I was extremely proud. Arrogant may be the more appropriate word, but it carries a more negative connotation, so I am reluctant to use it to describe myself. At 150 pounds, I was a starting offensive lineman and starting inside linebacker on our high school football team, extremely aggressive and unafraid. I was typically one of the smallest players on the team and the smallest interior lineman and linebacker, and I loved it. I developed that proud (arrogant) attitude after playing a few years until the attitude became pervasive by my senior year. This, of course, was many decades ago (over 5 decades) when players were not as gargantuan as today. Most interior linemen averaged between 180 to 220 pounds with a few being as heavy as 240 pounds. There was only one game in which I was matched against a 300-pound fellow. Moreover, the blocking rules were different. We were able to use position, angles, and quickness, not just extreme size and upper body strength and mass. I certainly could not compete in today’s environment, even if I were young again.

At that time, I was a nominal Christian which helped obscure my arrogant attitude, or at least make it not quite as noticeable or offensive (I think), but it was still there. So much so in fact, I prayed that God would allow me to go one on one, face to face with Satan. I pictured Satan across the line of scrimmage from me. I could block him. I could drive him off the line. I could take him. I was unafraid, and proud of my own abilities, never realizing the folly and sin of my pride. I was already beaten in the one on one but did not know it. God allowed my foolishness and pride for a little time while all along He had some lessons prepared for me.

Because of the size disparity between me and my opponents, I developed an injury to my right shoulder. With certain blocks and hits, the nerve trunk from the spinal cord to my right shoulder and arm was tearing. During my senior year, the injury was occurring at least once each game, sometimes more often. In practices it happened enough that the coach did not allow me in contact drills. Before the end of the season I visited a neurologist who explained what was happening. He told me that the injury would continue to worsen until some block or hit would tear the nerve completely and I would permanently lose the use of my right shoulder and arm. It was devastating news. All my pride in my physical abilities and prowess was dashed. I could not understand why God had allowed such a disaster for me. But God was teaching me about something much greater than my abilities. I learned that confidence in my own perceived abilities was misplaced confidence. And, God was letting me see that the pride and arrogance was itself sin and failure.  

There was a greater victory I could have. This lesson from God, though taught through trying circumstances, was life changing. The lesson was liberating. The lesson was that God already won the victory. He (Jesus) had faced and defeated Satan for me. The battle to defeat Satan was not mine to fight, it was God’s. God defeated Satan. God put Satan to flight. Paul stated it in I Cor. 15:55-57,

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law, But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Christ defeated Satan for us. Paul gives a further explanation in Rom. 8:32-39,

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I learned that I was incapable of winning the battle of sin in my own life, but that God fought and won that battle for me. It was God’s work and it was God’s battle. He is more than adequate to face our adversary. Because of our trust in Him and His work through Jesus Christ, we are victorious. We need to always realize that the battle and victory belong to God. Some examples in the Scriptures illustrate this concept. Asa, a king of Judah, had to face an army of one million invaders from Ethiopia. His prayer is recorded in II Chron. 14:11,

“And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, ‘LORD, it is nothing with Thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on Thee, …’”

Jehoshaphat, a later king of Judah had a similar problem with an invading army. His prayer is recorded in II Chron. 20:12,

“O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee.”

In both examples God prevailed and defeated the enemies. It was God’s battle. We can also look at David’s trust and confidence in God when he addressed the Philistine warrior, Goliath,

“Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, … that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s …” I Sam. 17:45-47.

Our battles are typically a little different than those of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and David, but the concept is the same. Regardless of the invasion, the problem, the sickness, the persecution, the tribulation, the distress, the whatever, the battle always belongs to God. We need to remember that. Our confidence, our trust, is always directed toward God. As Paul stated in Rom. 8:37 as previously quoted,

“… in all these things we are more than conquerors [given a decisive victory] through Him that loved us.”

Paul also stated in Eph. 6:10-12,

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

No wonder that I could not win by my own efforts. I was overmatched. I had no hope to win. But God changed that. He prevailed against Satan, against the powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness. And God has given us the armour and strength, by His Spirit in us, to stand against Satan’s deluge against us. Isaiah mentioned what God did and does for us in Isa. 59:19,

“When the enemy [anything Satan throws at us] shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard [cause to vanish, chase, put to flight] against him.”

The standard the LORD lifted for us is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That death and resurrection is what put Satan to flight, chased him away, defeated him on his own turf.

Whenever we face the trials and troubles of this life, we know the battle belongs to God, not us. Our confidence is in our God, just as Paul wrote to Timothy (II Tim. 1:7),

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

And because we know we have God’s Spirit for power, love, and sound mind, and we know that we have been redeemed unto God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can also trust what James wrote,

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16.

 We are righteous because we believe the message of God’s Son. We know that we are forgiven because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter also wrote about our rejoicing even during trials,

“Wherein [in the salvation of God] ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations [even if for a while you are suffering some trials]: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: … Receiving the end [result] of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:6-9.

In all trials, in all temptations, in all troubles, our battle belongs to God. He has fought the battle for us and is totally victorious.