This War Called Life

Life is an absolute war filled with battles every day. This can range from emotional battles to difficulties we encounter, decisions that we make, trials we go through, and even expectations that we either hold or have placed on ourselves. 

In war, there are a number of battles, strategic maneuvers and scenarios that finally bring an end to the conflict. The simple illustration of war is a good parallel for life. In war, you may find yourself betrayed during battle or you may also discover you are not fighting on the right side, much like Paul discovered on the road to Damascus in Acts 9.  Regardless of the situation you are in, you must always realize this life is a war and that every day is a battle. The primary place the battle takes place is in your heart or your soul, which is made up of your mind, will and emotions. Consider a time when you encountered a situation that affected you. This situation affected your mind, will and emotions on some level. You experience emotions in response to the situations you encounter, and you, by your will, decide what action you will initiate. 

It is ultimately important for each person to realize there are many battles that make up the war, and in order to take ground, you must indeed train yourself to win battles daily. If the primary place of battle is first in your soul, then that should be the place that receives the most training! I can just hear someone say, “What do you mean by ‘training my soul?'”,  and though I admit that that sounds unique – the answer is that this is absolutely the key to winning the war!

We all know God wants to save the world, and He desires that all mankind would know Him. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” I believe God calls to the world like a father saying, “REPENT! BELIEVE IN JESUS AND BE SAVED!” And then in turn, His cry to the believer is, “RENEW YOUR MIND!!”  

Renewing your mind according to Romans 12 is the structural basis for training your heart which ultimately makes up the components of your soul. When you begin to train your heart through washing it with the Word as if it was water, you will be armed in your mind, will and emotions to line up with the Spirit of God over every circumstance that will engage you. When you truly have the Word of God consistently flowing into your heart, empowered by the Spirit, you will have a mentality that says directly to every conflict in front of you, “This battle is over - I’ve already won it!” Jesus had that mentality in each instance while confronting religion, healing, teaching the people and ultimately overcoming death, hell and the grave. He had the same issues we have to overcome, and He did so so perfectly because He emptied Himself and was in all ways acquainted with our temptations. Because of this, we can arm ourselves with the same mind that was in Him for each circumstance, and each time, come out a winner.

You may have lost many battles up to this point in your life, but the good news is that you can be armed with victory from the inside out and truly overcome through what Christ has already accomplished! You may still lose a few battles, but if you lay hold of the understanding to train your heart for victory, and you do not allow discouragement and guilt to weigh on your heart, you will ultimately win the war!

For the Glory of Jesus,
Joseph Zupetz