When preparing for the new year, I was reminded that life is a battle, a fact which is supported in the Bible. There are many verses where warfare, battles, weapons, fighting, and overcoming are used as metaphors for the struggles of life. At first glance, this can be a little discouraging, until you realize that, while God’s Word doesn’t sugarcoat the struggles of life, it gives us hope and assurance because we know the following three things:
- God is with us in every battle.
“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:19).
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
- God has equipped us with spiritual weapons that help us be victorious.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV).
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13–17 NIV).
- No matter how overwhelming or difficult the fight, God has promised us victory in the end.
“I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous—I’ve overcome the world!” (John 16:33 ISV).
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
It is good to go into the new year with faith and expectation, but it’s also good to be prepared for struggles and difficulties. Peter wrote: “Dear friends, don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return” (1 Peter 4:12–13 CEV).