How Long Will It Take?

It took a mere 45 minutes for the shortest recorded battle in human history - The Anglo-Zanzibar War - to be won by the British in 1896. Let’s just call it an epic-sized miscalculation on the part of the Zanzibar Sultanate. Outmanned, outgunned and out of his depth, no amount of wishful thinking would change the inevitable outcome of this lopsided military encounter.

When I first heard about this battle, I had loads of questions. For starters, why would the Sultan even think of taking on the might of the British Royal Navy, knowing full well that it would be a futile and likely fatal undertaking? Did his counselors advise him to reconsider his intended course of action? If so, why didn’t he listen to them? Why didn’t he follow protocol to obtain the approval – or not, for him to become the next Sultan, after his uncle’s death rather than taking matters into his own hands and installing himself as the new person in charge?

Multiply that battle a gazillion times to grasp the enormity of battle for the human mind.  It’s even more ‘lopsided’ than the Anglo – Zanzibar Battle because, according to the Bible, the battle for your mind involves supernatural beings that have been strategizing and engaged in spiritual warfare for thousands of years. The battle for your mind is an unfair, unwinnable and unethical assault on your ability to think straight and to see the bigger picture.

The more I thought about it, the more the I realized that as foolhardy as we might think the Sultan was, we have more in common with him than we’d like to admit. How many times have you gone into life’s battles totally unprepared and ill-equipped to fight, let alone to win? How many times have you made a decision that has resulted in consequences you could not have imagined or even wished on your enemy?

We are often outmaneuvered, outwitted and out of our depth when it comes to the longest recorded battle in history, the battle for our minds. If, like the Sultan of Zanzibar you go into this battle unprepared and without the right back up, expect to be defeated.  But . . . big BUT, if you connect yourself to the source of ‘all power’, you will have found the winning formula that will guarantee every underhanded attack, every discouraging encounter, every heart-wrenching experience will not be able to immobilize or defeat you.

However, just like the Sultan of Zanzibar who didn’t believe the British Navy would really attack and did not take their many warnings seriously, all too often the serious realities of spiritual warfare are ignored in our lives. We tend to ignore the dangers and take too lightly the ‘conflicts’ of life we encounter all the while forgetting that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood . . . against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” Blindsided, we miss the red flags that should remind us that our most valuable of assets is the prize in this battle.

It’s time to understand the enemy has many different methods of war and he is not afraid to use anything or anyone in his arsenal. Each day, you will find yourself bombarded with seemingly benign decisions to make at home, at work, in our businesses, in our worship but with a closer look, the choices we have to make will determine our destiny. Always look at the bigger picture of your life situations. No matter how insignificant a situation might seem, ask for wisdom and strength from on high to make your choices with eternity in mind.

As you start each day, remember to take your life battles seriously and approach the day as if you are going into battle with a deadly enemy – you actually are. But you don’t EVER need to be afraid. When you understand who your real enemy is and are constantly connected to your heavenly Father you’ll realize that God is the only one that can give you a resounding victory in the battle for your mind with each and every decision you make.

How long will it take you to surrender to the One who has ALL POWER to give you victory in the battle for your mind?

 

“In a few minutes, you’re going to do battle with your enemies. Don’t waver in resolve. Don’t fear. Don’t hesitate. Don’t panic. God, your God is right there with you, fighting for you against your enemies, fighting to win.” MSG Deuteronomy 20:3, 4