Strategies for War
Strategies for War
By Pastor Aaron Rios | Garden City Church | August 9th, 2026
The Lord of the Breakthrough
Learning to seek God’s presence, recognize His strategy, and move when He moves,
There are seasons when opposition does not mean you are outside the will of God. Sometimes opposition comes precisely because you have stepped into what God has called you to do.
In 2 Samuel 5:17–25, David had just been anointed king over Israel when the Philistines heard about it and immediately mobilized against him.
“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him.” - 2 Samuel 5:17
The anointing on David’s life did not eliminate warfare. It incited it.
This is an important truth for every believer. We should not automatically interpret resistance as evidence that we have missed God. There are moments when the enemy opposes what God has established because he recognizes the significance of what God is doing.
But David’s first response was not panic, retaliation, or presumption. He went to the stronghold.
Before David received a strategy for the battle, he sought refuge. Before he moved against his enemy, he moved toward the presence of God.
There is a pattern here for us: when opposition increases, run to the stronghold of God’s presence and remain there until His strategy becomes clear.
The First Battle: The Lord Breaks Through
The Philistines spread themselves throughout the Valley of Rephaim, and David asked the Lord:
“Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” - 2 Samuel 5:19
God answered clearly: “Go.” David obeyed, and God gave him a tremendous victory.
David described what happened this way: “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” - 2 Samuel 5:20
David named the place Baal Perazim, meaning “Lord of Breakthroughs” or “Master of Breakthroughs.”
The picture is powerful. David describes God’s intervention like water bursting through a barrier. Something that appeared immovable suddenly gave way because the Lord broke through it.
There are things we cannot accomplish through our own strength, intelligence, resources, or determination. There are barriers only God can break.
This is why our confidence must never ultimately rest in our ability to fight. Our confidence rests in the God who goes before us. We serve the Lord of the Breakthrough.
When God goes before His people, what appeared impossible can suddenly open. Strongholds can fall. Doors can open. Captives can be released. Families can be restored. Ministries can advance. People can be saved. Situations that seemed immovable can suddenly begin to move. Our responsibility is to seek Him, hear Him, and obey Him.
The Enemy Came Again Then something interesting happens. David won the battle, but the Philistines returned.
“Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.” - 2 Samuel 5:22
Sometimes victory does not mean you will never face that enemy again.
There are battles we may have to confront more than once. There are areas where the enemy will attempt to regain territory. Yesterday’s victory does not remove our need for today’s dependence upon God.
And this is where David teaches us something essential. David inquired of the Lord again.
He did not say, “I already know what to do. We fought this battle before.”
He did not assume that because God gave him one strategy yesterday, God would give him the same strategy today.
David asked again. And this time God gave him a completely different instruction.
“Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.” - 2 Samuel 5:23
The enemy was similar.
The battlefield was similar.
David was the same leader.
The army was the same army.
But the strategy changed.
This is why believers cannot live by presumption. We must live by dependence upon God.
Some people are fighting today’s battles with yesterday’s strategies.
What God instructed you to do in one season may not be what He is instructing you to do in another. The principles of Scripture never change, but the leading and strategy of God require us to remain prayerful, sensitive, and obedient.
Yesterday’s breakthrough does not eliminate today’s need to seek Him.
Wait Until You Hear the Sound
God told David to position his army near the trees and then wait.
“As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” - 2 Samuel 5:24
Imagine being an experienced warrior and receiving the instruction: Wait.
David knew how to fight. His army knew how to fight. They had just defeated this same enemy. But this battle was not going to be won by simply doing what they already knew how to do.
They had to wait for God to move.
When they heard the sound of marching in the trees, that was their signal. God had gone ahead of them. Then they were to move quickly.
This gives us two postures every believer must learn.
There are moments when God says, “Advance.” In those moments, we must move with courage, faith, and boldness.
But there are other moments when God says, “Wait.” In those moments, faith looks like holding our position, remaining under His covering, and refusing to move ahead of Him.
Maturity is knowing the difference.
Under the Shadow of the Almighty
The imagery of protection and covering that polar trees would have provided should remind us of Psalm 91:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’”
- Psalm 91:1–2
God does not merely give us victory. He gives us Himself.
He is our refuge.
He is our fortress.
He is our covering.
Psalm 91 continues:
“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.”
- Psalm 91:4
There are battles where God calls us to advance, and there are battles where He calls us to remain under His covering while He fights ahead of us.
This means our greatest responsibility is not simply learning how to fight. It is learning how to dwell.
Stay close enough to hear Him.
Stay surrendered enough to obey Him.
Stay patient enough to wait for Him.
Stay courageous enough to move when He says move.
The Strategy Comes From God
David ultimately obeyed exactly what the Lord commanded, and the Philistines were defeated.
The lesson of these two battles is not that there is one perfect strategy for overcoming every obstacle. In fact, the passage teaches almost the opposite.
In the first battle, God said, Go straight in. In the second battle, God said, Do not go straight in.
Both instructions came from God.
Both required faith.
Both required obedience.
And both produced victory.
Our confidence, therefore, cannot be in a method. Our confidence must be in the Lord. Every believer must learn to seek the strategy of God. We cannot presume. We must listen. We cannot simply imitate yesterday. We must inquire of the Lord today. We cannot move because we are impatient. We move because God has spoken. And when He says wait, we wait under His covering.
When He says advance, we advance with courage. When He says move quickly, we move without hesitation. The Lord is still the God who goes before His people.
Whatever valley you may be standing in today, do not allow the presence of a battle to convince you of the absence of God. Get into the stronghold. Seek His presence. Listen for His voice. Receive His strategy. Wait for His movement. And when God moves, move with Him.
Because our God is still the Lord of the Breakthrough.
Learning to seek God’s presence, recognize His strategy, and move when He moves,
There are seasons when opposition does not mean you are outside the will of God. Sometimes opposition comes precisely because you have stepped into what God has called you to do.
In 2 Samuel 5:17–25, David had just been anointed king over Israel when the Philistines heard about it and immediately mobilized against him.
“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him.” - 2 Samuel 5:17
The anointing on David’s life did not eliminate warfare. It incited it.
This is an important truth for every believer. We should not automatically interpret resistance as evidence that we have missed God. There are moments when the enemy opposes what God has established because he recognizes the significance of what God is doing.
But David’s first response was not panic, retaliation, or presumption. He went to the stronghold.
Before David received a strategy for the battle, he sought refuge. Before he moved against his enemy, he moved toward the presence of God.
There is a pattern here for us: when opposition increases, run to the stronghold of God’s presence and remain there until His strategy becomes clear.
The First Battle: The Lord Breaks Through
The Philistines spread themselves throughout the Valley of Rephaim, and David asked the Lord:
“Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” - 2 Samuel 5:19
God answered clearly: “Go.” David obeyed, and God gave him a tremendous victory.
David described what happened this way: “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” - 2 Samuel 5:20
David named the place Baal Perazim, meaning “Lord of Breakthroughs” or “Master of Breakthroughs.”
The picture is powerful. David describes God’s intervention like water bursting through a barrier. Something that appeared immovable suddenly gave way because the Lord broke through it.
There are things we cannot accomplish through our own strength, intelligence, resources, or determination. There are barriers only God can break.
This is why our confidence must never ultimately rest in our ability to fight. Our confidence rests in the God who goes before us. We serve the Lord of the Breakthrough.
When God goes before His people, what appeared impossible can suddenly open. Strongholds can fall. Doors can open. Captives can be released. Families can be restored. Ministries can advance. People can be saved. Situations that seemed immovable can suddenly begin to move. Our responsibility is to seek Him, hear Him, and obey Him.
The Enemy Came Again Then something interesting happens. David won the battle, but the Philistines returned.
“Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.” - 2 Samuel 5:22
Sometimes victory does not mean you will never face that enemy again.
There are battles we may have to confront more than once. There are areas where the enemy will attempt to regain territory. Yesterday’s victory does not remove our need for today’s dependence upon God.
And this is where David teaches us something essential. David inquired of the Lord again.
He did not say, “I already know what to do. We fought this battle before.”
He did not assume that because God gave him one strategy yesterday, God would give him the same strategy today.
David asked again. And this time God gave him a completely different instruction.
“Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.” - 2 Samuel 5:23
The enemy was similar.
The battlefield was similar.
David was the same leader.
The army was the same army.
But the strategy changed.
This is why believers cannot live by presumption. We must live by dependence upon God.
Some people are fighting today’s battles with yesterday’s strategies.
What God instructed you to do in one season may not be what He is instructing you to do in another. The principles of Scripture never change, but the leading and strategy of God require us to remain prayerful, sensitive, and obedient.
Yesterday’s breakthrough does not eliminate today’s need to seek Him.
Wait Until You Hear the Sound
God told David to position his army near the trees and then wait.
“As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” - 2 Samuel 5:24
Imagine being an experienced warrior and receiving the instruction: Wait.
David knew how to fight. His army knew how to fight. They had just defeated this same enemy. But this battle was not going to be won by simply doing what they already knew how to do.
They had to wait for God to move.
When they heard the sound of marching in the trees, that was their signal. God had gone ahead of them. Then they were to move quickly.
This gives us two postures every believer must learn.
There are moments when God says, “Advance.” In those moments, we must move with courage, faith, and boldness.
But there are other moments when God says, “Wait.” In those moments, faith looks like holding our position, remaining under His covering, and refusing to move ahead of Him.
Maturity is knowing the difference.
Under the Shadow of the Almighty
The imagery of protection and covering that polar trees would have provided should remind us of Psalm 91:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’”
- Psalm 91:1–2
God does not merely give us victory. He gives us Himself.
He is our refuge.
He is our fortress.
He is our covering.
Psalm 91 continues:
“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.”
- Psalm 91:4
There are battles where God calls us to advance, and there are battles where He calls us to remain under His covering while He fights ahead of us.
This means our greatest responsibility is not simply learning how to fight. It is learning how to dwell.
Stay close enough to hear Him.
Stay surrendered enough to obey Him.
Stay patient enough to wait for Him.
Stay courageous enough to move when He says move.
The Strategy Comes From God
David ultimately obeyed exactly what the Lord commanded, and the Philistines were defeated.
The lesson of these two battles is not that there is one perfect strategy for overcoming every obstacle. In fact, the passage teaches almost the opposite.
In the first battle, God said, Go straight in. In the second battle, God said, Do not go straight in.
Both instructions came from God.
Both required faith.
Both required obedience.
And both produced victory.
Our confidence, therefore, cannot be in a method. Our confidence must be in the Lord. Every believer must learn to seek the strategy of God. We cannot presume. We must listen. We cannot simply imitate yesterday. We must inquire of the Lord today. We cannot move because we are impatient. We move because God has spoken. And when He says wait, we wait under His covering.
When He says advance, we advance with courage. When He says move quickly, we move without hesitation. The Lord is still the God who goes before His people.
Whatever valley you may be standing in today, do not allow the presence of a battle to convince you of the absence of God. Get into the stronghold. Seek His presence. Listen for His voice. Receive His strategy. Wait for His movement. And when God moves, move with Him.
Because our God is still the Lord of the Breakthrough.
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