As the mom of a former Marine, I’m well-versed in military culture. I don’t know everything my son does—far from it. But I’ve learned enough to know that in war, victory rarely comes by accident. It’s the well-planned campaign that brings triumph.
I’ve learned that this holds true in our spiritual life as well.
Following God’s path and experiencing God’s peace takes deliberate planning. It doesn’t just happen. Here are 7 things that have helped me experience spiritual victory, especially when chaos rages around me:
1) Keep the communication line to the commander open.
I have to stay plugged into God. I not only have to hear Him clearly, I have to respond. Communication goes two ways.
2) Follow orders to the letter.
God has already given us many of His commands through the Bible. I need to make sure that I’m regularly reading His word and acting on what I find there.
3) Stay with your platoon.
Satan is just like the enemy in the war. If he can cut us off from the main body of troops, we’re more vulnerable. Instead, we need to stay with our buddies. Now isn’t the time to skip church or regular Bible study.
4) Learn to use your weapon.
God has equipped us to fight. He’s given us His Word, which is our offensive weapon. But it does us no good at all, if we don’t know how to use it.
5) Get to know the enemy.
It’s hard to fight when we don’t know what we’re fighting against. Sometimes the enemy is the devil. Other times, it’s our own fleshly impulses. We need to know who our enemy is and make sure we’re aware of the traps and tricks he uses.
6) Leave no man behind.
This particular saying is identified with the Marine Corps, but it holds true spiritually as well. We can expect those around us to encourage us and help us through the rough spots. We also need to be willing to do the same for others.
7) Retreat is acceptable, surrender to the enemy is not.
Sometimes we have to take a step back and regroup. We have to double-check our orders and make sure we’re hearing the commander clearly. But with God’s power coursing through us, there’s never a reason to surrender to the enemy.
These are the things I fall back on when spiritual warfare rages around me. We can take comfort in the fact that we never face the battle alone.
