By Tanya Jolliffe
I grew up on a twelve-acre farm in Darke County, Ohio—the same part of the country where Annie Oakley got her start. My grandparents purchased the farm decades before my family moved there. The creek that ran at the edge of the fields was the draw for my grandfather because it provided a natural watering spot and shade for his cattle. It offered the same for our horses in the spring and summer and beautiful days of play for me and my brothers.
One spring, my dad prepared a portion of the field to grow hay to feed the horses during the winter. He used a disc plow to turn over rows of dirt before planting. These deep ruts and dirt clods created an excellent dirt clod fight battlefield for me and my brothers. Although I stood alone in the boys against girl battles, those fights toughened me up for the battles I would face on athletic fields in the years to come.
The Bible reminds us that we are constantly in a spiritual battle against the enemy. Thankfully, he provides what we need to be victorious, no matter how outnumbered we may feel, because “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 ESV).
Do you feel outnumbered? Are things pressing in from all sides without relief? The world feels out of control, now more than ever, which is why it is important to remember, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 ESV).
An ongoing battle makes us weary and feel like giving up, and the enemy hopes we will do just that. But dear sisters (and brothers), don’t give the enemy the satisfaction of wearing you down. Find your righteous indignation to defy all the enemy throws your way, and “take up the whole Armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13 ESV).
How can we do that when there isn’t relief from the attacks? Follow these four Biblical tips to win the battles you face:
- “Set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2 ESV). It is all about mindset and the values and attitudes you embrace and focus on. “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you” (Proverbs 4:25 ESV). If we look to the right or the left, we will look to others who are also under attack and weary from battle. They can lead us in the wrong direction and fill us with doubt and fear instead of hope and peace.
- “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 ESV). “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 ESV). Jesus has been victorious over the enemy; that same power lives inside us and provides everything we need to stand and be victorious, too.
- Pour out to your enemies “the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:23 ESV). Keep loving and pouring that love out on everyone, especially those who don’t love you back, because the love you give in Jesus’s name will drive the enemy away.
- “In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16 ESV). “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4 ESV). Taking up this shield requires staying in the word of the Lord because “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV). Remember, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). Continue to pray with an expectant heart that the enemy is defeated and the battle is won because the word tells us, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours ” (Mark 11:24 ESV).
Stay the course, and continue to fight the good fight, knowing you have all you need to endure the battle with love and patience until God brings victory and shines his glory throughout the earth.
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