Battle Strategy

Communism kept half of Europe locked up for much of the 20th century. For 75 years, the oppressive system took most freedoms away from its ordinary citizens. The political system responsible for tens of millions of deaths seemed almost indestructible. Then, almost suddenly, the system built on restricting freedom just collapsed. The end came so quickly that all the most experienced analysts and diplomats were caught off guard. How did that amazing turnaround happen? It didn't happen with guns and tanks and planes. Not a single missile silo was opened. Instead, it took the strategic efforts of a religious leader, a Polish labor union activist, and countless regular citizens in countries like Hungary and East Germany, among many others, to expose evil and demand a better way of life. In a similar way, God defeats evil by showing us a strategy that might go unnoticed at first. 2 Corinthians 10:4 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” Only a reliance on God and continual prayer will win the day. The battles you are fighting cannot depend on vengeance or worldly efforts. We're fighting spiritual battles and conventional weapons just won't work. As believers, we're called to duty, called to minister to others, to tell others of His Word, His love for us, and His actions to help us overcome. There are many examples in the Bible of people relying only on God for their victory. Not once did they lose. We won't either, if we lay aside our own perceived strength and trust completely in His divine power. Let's pray. Father, help us see that our own plans are often wrong. We get into a battle and become blinded by our own strategies or a thirst for our own kind of victory. But the time to fight must come with a commitment to trust in your infinite power, to rely on the victory that only comes through Christ, and to tell others about our Lord and Savior. Bring this to our mind when the battle rages. In Jesus' name, amen.