Life is a battle Ground - FIGHT!!!

Taking our cue from the life and times of Prophet Elijah from 1 Kings Chapters 18 and 19, we see an example of a sudden twist from the sweet savor of divinely-backed victory to the cruelty of a real death-threat.


The life we live in, allows no one a permanent state of perpetual joy, high-spirit, and all-needs-met. One may be ecstatic one moment and in the next second get thrown into the throes of desperation. Survival instincts kicks in, as events takes bad turns, and, God seems not to be bothered to intervene. No one gets depressed faster than those who relate closely with God. It is near impossible to imagine, that one see the supernatural at play in one second and then in the next, anti-God natural events take over, in such a way, that speaks to such, that there is nothing that God can or would do about it.


Such moments depletes reserves of joy. Such moments exaggerates present hazards, high above previous divine encounters or heavenly testimonies. Praise reports becomes tasteless. Everything achieved with God in the past suddenly assumes questionable status.


Such was what Elijah went through. Moses had his own down-times. Paul the apostle had many brushes with, and, escapades from, death. He endured series of natural defeats in quick successions. Every Biblical hero had their rough times. Even our Lord while in the form of a man, wanted to evade the bitterness of the cup. He nevertheless submitted to shame and death of the cross.


So life became very cruel for Elijah immediately after restoring many souls and his nation back to God. The First Lady was going to take him out. What the king did not have the heart to do, the wife, operating under unseen territorial principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness of the heavenly places, decided to execute. Elijah's death warrant was issued. So Elijah took to his heels, questioning his calling and his God from his heart. His confidence had been shattered.


Reading the text further in 1 Kings chapter 19, we see that God accepted his resignation. He was grumbling, complaining and had no more intentions to fight back to overcome life's cruelty. There was no writing to indicate that that was how God wanted his ministry to end. A proper reading reveals that God merely accepted his desire to quit.


God does not fight us against our wills. So many people quit when life takes its cruel turns. We all often make internal decisions that if God will not unilaterally reverse ugly incidents and accidents of life, then we hang our gloves and quit.


King David in 1 Samuel chapter 30 revived himself from such internal defeat. He had wept all he could. For a soldier, or rather, an army general, to weep publicly like a baby, indicates deep internal turmoil. Like Elijah, and any other human being, it was an occasion to wonder if God could not have stopped the attacks on not only their wives and kids, but their destroyed and looted possessions too. The difference between Elijah and David is in the fact that King David recovered enough sensibility to fight back the cruelty. In that story, there was no account of God uttering any words during the periods of agony. But when David decided to seek God's guidance on the situation, God was prompt to affirm David's plans to pursue, overtake and recover all. David made preparations to fight back.


Life has not ceased being cruel! The cruelty is even more emboldened against those that serve, work with, and walk with God. Hence this message of encouragement.


When Life Turns Cruel, FIGHT! When unexpected unfortunate circumstance manifests, refuse to grumble and complain. Do only one thing, ask God for strength to FIGHT BACK!!!


When life or living becomes cruel all by itself - FIGHT back!!!


Fight for your health! How? Eat well, sleep well, talk well, do everything you can to stay healthy!
Fight for your job!
Fight for your home!
Don't just fold your arms and lick your wounds, take-on the situation and FIGHT!
Fight for everything that you believe God has promised.
Fight to take back whatever is stolen from you!
Be a spiritual warrior! FIGHT, FIGHT & FIGHT!
God will not physically step down from heaven, He seeks people who will fight with Him and for Him! FIGHT!!!


Most cruelty against especially God's people are programmed to stall God's major plans. Whenever we start whining about stuff, our focus shifts away from corporate assignment to figuring out personal challenges. Whenever a believer is overwhelmed by personal embarrassment, shame or public disappointment, then the big picture of God's will takes back stage. It is paused and may never be returned to. That is the BIG reason that life unleashes such cruel "storms". It is to distract from main goal or divine plans.



For example, JESUS was mocked about his family in Mk 6:1-6 while he was trying to fulfill His God-assigned mandate. What the people did to him was tantamount to saying - if you are God, fix your immediate family. JESUS physical family and relatives were not any special people, they were just regular folks. So, rather than accept JESUS intended ministry, they became relatively cruel, sarcastic and seemed to belittle him to natural realms. That scripture said that JESUS could there do no mighty works because of their unbelief.



Another example is Paul the apostle. He was in many physical - personal - agony & anguish while trying to FIX others. Paul was a good example that did not allow personal challenges to surmount him. He kept fighting fights of faith regardless of excruciating pains and untoward circumstances.



The strategy of the unseen kingdom darkness was to MARK HIM/HER DOWN, just as the same forces are out to frustrate each one of us today.


If you are busy solving personal issues, 1, you will not pursue God-intended goals, 2, if you do, it will be half-hearted.


For a preacher, who is so overwhelmed by personal issues, he or she would either preach your situation to the detriment of others OR water down God's message. When a minister have issues that makes him or her question God's presence, the "forcibly preached message will not be from the depth of the heart. Many such message are preached or taught out of hidden anger, unrevealed resentment & subdued annoyance.


Any message preached from the above mentioned factors will contain a tiny measure of spiritual poison in it. Tiny poisons are always more than enough to cause sufficient damage to lives and destinies that God's undiluted message was intended! It can spread silently like yeast in flour to pollute the entire truth!


What is the solution? Lay down your life, lay down or set aside personal issue regardless. Focus on the exact message of God and preach it with as much love as you can! For those who are not preachers, keep living your full life in Christ, to the best of your ability, even if your situation tells you contrary


Mark 4:17 said persecutions comes for the sake of God's word. Believer face cruelties of life because, the devil, using natural, and physical means, wants to frustrate God's word, desires, and promises. So we need to understand, that though we face cruelties of life personal and privately, yet we must not allow ourselves to be MARKED-DOWN! We need to remind ourselves all the time, that, it's not about me, it's about who is in me, it's about what I carry, it's about the ultimate plan of God.



The fighting starts internally. The fighting is first in the thought. Then the fight will come through the mouth, properly spoken words. Then the fighting will involve passionately praying to God and assuredly receiving from God. Then the fighting puts one's entire body system in the mode of faith, that is, taking necessary active steps. Then the fighting will have to engage physical and human obstacles. Then the fighting will require purposeful persistence.





Just so we know that when man, like Elijah, choose to quit, God keeps going. He takes on new vessels who are willing and have been silently prepared, to continue what such man, want to abort.



Elijah needed not have allowed himself to be depressed. Since he voluntarily resigned, God commanded him to raise others to continue the spiritual FIGHTS!!! 1 Kn 19: Out of one man who quit, came three new anointings. Two were to be warriors and king that executed physical authority, another, Elisha, to execute spiritual authority. By asking Elijah to anoint those three people, God in essence was asking him to release what he had within him. It needs to be noted here that transference of anointing is God's ways of emptying what is in one to another that needs it. What that means to me, in essence, is that Elijah had within him anointing of 2 kings and 1 anointing of a prophet. That further means that he had the inherent ability to overcome the death-threat, if only, he was willing to revive himself within, like David who felt initially depleted, but later, decided to fight again.



So Elijah had to anoint others to execute SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY and to continue to carry on TRANSFORMATIONAL ministry which God intended to see to fulfillment.



In closing we take a quick look at apostle Paul's complaint in 2 Cor 12: 7-9 - God did not take Paul's personal battle away, but rather, told Paul that "my grace is sufficient inspite of your personal weakness!" In other words, regardless of personal challenges, overall demand of heaven must be fought for and accomplished. Not a wonder, that the apostle summarized his ministry by saying "I have fought a good fight of faith" 2 Tim 4:7


Life is a battle Ground- FIGHT! Life is full of battles! There are many life-battles, health battles, financial battles, love-life battles, family battles, ministry battles, the list could be endless. Life is cruel all by itself - FIGHT! FIGHT GOOD FIGHTS OF FAITHS!



How Do I FIGHT!

1. Pray - prayer is not only about speaking to God, which is necessary, it is also about hearing Him!

2. Fast - Fasting helps for spiritual tuning and focus. Heaven's attention and arsenals are acquired too

3. Find encouraging tools in God's word - scriptures and relevant teachings builds faith for fighting

4. Find realistic and practical steps to take - life is first spiritual and ALSO physical!

5. Appreciate every inch of progress made - solution may not be sudden, every inch gained is important

6. Avoid Distractions

7. Renew your purpose for FIGHTING from time to time

8. Focus ALL energy on what you are fighting for- avoid allowance that gives room for opposition to regroup


WHEN YOU FIGHT WITH GOD, YOU WIN! AMEN & AMEN!