Have you ever wondered why God allows us to fight spiritual battles? You might read 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT), “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” and think the Christian life should be battle-free and easy, one where you can just whistle while you walk, in blissful oblivion.

That is until reality hits like a stone flung at your face, and you find out that it does not exactly work that way. Au contraire, 1 Peter 5:8(ESV) exhorts us to “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Ephesians 6:10-14 (NLT) says “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”

Reading this, you might be wondering, ‘So why the need for all this fighting?’ And possibly, ‘what does the title of this blog have to do with all that?’ Well, I was reflecting on the story of David, particularly his battle against Goliath, and what David said to Saul when Saul condescendingly told David that he could not possibly fight and win Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:32-37 (ESV) says “And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

David had confidence and could convince Saul that he was able to fight Goliath because of his previous battles and the victories God had given him against lions and bears. In a sense, he had a ‘spiritual CV’ of battles which God had given him the victory in, all of which gave him the boldness and confidence he needed to fight the giant in front of him at the time. These battles were necessary, not just for David’s elevation/promotion and skill development, but to boost his trust in God. It is key to note that despite his skill and expertise, his trust was still not in these, but in God. His testimony of victory in previous battles influenced Saul as well, as Saul went from telling David ““Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth””, to “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (Verses 33 and 37, NLT).

Without any battles to fight, how can we develop a personal bank of victories that remind us of demonstrations of God’s power at work in our lives? The challenge is that without such battles that bolster our trust in God, there is a tendency for us to become fearful of the unknown. Like the Israelites, we may find ourselves preferring the known and well-trodden path of slavery in Egypt, irrespective of how painful it is, to the unknown and completely unfamiliar path of a journey with God to The Promised Land.

Moreover, can a soldier test their mettle without ever fighting a battle? Can a student receive a degree or diploma or qualification at the end of their course, without some form of assessment to prove to themselves and others that they have gained some knowledge and are able to apply that knowledge where needed? Alas, no. The sweet taste of victory has to be preceded by a battle, bitter though it may be.

These battles may not necessarily be physical battles, they could take all sorts of forms. Battles against the flesh, battles of the mind, battles against the world and its ways, battles against the evil one and his evil works in our lives and families. Sometimes the battles that we fight are not just for the now, but are battles that enable the next generation to live in peace. David had to fight a lot of battles in his time, but that meant that peace was ensured for the next generation. His son Solomon’s reign was a peaceful one (1 Kings 4:24).

There are various examples of battles people faced in Bible times. Daniel faced a battle in receiving an answer to a prayer, as recorded in Daniel 10:12-13 (AMP), “Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in opposition to me for twenty-one days. Then, behold, Michael, one of the chief [of the celestial] princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”
Paul faced battles in his mind (Romans 7:21-23), and battles against the spread of the gospel, as noted in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (ESV), “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
Peter and the Apostles faced battle upon battle of persecution, multiple incidents of which are recorded in the book of Acts.
These battles have one primary purpose at their core, fighting against God’s will coming to pass in our lives, in the lives of our family members and loved ones, in our cities, nations, spheres of influence. As long as we strive to do God’s will, satan will always want to fight against us.

The good news however is that we have a very unfair advantage. We have the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts on our side! And He has generously and graciously given us the weapons needed, empowering and equipping us to fight these battles and overcome them.

Speaking of weapons, it is interesting to note that David’s weapon changed with each successive stage of victory. From fighting wild animals with his bare hands (at least at the onset, 1 Samuel 17:35 notes that he grabbed the animal by its fur or mane or throat), to fighting Goliath with a slingshot, and then to a sword (1 Samuel 17:48-51). Further along, as Saul continued to fight him, he had mighty men and troops that fought with him (2 Samuel 23, 1 Chronicles 12).

There are some battles that are easier to fight, but there may also be strongholds so entrenched, that bare hands or a slingshot will not do the job. There are battles we can fight alone, battles we may need family and friends to join us to fight, battles that may require corporate unity. That said, for David, the weapon and modus operandi may have changed, but one thing that remained, whether in fights against lions or fights against vast enemy armies, was his continual trust and dependence on God.

We see evidence of his continual dependence on God are outlined below. 1 Samuel 30:8 (BSB) records, “and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.””

“So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go up,” replied the LORD, “for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand.” So David went to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, the LORD has burst out against my enemies before me.” So he called that place Baal-perazim.” (2 Samuel 5:19-20, BSB).

“So David inquired of the LORD, who answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” So David did as the LORD had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.” (2 Samuel 5:23-25, BSB).

These examples show us that thankfully, we are not required to fight these battles in our own strength. Which is good news because we cannot fight these battles in our own strength. God has given us weapons which empower us to fight spiritual battles and walk the Christian walk victoriously. The Holy Spirit gives us various spiritual gifts, such as those listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Imagine operating in the gift of wisdom and discernment, having access to the enemy’s military intelligence base and being able to see through all the stratagems, subterfuges and traps of the enemy.

Not only do we have that, we have:
God’s Word (Ephesians 6:17 – “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”), a sword which is quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword! (Hebrews 4:12);
His Authority (Luke 10:19- “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you”);
The Name of Jesus (Philippians 2:10 – “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”).
What glorious and powerful weapons we have at our disposal! It is important to remember that these require faith and confidence in God, not in ourselves. They also require the boldness to step out. David had the slingshot, but without ‘Godfidence’, the slingshot would have been no good to anyone, and Goliath would have still continued to strike fear in the hearts of the Israelites (1 Samuel 17:8-11).

Sometimes we are not even aware of battles taking place that God is fighting on our behalf. Jesus intercedes for us when satan comes before God to accuse us (Hebrews 7:25), the Holy Spirit intercedes for us as well (Romans 8:26). In the example of Daniel above, he was not even aware of the battle going on while he was praying. But as long as we are on God’s side, we can rest in the confidence that victory is ours. I remember an old song we used to sing to God, “Yours is the praise, mine is the victory, satan defeated, yours is the praise.” It reminds me that I can continuously praise God because with me on His side, satan gets defeated, I get the victory, and He of course gets the praise! Knowing that it is God who deserves the praise can also serve to keep us humble even in our victories.

Beloved, even if it seems as though the enemy has some pretty sophisticated weaponry, do not be afraid. In 1 Samuel 17:45 (ESV), “David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Goliath had a sword, a spear, a javelin. David had a slingshot. On the face of it, it looked like David’s days were numbered. But what David had, which physical eyes could not see, was far greater than any weapon Goliath could fashion or bring to the fight: the Name and the backing of the Lord of Hosts.

Indeed, if only we could see and remain ever conscious of whose we are, and the mightiness and power of The One who is with us. Whenever we feel fear rising due to any weapon the devil brandishes from his limited arsenal, whether it is thoughts contrary to God’s word, attacks on our identity in Christ, mental strongholds, sickness, besetting sin, temptations, closed doors, whatever it may be, a good prayer to start with is “Lord please open my eyes that I may see.”

Elisha’s servant was once in such a situation, as recorded in 2 Kings 6:15-17 ESV), “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

What a powerful encouragement and courage booster, God is with us. (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Joshua 1:9; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). This means we are never in battle alone. We have a God who has said we can call on Him, and He will rescue us (Psalm 50:15, Psalm 91:15, Isaiah 58:9, 1 John 5:14-15, Philippians 4:6), and He is a God who is faithful and always keeps His Word. Not only that, He is the Lord of Hosts, so He has a whole army with Him! The question is, can we trust and obey the Commander of our Army? Have we gone AWOL, or are we faithful in our duty posts?

I pray that as we reflect on this, we will understand that the battles we face are there for a reason, even if that reason may not be apparent to us in the moment. May we remain confident in the fact that as we continue to trust and rely fully on God, listening to Him, following His guidance and courageously utilising the powerful weapons He has given to us, our victory is assured. I pray that even our battle scars will serve as reminders of our victories and the faithfulness of our Mighty God, the Lord of Hosts and the King of Glory. Amen and Amen.

Image source here.