He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. – 2 Kings 18:4-8 Hezekiah was a mighty reformer and zealous lover of God. He tore down the idols and restored worship in Judah. Hezekiah, in his zeal refused to submit and rebelled against the status quo– that is to Assyria. As expected, Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, didn’t take kindly to Hezekiah’s rebellion and he sent an army to conquer Judah. But that’s what happens when you try to do the right thing. That is what happens when we stay true to our faith. When we zealously seek to tear down idols and remove compromise from our lives and wholeheartedly pursue God, our enemies come to attack us just like Sennacherib did. They’ll seek to intimidate us and seduce us with false claims of comfort. He’ll point out all others who have fallen away from God and back into sin in an effort to discourage us. Then he’ll mock the power of God to set us free from sin. All of that turmoil, the emotional and psychological suffering that comes with being attacked by an enemy looking to usurp the freedom God has given takes a toil on your decision making, and ultimately, your livelihood. But that didn’t bother Hezekiah from sticking with God whom he followed wholeheartedly. It’s so easy today to stop battling the principalities that look to seize our freedom in Christ and because it is so easy, we don’t battle. I don’t know what it is or who it is in your life that is searching to conquer your zeal for God, but I do know that if you and I battle and rebel against it/them through our faith in God, then we will be delivered by God who we put our trust in. We have a fighting chance because God is with us. We battle for our freedom because keeping with our Savior King is more worthy than whatever is being offered to entice us away from Him. We prosper in ways that fulfill us when we choose not to abandon God for a shadow or a fleeting mirage of God. When we have freedom in Christ through God, we battle despite the consequences.