How I Fight My Battles

Ideally when soldiers enter their first battle they have often been trained for years. They know the power of the army they are part of, they know their own capabilities, know their weapons, and know they have someone with them who will fight alongside them at any cost. This does not make war easy, but it makes victory possible and expected.

Even with all the training, battles are hard. Sometimes they go on for a long time and the cost is high. War is not for the faint of heart. Life isn't either.

Life sometimes feels like a series of battles you didn't see coming and you have no training and no weapons, and you feel so alone that you are often overwhelmed.

The first thing we need to know as Christians is that we are not alone. We are part of something so much bigger than we are. The kingdom we have been born into has a victorious king and he has overcome anything that would have been able to overcome us. We are victorious. Period.

This does not mean that we will not battle. And it doesn't mean that the battles will not be hard. This world is broken, and it is full of humans who do not know God and have a free will that is led most often by the enemy of our souls. So sometimes we battle because of the actions of others. We are still living in a flesh body that is aware of this world. It is tempted by what it sees, feels and experiences. This is a place we will battle. Our minds, feelings and emotions (our souls) have been trained by our flesh and its experience here. And before the Spirit of God came into our lives that is all we knew. Strong holds and habits and character flaws all bring us to places of battles at times.

And then, when you get saved the Spirit of God moves into your life and you are now equipped with help. The problem is... this help requires our old man to die. The old way we did things won't work in the Kingdom of God. This brings a whole new battle ground as we are sanctified and set apart for Holy use. Our soul is being healed and renewed by the Spirit that is now alive in us. All things are made new, and we are now adjusting and learning to live in this new.

The amazing thing is that God equipped us. Even before we knew it. He seated us in a place of authority over the enemy, over our desires and over anything that would lift itself up above us knowing God and being victorious in Him.

We know we are in battle. How we fight the battle is important. I don't know about you but lots of times I start out fighting in my reasoning mind that has been well trained by the world. Often fear drives me to use up energy thinking about worse case scenario's that will probably never happen. Then I start trying to make a plan with my limited knowledge and with no ability to see the future. Anything that is fear driven will never lead you to a stable place. You will run when there is nothing to run from. You will fight but you will be like Paul spoke of one time, you will fight as one who beats the air. It will wear you out, but you will not be accomplishing anything.

There came a time when I started looking at the battles as boot camp. Training to get me ready for whatever was next. During each process I learned more about myself and about my Heavenly Father. I learned more about the Kingdom and how things work in it, even when they go against everything I had ever been taught. I learned that there are others in the kingdom that have fought these same things and can help me fight. And I learned the weapons of our warfare that are not carnal; well, they are not carnal. They are spiritual and they are mighty. Our armor is well fitted and strong. Our foundation is sure and tested. And the more I learned these things, the quicker I was to yield to what I knew and not what I felt.

Did this take all the battles away? No. I hope I am not bursting any bubbles here, but, the world is an enemy to the kingdom you live in. You are going to battle. Will the battles get easier? Some will. Some that used to about take you out, you will shake off and move on like they never happened.

Others, they will drag on.

My husband was sick for a long time. We battled every day on some level. Our faith was tested. Our love was transformed. Our bodies and minds were driven to exhaustion many, many times. Our lifeline became "We know God is faithful and we know he loves us". No deep theological sermons or exhortations on prolific scriptures. Just Who God is and who we are. He is God and we are the ones he loves.

One day in the middle of a long hospital stay and life-threatening episodes, I was able to take some time and steal away to the park nearby for a while. There I was able to rest in the presence of the Lord.

I wrote these words: This is the place where I am both poured out and filled.

It is the place I understand the blind seeing, the deaf hearing and the poor having the gospel preached to them.

It is here I decrease that he might increase.

It is here I hear him say "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. "

I have gone back to his picture many times since then and remembered how faithful God was to show up during those days. In the large and small things. Large things like amazing the drs one easter morning when my husband was given up as dead and six hours later, he was talking to us. And small things like sitting with me on a park bench when no one but Him and me knew we were there.

This is how I fight my battles. I remember who He is, and who I am. His Word is my training and my weapon. His power is my source. His armor my protection. There is nothing that can stand against Him. And my life, my real life, my real, eternal life is hidden in Him where the enemy cannot touch.