Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”.
We Christians do face battles. We fight against Satan and his wiles; we also fight against the world system that has turned away from God. And we have a battle with the flesh, too; our old nature wants to lead us into disobedience. The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground, and we must be on guard at all times.
We never know when Satan will tempt us. Peter writes, ” Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
But sometimes Satan doesn’t come as a roaring lion; he comes as deceiving serpent, and we must be able to detect his traps and avoid them. Paul warned, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”. The most dangerous time – the time that requires the most vigilance — is when we have won a victory.
For some reason, after a victory, we let down our guard, we get overconfident, and this gives the enemy a chance to get in and defeat us. This is what happened to the prophet Elijah after his great victory on Mount Carmel. You recall that fire came down from heaven and devoured the sacrifice, proving that Elijah’s God was the true God of Israel.
Elijah destroyed the false prophets and priests and waited for the nation to return to God and repent. But the nation didn’t repent; they went on just the way they had before the great contest on the mountain. Discouraged and defeated, Elijah fled for his life and went into the desert to pout; he even asked God to take his life. Yes, Elijah won the battle, but lost the victory.
Nothing opens the door to defeat like overconfidence after a great victory. Joshua and the armies of Israel suffered defeat in the hands of Ai soldiers because having defeated the people of Jericho without any difficulty, they were confident that they will defeat Ai hands down but So soldiers humiliated them.
In their overconfidence, they had forgotten to ask God’s guidance, and because there was sin in the camp, their army was defeated. Often there are difficult testing after great victories. To begin with, I think the Lord knows that our lives need balance. Just as creation is balanced with day and night, winter and summer, so our lives are balanced with various kinds of experiences.
It is a great encouragement to know that God is in control of the circumstances of life as we walk in obedience to Him. If there is a victory, He is the One who gave it. If there is a testing after victory, He is the One who permitted it. We never have to be afraid of the seeming contradictory experiences of life because our times are in His hands.
This leads us to a basic truth that I hope will help all of us in the days to come: never doubt during the victory what God has taught you during the battle. Beware of overconfidence. When you start feeling overconfident, turn to the Lord and plead for His grace and mercy because overconfidence opens the door for the enemy to rob us of the victory.
This is why Jesus said ” Watch and pray”. Keep your eyes open. Put no confidence in the flesh, no matter how good you may feel.
Most Of Our Losses Don’t Take Place During The Battle, They Take Place After The Victory.
Pastor Paul Okonkwo
Independent Baptist Bible Church (IBBC) New Haven
Enugu
