Like it or not, as Christians we are in a battle. I realize this is not popular to say. Everyone these days wants to focus on the positive, which is certainly not a bad thing. However, being positive does not mean we should forget the battle raging around us. Caleb, in the fourteenth chapter of Joshua, had been engaged in battle for forty years. At the end of those forty years, he was able to say, “I followed the Lord My God fully.” As a result, God rewarded him. Oh, to be like Caleb!
Most of us are not fighting the type of physical battles that were fought in the Old Testament. Instead, we are living in a sinful world where the enemy places us smack dab in the middle of an ongoing spiritual battle. It may be…
a battle for your thoughts;
a battle for your time;
a battle for your priorities;
a battle for your family;
a battle for obedience;
a battle for (you finish the sentence).
To survive the battle and be victorious, we have to engage in the fight. I sometimes wonder if we are so busy living life that we aren’t even fully aware of the battle. Things are okay, maybe even going exceptionally well, so we settle for comfort and avoidance of anything out of the ordinary.
But maybe that angry mom who passes you in the hallway at school is in a battle, one that she needs help fighting. Do we engage her in conversation, or do we walk away, leaving her to fight alone?
Or maybe a colleague down the hall is in a battle, struggling to make it through the day. We don’t want to intrude, however, so we avoid, leaving him to fight alone.
Or maybe it’s you. You are busy lesson planning, grading papers, and attending ballgames or meetings. Getting quiet time with the Lord and the word of God is a luxury, not a routine. You are in a battle.
As the battle rages on, if we are not careful, we will become weaker and weaker. We CAN have victory. Just like Caleb in Joshua 14, we can follow God fully. The reward is great.
What does it mean to follow God fully?
Acknowledge that you are in a battle.
Be alert and aware to what He is doing and pay attention to those he has placed in your path. God has placed you in the battle.
Equip yourself. Don’t go into the daily battle without the armor of God. Read, pray, and gather with other Christians.
Submit to and seek God’s direction.
Remember, the enemy wins when we walk around defeated and robbed of our joy. Keep fighting. You will be victorious We know who wins in the end!
Supporting Verses: Ephesians 6; I Peter 5
