The blessings of battle 

When you commit your life to Christ, you switch sides. Now you’re up against three things. The world with its pressures, values, and agenda. The flesh, with its impulses and weaknesses. The devil, who is out to defeat you. But God would never allow us to get into a fight we couldn’t win, so let’s consider three blessings of battle. (1) It teaches you to live at high alert. It was when Samson slept that Delilah shaved his head and robbed him of his strength. It was when the servants slept that an enemy sowed weeds among the wheat and threatened their harvest. (2) It’s a sign of spiritual progress. When Israel entered the promised land, thirty-one kings and seven nations had to be conquered. Plus giants! They had to take it one city at a time and one giant at a time. And when Jesus becomes Lord of your life, He will address the unsurrendered areas of your life, and He will deal with them one at a time. And the battle will be harder and last longer when it comes to your stubborn areas. You know which ones they are, right? Be encouraged. God won’t give up on you: “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). (3) It’s an indication of your value to God. You are a seed capable of producing a harvest for God. That’s why you’re a target of Satan. He is after the deposit of God that’s within you. So keep fighting the good fight of faith, knowing that by God’s grace, you will win.