Winning Battles

September 12

Great and mighty battles are won in the arena of the spirit and in the battlefield of the mind. Man is quite susceptible to attack in these two areas—perhaps even more than he is to the vile darts of disease and disorder and injury and weakness to which he is the prey of the enemy who attacks his body as well as his mind and soul.

There is power in prayer to overcome the assault of the evil one who has come to rob man of faith, to destroy his hope and to kill his body, for, "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world," I John 4:4. When the believer has appropriated the prayer power to see the enemy’s devices undone in a battle, when ‘old slewfoot’ has turned tail and run, the believer cannot rest, however.

For although the devil is beaten for a season—and knows he will be beaten at the final showdown between him and Jesus—he will regroup, re-strategize, and attack again. When we are weary of the fight, he has just begun. Why, we might ask, are we compelled to fight him off again and again? Why isn't our victory complete when we stand in faith?

We know the battle is the Lord’s; that Jesus fights for us and will always prove to be greater than our enemy. He permits the war to go on for a season, because, “God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17. Faith grows, as His righteousness is revealed in us.