Column by Manning Pastor Sam Livingston: The Battlefield

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Typically, we assign the name battlefield to a site where battles have taken place. A piece of land is not labeled "The Battlefield" unless some type of contest took place, usually between an antagonist and a protagonist. One side is the good guys, and the other is the bad guys. Too often the soul of a person is departed on the battlefield. Regardless of the place, you can usually identify at least four things pertaining to a battle.

1. The fight will not be fair - Every person or spiritual being will use any and everything possible to defeat you. Below-the-belt blows, hidden weaponry, intimidation tactics and a host of other things can and will be used. Often times, a decoy is used to lure the opponent into a vulnerable location. Once the opposition gets the opponent into the entrapment zone, the attack is made. Some of the bloodiest battles have taken place on North American soil. The bloodiest to date is the battle of Gettysburg, according to history. At the battle of Gettysburg, up to 10,000 Union and Confederate troops died, and an additional 30,000 were wounded.

2. One side will seem to have an advantage. Practically every battle was fought on what was considered to be a place where one side knows the landscape of the layout better than the other. In sports, the home team will have the advantage because they have played there hundreds of times. The home team also receives the cheers from the home fans. This is why most teams have a better winning percentage at home.

3. Expect the best but prepare for the worst. Every opponent when preparing for a battle expects to win, even when the odds are against them. They also make preparation to deal with losses. The agony of defeat isn't bad if you will eventually get another chance.

4. Some battles are fixed. Everybody wants the best team, the best military, the meanest pitbull, etc. The reason why we stack the team is to make sure that the opponent has very little chance of surviving.

All of what was mentioned comes into play every day. Sometimes we win, other times we lose, sometimes we are familiar with the territory, and other times we are not. Sometimes we face insurmountable odds, and the battle is over before it starts.

That's why I enjoy the benefits of being a Christian. One of those benefits is not having to fight your battles. Imagine that, seen and unseen battles can be taken care of by someone who loves you enough to die for you. Just in case you don't believe me, allow me to give you some scriptural evidence.

Isaiah 54:17

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

1 Samuel 17:47

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.

2 Chronicles 20:15

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

Exodus 14:13

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

Perhaps life seems unfair to you right now. Maybe you have lost too many battles. You wear the title of victim and seldom stand on the podium as a victor after conquering the opposition. If this is you, I invite you to a relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords; Jesus is his name. My mother used to say, "He's a battle axe in the time of trouble!" While you may not win every battle going forward, I guarantee that you will look and feel better going in and coming out of each one.

On paper, there was no way that the boy David should have won the battle with Goliath, who was an established warrior, but he did. There was no way that Moses and the children should have come out alive or dry, but they did.

Romans 8:37

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Surrender to the Lord, but not to the adversarial opposition.

Sam Livingston is pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Manning.