The secret to winning the battle is in the preparation. A soldier is a servant ready for battle and prepared for combat. A soldier has every tool sharpened and usable to stand against all attacks. When my older sister left home in 1992 to enlist into the U.S. Army, there was an 8-week preparation called “boot camp” that all aspiring soldiers had to complete. Signing up for the military is one aspect of the military process, but enduring training is another step. See, it’s inside the training where a person is refined, reshaped, or even restored — enduring that training involves a mindset.
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” — Ephesians 6:14-17
The Secret to Winning
The battle doesn’t begin when the soldier is on the front lines. It starts with the preparation of a soldier. This process can be applied to life, as well. When we’re not spending the proper time with the commander in chief, or as 1 Peter 2:25 states, “the shepherd and overseer of your souls,” it will cause our preparation to become a stagnation which leads to fear, and fear is not from God.
Two reasons we as Christians are fearful and ultimately lose the battle: 1. We’re unprepared. 2. We have something to hide.
We can’t fight the good fight of faith without the proper preparation. Helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, feet shod with peace, but most importantly, the sword of the Spirit which we all know is the word of God. Remember David? David was anointed a king of Israel at the age of 17 (1 Samuel 16); however, David didn’t take the throne for another 23 years (2 Samuel 5:4). We can carry the word of God around all day and preach from the mountain tops but, if we’re not feeding our FAITH in the isolation stage, the stage when no one is around, we’re doomed to lose the spiritual battle.
The Secret to Winning The Spiritual Battle
The great thing about David is, he didn’t go around bragging about being the king; he went back to doing what God first told him to do—prepare. People are more concerned about their physical workout than their spiritual warfare. Some of us show up to the battle half-dressed with our armor battered and bruised.
Recently, I was reading an article from Rick Renner, and he said, “The roman soldiers before battle would take their shields and soak them in water all night before battle to better quench the flaming arrows of the enemy” (“Here’s How to Extinguish the Fiery Darts of the Wicked! | Rick Renner Ministries,” n.d.).
Author: B. Jerrod
For more reading materials on the secret to winning the spiritual battle, see below:
- 3 Ways You Can Have More Spiritual Discipline
- How to Use Spiritual Gifts for the Glory of God
- Spiritual Growth | Master Your Craft
I really love this statement and they are really true. “We can carry the word of God around all day and preach from the mountain tops but, if we’re not feeding our FAITH in the isolation stage, the stage when no one is around, we’re doomed to lose the spiritual battle.”
I have this boundaries and awareness I set to myself: “who am I when no ones around? ”
Also, from time to time, when I find that im isolating myself, i will quickly reach out to someone as part of preparation for the battle that is about to come…the battle of my mind!
I 100% agree with this article! When we find ourselves in a battle, being prepared ahead of time is the secret to winning! However I’d like to share a struggle that I personally have grown in and daily need to surrender, and that is knowing which battle is mine to fight. All to often I exhaust myself fighting battles that God is already fighting. So when a different battle comes my way related to my temptations, I’m already worn out. James 4:7-8 says we need
to humble ourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
The world is a battle field, but I’m noticing that God wants me to spend time getting suited up with the His armor and training with Him, and then He goes before me and fights my battles for me. Trusting that God is conquering my enemy allows me to rest in His presence back in the safety of God’s training camp. I now know that when I face a battle, it’s because I left camp ( stepped out of His presence). But Praise God I now leave suited up! And I can return back to camp with a victory report!!
Very good, I needed this! Thank you
Proverbs 18:1 says- He who isolates himself seeks his own desire, and breaks out against all sound judgment.
When we are alone, whose desires are we seeking, Gods, or our own? This is going to have a huge impact on winning our spiritual battles.