What’s Your Battle Plan?

What battle are you facing?

Whether it is evident in the natural or only in the spiritual realm, whatever the challenge, it can seem overwhelming and crushing. I once heard that the definition of “devil” or “diabolos” is the “one who thrusts through like a rock.” Your warfare is not a one shot thing. You need a campaign mentality, not a battle mentality. Wars are won by a succession of battles, also known as a campaign. After all, you can lose a battle and still win the war.

Likewise, the enemy will keep coming at you. Through constant vexation and harassment, day by day, the enemy beats against our will until we are worn out and give in. Give in once and it’s easier to give in the next time. A single thread can be snapped but once several threads combine it becomes a rope. That's the way habits form—spiritual or otherwise. 

Samson could break any rope, but Delilah broke his will and destroyed him. How? She “pressed him daily with her words, and urged him so that his soul was vexed unto death…” (Judges 16:15-17) The enemy starts TEMPTING the senses and TALKING to your mind…the two go together. This is how you can end up one day in the wrong relationship or in the grip of a terrible habit or compromise. Samson’s problem was he didn’t leave the presence of the temptation—he hung around. He liked it and assumed he could get out whenever he needed to. He was wrong.

Joseph was exposed to the same strategy. Great favor often comes before an attack like this and even greater favor follows, if the attack is survived. Note what the Bible says about the wife of Potipher. ”And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph DAY BY DAY, that he hearkened not to her, to lie by her, or to be with her” (Genesis 39:10). He had a persistent tempter but he refused to stay in her presence any longer than he had to. Joseph had the stronger inner man. Both women were persistent and used words, but one man escaped and another was captured. Learning to finish your race sometimes requires you to run away.

The story here is bigger than how to handle sexual temptation. The real story is how to discern a situation, avoid temptation and how to deal with the DAILY VOICE. By that I mean, Satan is always talking and it is so subtle it sounds like you are talking to yourself. Here’s the Battle Campaign: Keep yourself full of the Word of God, listen for and be obedient to the Holy Spirit. Practice this daily. In doing so you will learn to discern the voice of the tempter and refuse to entertain the sin and distraction. The victory is already ours in Jesus!