Knowing the Battle Within

I have spent much of my life in, on, or around the ocean. Whether the beach, boat rides, fishing, or even scuba diving, I have enjoyed the amazing creation of God. I would always find the story of my first boat ride a funny one as my mom would retell it, usually it was when she was upset at my dad though, of going on a test ride while they were bringing me home from the hospital after I was born. I have grown to appreciate the ocean even more over the years as I have learned more and respect it more. The ocean is far more powerful than I am, and presents many aspects that I will never fully understand, but that does not mean it is something I fear. I know when to venture out, how far to push my own limits, and I never think that I am strong enough to tackle all that the ocean might throw at me… but that does not translate into something that I fear in my life because it would keep me from the full enjoyment of all that God has equipped me to do.

I find it interesting that many of us as Christians don’t take the same approach when it comes to the devil and our spiritual enemies that want to keep us from fully living in all that God has intended for us. The devil has done an amazing job of convincing us that he poses a big enough threat in our life that we end up fearing him more than trusting what our God tells us. All throughout scripture we read of how satan is a created being, who wanted to replace God, yet God is all powerful and cast him out of heaven. Our enemies can have us paralyzed, giving more strength to the name of the devil than the all powerful name that every knee will bow to, Jesus Christ our Savior. The devil is a powerful being that we need to have a healthy respect for, because we are not equipped or meant to take him on under our own strength, but that does not mean we need to fear him. If my God tells me that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world, then why would I not believe Him.

Just as the example with the ocean, I am well aware of and completely fine with my limitations. We were never told to take on this life or our enemies by ourselves nor by our own strength. We have a God who is all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere all at once. Our enemy does not even possess one of those attributes, yet we can be so fearful of him that every problem we encounter leaves us thinking that we are facing these challenges alone.

When we understand that a healthy respect for our enemies leads us to being better prepared for the battle, but never to confuse it with a fear of the attacks they will bring our way, that will be the difference in the outcome.

We fight the enemy from victory in our God, not for victory through ourselves. We do not have to fear the spiritual battles going on around us, we need to know they are there, yet our God has already claimed the win!