THE BATTLE IS NOT OVER

            The late British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher said in an interview before her death, “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” Everyone has battles to fight.  In any battle one might wish it could be fought once and that would be the end of it.  For some people the battle with weight is a daily battle.  In order to win, it must be fought daily.

            What is true for physical battles, holds true for spiritual battles as well.  Daniel was faced with the choice of loyalty to God or assimilating into the Babylonian culture.  As a young man he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank” – Dan. 1:8.  After the ten days of testing, Daniel was proved right in his choice.  But in his old age, Daniel was still fighting the same battle.  His night in the lion’s den was due to his choice of loyalty to God.

            Nehemiah had to battle the detractors and defamers as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.  He battled the discouragement they brought – Neh. 4:1-6.  He battled their efforts to compromise and intimidate – Neh. 6:1-19.  After his project was completed, he returned to Persia.  Sometime later he made his way back to Jerusalem.  What did he find?  Samaritans in the temple, the people ignoring the tithes to support the priests and the Levites, violation of the Sabbath, and mixed marriages with the heathen nations.  In his advanced years, Nehemiah found himself fighting the same battle he had fought earlier.

            The Church at Pergamos had fought spiritual battles in a difficult environment.  Jesus praised them for their faithfulness under fire as was demonstrated in the martyrdom of Antipas – Rev. 2:13.  But just because they had once won, the war with Satan was not finished.  They needed to repent and get busy in the battle against the false doctrines and false teachers in their company  – Rev. 2:14.

            We face a constant enemy.  As a result, we must fight a daily battle to stay loyal to God against the powerful forces of assimilation and compromise.  “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold onto eternal life, to which you were also called and have witnessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” – 1 Timothy 6:11-12.  Fight the good fight daily!