In this battle to win the war

Part 1 of 2

I have learned in my early days of salvation that as long as we are still in this world, we will continuously be combatants at war. There is no demilitarized zone where neutrals are accommodated. As a result, there are no neutrals at all. One is either with the friendly forces or with the enemy forces.

It is interesting to note that I grew up in the Christian faith hearing a lot of invitations made to the church to engage in spiritual warfare. Typically such invites are issued when the church is required to intensify prayer. This can easily lead one to conclude that spiritual warfare is something that one can engage in or disengage whenever they deem fit. We actually do not have such luxury. We cannot engage and disengage as we see fit.

Taking time off actually helps the enemy’s cause and strengthens his forces while weakening our own. Sometimes when we think we are taking a small break, we cause more damage to our cause, allowing the enemy to catch us off guard. These instances usually take place immediately after securing a big victory; as we celebrate we tend to lower our guards.

Does this mean it is wrong to celebrate our victories? Not at all, however in celebrating our victories we need to be always mindful of the fact that, “it is just a battle we have just won, but the war rages on.” It is important to note that winning a battle does not necessarily translate into winning the war; just as losing a battle does not mean losing the war. Therefore, we need to see each day as an opportunity to do better, so as to avoid being caught off guard. This attitude will go a long way in ensuring that we remain responsible when celebrating victories, and not be destroyed by some of the losses we suffer along the way.

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,

but one receives the prize?

Run in such a way that you may [i]obtain it.

25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.

Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown,

but we for an imperishable crown.

26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.

Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection,

lest, when I have preached to others,

I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Paul in this passage highlights the importance of having the big prize in mind as we go through different stages of the war. He forwarded his purpose as the driving force behind his resilience. Though there were some victories that he could boast about, he refused to allow that to take his attention away from the big prize. In verse 27 Paul expressed his genuine fear of missing out on the big prize due to disqualification, especially after enjoying so many victories along the way. This fear caused him to work extra hard in his quest to receive the big prize; refusing to allow past victories to distract him.

As much as Paul would, from time to time, parade his victories in order to support arguments about his work, he kept his eyes on the big prize. We can all draw some valuable lessons from this account regarding the role played by our attitude in our quest to win the war.

Nelson Mandela once said, “After climbing a great hill, one realizes that there are many more mountains to climb.” This is the attitude that we need to adopt in this war to guard against over-celebrating a single victory when there are many other battles to fight and victories to obtain.

Nelson Mandela once said, “After climbing a great hill, one realizes that there are many more mountains to climb.” This is the attitude that we need to adopt in this war to guard against over-celebrating a single victory when there are many other battles to fight and victories to obtain.