Romans 8:31-37 (NKJV) 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
The Lord spoke to me about this year and said, “It is important for my people to learn how to win every day. Battles are won after a time of fighting against an enemy. Sometimes a battle is won in hours, but more often it can take days, weeks or even months. This scripture is Paul’s statement of what I believe the Lord means. I have looked at it before in more detail, but today I want us to notice that things did not seem to be going well for Paul. He shares a list of things that I do not believe any of us have on our wish list of things we would like to see happen. The final statement is what I believe God wants us to take note of. He was more than a conqueror in all those things. Paul won every day even though it may not have looked like it and, I am sure, it did not feel like it. In the end what mattered was that he finished his course and did all that God wanted him to do.
2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV) 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
When I talk about winning every day, I am not talking about getting everything we want or even need every day. I am talking about coming to the end of the day knowing that God is still with us. Knowing that the Word of God and the promise of God is still true. I am talking about maintaining the joy of the Lord and the peace of God. That can only happen because God’s presence is active even when we are experiencing the worst of days. I am talking about ending the day praising and thanking him for what he has done, not focusing on what may not have happened. There is an historical battle that I think gives us a good idea of what I mean.
In World War II, one of the last major battles fought was known as the Battle of the Bulge. Germany made a final all or nothing push to keep the allies out of Germany and force a negotiated peace. This battle lasted 5 weeks. In the end, the allies won a great victory which is generally seen as the one that “broke the back,” so to speak, of the German army.
Over the 5 weeks in question, there were days when things looked bad. One element of the battle was the fight for the crossroads town of Bastogne. This town was the key to the German advance. They needed control of the roads that ran through Bastogne to reach their objectives before the allies could regroup and stop them. From December 20 through December 26th, Bastogne and the allied troops tasked with holding it were surrounded. For a portion of the time, weather made it impossible for them to be resupplied by air. Without proper winter clothing and little food or ammunition, the Americans in Bastogne held off a far superior force of mechanized German troops. In the end, Bastogne was held, the German offensive was stopped, and the allies continued into Germany against a greatly weakened foe.
The battle was won because the allied soldiers tasked with holding Bastogne succeeded in winning each day of the siege. They did not end each day with a resounding victory over the enemy. They won each day because they were still standing at the end of that day. They were cold, hungry, low on ammunition, medical supplies and rest, but they were still there. They were challenged but not broken. They would have liked to be anywhere else, but they knew to win the battle and the war, they had to hold Bastogne. They won every day of the siege because they did not give up.
During the siege, a message was sent by the German commander to the American commander. The message offered an honorable surrender to avoid more loss of life by the American defenders. This could have been seen as an acceptable solution for the miserable troops holding out in these horrible conditions. The Germans fully expected the Americans to accept. The answer sent by the American commander was one word. “Nuts.”
The Germans did not know what that meant. It was a colloquial term of the day that meant something like, “There is no way we will ever surrender, so take your best shot. We will still be here.” Because they chose not to take the easy way out and because they put the good of the army, their nation and the world above their own wellbeing, they held on until reinforcements came. They eventually were a major key to winning the battle, but they did not do it by charging through the enemy lines and “taking out the enemy.” They did it by standing until the battle was over.
As I think about the German offer of terms for surrender, there is a great truth we can learn. Why did they offer the Americans these terms? The Germans under Hitler’s Third Riech were not known for mercy. They did not offer to spare the American’s lives out of concern for their wellbeing. Why did they offer terms? They did so because they needed the town of Bastogne, and they were running out of time. They did it because, although it seemed the Americans could not hold out any longer, they knew that they were the ones who could not wait. They offered the terms of surrender because the American army was winning the battle for each day and they, not the Americans were running out of time.
In the battle to win every day, it will often seem like we are running out of time. It may seem we are running out of energy or faith. It may seem that we are too weary to carry on. There are any number of reasons we may want to quit, and I have experienced most of them. When we feel that way, the thought of surrender becomes a real possibility. When you or I feel that way, we need to remind ourselves that it is not us who is running out of time. There is a day coming when the war will be won. Jesus will always be with you. God is always moving behind the scenes.
When the pressure to quit becomes the strongest send a message to the enemy. Like the allied commander in Bastogne, tell the enemy of our soul, “Nuts.” “There is no way we will ever surrender, so take your best shot. We will still be here.” Then turn to the Lord and begin to thank him for his goodness. Thank him that he will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5.) Tell him and yourself as Paul did in Romans 8 that you and I, are more than conquerors through him who loves us. And he does love us!
John 5:4 (NKJV) 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.
Some time ago I saw this verse in a slightly different light. Whoever is born of God overcomes the world. I am born of God, therefore, I overcome the world. What is the proof that I am overcoming. My faith. If at the end of any day, good or bad, I am still a believer, I have won the day. If I know that Jesus is my Lord and savior. I have won the day. If I know that heaven is my eternal home and Jesus will never forsake me, I have won the day. Reinforcements are coming. I have the body of Christ, the angels of God and the holy Spirit. I cannot lose either the day nor the battle I am in nor the war.
In my next post I am going to revisit a thought that will help us in our quest to win every day. It is the idea of favor. This is a powerful principle from the word of God. Do not miss what God has to say concerning favor.
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