday morning, October 4,2026, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.