Victory

“V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!… Victory is our battle cry!” I remember chanting those words as a cheerleader in the junior high. Our team was big and tough (or so we thought) and victory was our guiding cry in every game. We wanted to win!

In the church, we sing “Victory in Jesus’ and “Faith is the Victory”, and we talk about walking in victory, having victory over our circumstances, and living the victorious Christian life-Yeah! There is, however, one notable element in all of this victory… and that is a battle, or contest, or competition with and against an OPPONENT. We are going to face some opposition in our quest for victory. That is often the part that we do not want. We want victory without all the mess and duress of a fight. Give us victory, Lord, and can you please do that without a lot of blood and guts being spent in the conflict. In fact, just take away the conflict and give us the sweet victory!

Forgive me for quoting from a Randy Travis CD again, but the man has an obvious gift from the Lord. This particular song jumped out at me from his latest “Glory Train” CD. It is a song he sings with the Crabb family. Perhaps it was because I was in the middle of a heated battle, praying for RELIEF instead of courage to stand. Perhaps it was because in my valley of decision I was about ready to chuck it all and lie down and die. Perhaps it was the Lord graciously bringing encouragement to my battle-weary soul to continue, to keep on, that HE would show up… and soon:

“He never promised the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered victory without fighting

But He said help would always come in time.

Just remember when you’re standing in the valley of decision

And the adversary says, “Give in”

Just hold on, our Lord will show up

And He will take you through the fire again.”

Too many times, I would rather be “hiding my soul in the cleft of The Rock” than standing on the front line of the battle. But that is not what the Lord needs, and that is, truthfully, not what we need either. Too many times I want the victory without the fight. Fights are messy and ugly, and they leave wounds and parts of me bleeding. They are not fun, but the verses remind us that in the aftermath of the battle, God takes those messy bloody parts that we think will do us in forever, and heals them. It is through battles fought with the Lord that we have courage and ability to face harder things, indeed life itself. As for the wounded parts, in the physical, we usually think that parts that have been wounded or hurt are now weakened forever-always vulnerable. But in the physical and spiritual, often parts that have been damaged and healed turn out a little stronger. We do special exercises to strengthen that knee or shoulder that has had surgery. We go on a special diet to keep that wounded heart healthier. Sometimes the part that has been traumatized ends up healthier or stronger than the rest of us.

In our lives here on earth, we have 3 adversaries. Satan, the world, and our very own flesh. We may be able to clearly identify and stand against the first 2, but our own flesh? Come on. Who wants to have a battle with his own flesh? We have to live within it! Our burdens do get heavy. The hills are hard to climb, but the only way to get victory in anything is to FIGHT. Face the opposition head on, straight on, and STAND FIRM. The only way to victory is a battle. There is no other way. Anything short of a competition or conflict is called forfeit. Not every conflict ends up in a win. Sometimes we lose our fights. Sometimes it ends up in a draw and our enemy retreats, leaving us bloodied and bruised, only to strike again at another opportune time. It is only as we stand in battle, that we make our decision to resist the devil (Resist the devil and he will flee. James 4:7) that the Lord will come to our side in help. This implies that if we don’t resist, our enemy will be emboldened to stay and give us more fits. If we don’t take a stand or resist, then God has nothing to come for.

The psalms are replete with David taking a stand, resisting, however feebly, pleading for help- for the Lord to show up in the fight against his adversaries, and David rejoicing and thanking God for doing just that. ( See the book of Psalms in the Bible, especially Psalm 5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,17,18,20,21,22,28,35,43,44,54,57,59,60,64,69,etc.) God himself tells us to call upon Him in the day of trouble, and He will come to our rescue (Psalm 50:15). Part of resisting is calling on the Lord.

When we think of standing in the battle, it is helpful to remember 3 important things. 1) Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. (Our struggle might have a human face, but that is ultimately not who the struggle is with). 2) We do not stand in battle alone, and 3) we do not stand in battle without the necessary equipment. Think back to Joshua 5:13- 6:27. On the eve of taking the city of Jericho, a warrior appears to Josh and, he asks the man with the sword which side he is on (is he from Jericho, or maybe he came to fight with the children of Israel?). The angelic being states that he is “the captain of the host of the Lord”. He is ready to give battle instructions. The host of the Lord is ready to help us in the battles we fight, just as they surely fought for the children of Israel. Oh, our battles may not be those on the scale of capturing a city like Jericho, with physical fortified walls, etc. Our everyday battles may be like the ones listed in Galatians 5:19-21 and Colossians 3:5, 8-9, but battles they are, and the Lord fights with us if we call on Him.

The next important thing to remember is that for battle, we have the necessary tools for victory. They are listed in Ephesians 6. We are told to put on the armor of God and be ready for the fight. We are told in these verses to have several things in place to be ready to meet the devil, who is our worst enemy. We are told to be strong in the Lord, through reading His Word, prayer, listening to the Holy Spirit. We are told to pray at all times, to resist the devil, and to put on the armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (v.11). We have armor to put on to keep us strong in battle and help us fight. The armor is the Truth of God, righteousness, (that we have, by the way, only through the crucified and risen Christ) feet shod with the Gospel of Peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. These are our weapons of warfare. We are to be ready for our battles.

Too often, however, I find myself fumbling for my armor for the battle that is suddenly upon me. I want to have my loins girded with God’s Truth, to walk every day in the Truth of God, so as not to be fooled by the father of lies. I want the breastplate of righteousness always before me, protecting my heart. I want my feet to carry the Good News of the Gospel of peace between God and man. (Isaiah 52:7). I want the shield of my faith to surround me and keep me safe from the fiery missiles of my enemy. I want the helmet of salvation firmly on my head, instead of carried loosely under my arm in a smart-alec way. I want the sword of the spirit ready and useable in my hand. This is what I want. That is not always what I am, but it is what we strive for always and daily. These important things are what will give us the victory in the battles we continually fight, and fight we must, for the battle is fierce, and the most important thing next to accepting salvation that you will do. It is a matter of eternal importance. There is no victory without the fight, but the Lord has promised to fight with and for us.