(Ep33) Victory Through Endurance

As the season nears it end, we are talking about how spiritual victory is achieved through three daily anchors (faith, obedience, and resistance) grounded in the truth that believers fight from Christ's already-won victory rather than for it. Drawing on military combat experience, we want to challenges listeners to declare Scripture daily, strengthen prayer and Bible habits, and actively refuse to surrender ground to the enemy in any area of their lives.

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome back to Join the Fight, a spiritual warfare podcast series where we take all of the years of our real combat experience plus what scripture tells us, and we've merged them into a practical look at how we join the fight and wage the battles around us in spiritual warfare. So if this is your first time listening to an episode or you're returning for more, we really appreciate you being here as we look at episode 33 of Joining the Fight. Victory through endurance. Now, this is the second to last episode of our series. We're going to wrap up with a bonus episode later on this week. And then we're going to take a brief four-week break and launch season two that is going to be a more in-depth look at the armor and the weapons we're given. But for now, let's jump in and look at how we achieve victory through endurance. I'm Kyle Clark from Standing Word Ministries, a Christ-seted ministry dedicated to equipping believers with solid biblical truth and practical training. We create scripture-based resources like our workbook joining the fight to strengthen discipleship, deepen our understanding of God's Word so that we can follow Jesus and help every one of us live with purpose as we stand firm in the truth and carry the message of Christ forward. If you want to explore more teachings or grab this workbook, head over to standingword.com. So in episode 31, we talked about the mindset that matters when confrontation comes when we engage the enemy in our offensive postures. And last week we looked at episode 32 that talks about how we look for openings when engaging the enemy with wisdom and humility. Today we want to bring that victory mindset home. We've stepped into this fight, we've pursued the enemy on his ground. Now, how do we stay in it and actually overcome him? That is victory through endurance. Victory isn't just one single moment, it is a daily way of standing firm in our faith, obedience and resistance. Here's the truth that changes everything. We do not fight for victory, we fight from victory. Because Jesus has already won. God Himself secures the victory, but he works through our faith, our obedience, and our resistance to the devil's schemes. Let me give you these three big anchors as we're going to unpack them more today. First, faith, our confidence in God's promises that keep us moving forward even when the battle feels long and hard. Second, obedience, the simple, consistent routines that shape us for the battle and keep us aligned with God and his plans. And third, resistance, our active refusal to give up even an inch of ground to the enemy in our lives and the environment around us. Listen to these different passages and how they drive this point home. Ephesians 6 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. James 4, 7 through 8. Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Revelations 12, 11. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. All three of these verses are verses that we have talked about during our offensive classes. And those verses are going to hold us steady all the way through this episode as well. Let's start with the anchor that keeps us moving forward, even when the battle feels long and impossible. Our faith. Now our faith is active confidence in God's promises, and that anchors us in Christ and gives us strength to keep advancing forward under pressure. Anchor may not be a good word, more like foundation or a secure launching point. It is the bedrock in which our defense and offense remain strong. It's not just passive belief. Just like James talked about, our faith must be shown through works. Our faith is the grip that refuses to let go of our relationship with God. After the mindset that we built in episode 31 and the openings we stepped into episode 32, faith is what keeps us from fading when the resistance shows up as we press forward. We overcome the world, and this victory comes through faith in Christ, just like first John 5, 4 and 5 say. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? That is our foundation. Faith trusts what God has already said and stands on it when everything around us is shaking. But faith also means we run with endurance, just as Hebrews 12, 1 and 2 tells us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Lay aside every distraction and weight. Fix your eyes on Jesus. We must reject worldly methods of fighting. Endurance means that we keep moving forward even when it's hard. We remain faithful to God and the way he operates, even when the world presents us an easier opportunity. Because first contact isn't the end of the mission. It's not even the middle. First contact is us resisting the devil so that he may flee from us and that we may remain solid in Christ and pushing forward to his objective. Picture it with me like this in a long patrol in the service. We've been moving for hours. We might be 12, 14 hours into a mission. And then the first ambush or IED comes along, but it doesn't end the operation. It just means that you have to keep your head down, stay on mission, and keep advancing, even though it feels like you've already been out there for a very long time. I'll never forget one mission, we were ambushed by a dishka up on a mountainside, and we dismounted troops, and they had to bound for over 400 meters to engage that Dishka themselves because air support was not available. So we had to bound for several minutes before they were even in firing range to engage the enemy from their elevated position. And so taking fire, responding to that fire, getting out of the trucks, assembling, rushing towards that incoming fire. None of that was even the beginning of our response to the attack. They hadn't even engaged yet. And so we must understand that our faith is that which carries us through to the end, no matter how long or difficult our struggles may seem. Faith is what keeps our feet moving and our eyes on the objective, even when everything in us wants to stop or turn back or feel as though there is no chance of us overcoming the enemy. And once our unit was able to cross that distance and engage the enemy, that battle was over very quickly because the enemy could not stand up to us in a fight when we brought it to them. We must proclaim Christ's authority in every situation that we are in, every battle we face, every offensive we take. Matthew 28, 18 says, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. We declare Christ's victory over our lives in situations. Our strength and triumph rest in Him alone. We fight from victory, not for it. And see, here's the point of this is our troops overseas in Afghanistan, we way outclassed the enemy in so many areas. He used diversionary tactics, he used IEDs, he used ambushes. He rarely ever stood up to us in a toe-to-toe fight because he couldn't. And that's why we were confident in bounding those 400 meters. Because we knew once we engaged the enemy, we knew it was only a matter of time before we overcame. It was the same way with another mission. We saw a fob down the road being attacked at night. We called for permission to roll out in our trucks and assist them. And we were put on standby. And in the interim, we launched one of the handheld drones that we had. We launched a drone to get eyes on the situation. And when the enemy heard the drone, they retreated. They knew U.S. forces were in the fob next door. They knew they were our drones because the Afghani military didn't have drones like we did. And so the moment the enemy saw that drone, they retreated because they knew the Americans were coming. And so we must have the same mindset in our victory, in the endurance we have. We must have faith in God's promises and that when he joins the fight, the enemy is done for. So here's what we can do together this week to make this real. Pick one specific promise from Scripture to declare out loud every single day, something like 1 John 5 or Hebrews 12, and write it where you'll see it. Pick one distraction to lay aside so that you can run lighter towards the engagements. That one habit will change how you show up in the fight. Lay it aside and try your life without that weight dragging you down. Whether it's social media, whether it's TV, whether it's a certain friendship that always pulls you away from God, a relationship in your life that causes you conflict in your faith. Lay it aside and focus on running the race that God has for you. Faith anchors us and keeps us moving, but faith without action is incomplete. So let's talk about the obedience that proves it out loud in our daily routines and actually shapes us for the fight. Obedience is proven through the simple, consistent routines that shape us for battle and keep us aligned with God. It's not legalism, it's the path that keeps us steady and dangerous to the enemy. I practiced for months and years at my trade in the service before I went overseas. And when I went overseas with all of that training, I was a nightmare for the enemy because I had remained faithful and obedient to the tasks that I had been given. In episode 31, we got this mindset of how we pursue the offensive. In episode 32, we look for those openings the enemy gives us in his own behavior. But obedience means that we actually walk through that opening every day, not just when it feels exciting or easy, but because it's the right thing to do. All of Romans can be summed up in this one phrase Be good. Be the right kind of person that God desires you to be, the person who goes where He leads. That is our obedience. Prayer is one of those disciplines that helps us be obedient, and it is a weapon in our arsenal. Luke 18 1 says Jesus told his disciples that they should always pray and never give up. Prayer is communion with God and warfare against the enemy. It's how we stay connected to our commander and push back the darkness that is always creeping into our life. When we pray, we are not just talking to God, we are fighting back. And the word is our foundation. Psalms 119, 9 through 11, says this How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you. Not only prayer, but meditating on God's word and hiding it in our hearts. It keeps us pure, it counters every lie the enemy throws at us. And when the lies come, and they will, the word is already living within us. It raises up, it provides us with wisdom, and it pushes back. We must have that knowledge. We must have that communion to stay connected to God so we stay connected to our purpose and all that He has given us in preparation for the roles that we assume. And here is one application for this week that we can do when it comes to obedience. Choose one prayer habit you'll strengthen, even if it's just five or ten minutes a day, and choose one verse or passage you'll meditate on and hide within your heart. Memorize it, write it down, put it on the wallpaper of your phone. Let it become a part of how you live. Let it become something that you always see. Obedience keeps us aligned and ready. But even with strong faith and steady obedience, the enemy is not going to stop. We have to actively resist and refuse to give ground. That's where real lasting victory is won and held by standing firm. Resisting means we refuse to give up even an inch of the ground that we have taken. We actively push back against everything the enemy tries to do, submitting to God, standing firm in the armor of God, and enduring till the end. And here's the gospel truth that changes everything. That we do not fight for victory. Again, we fight from the victory that Jesus has already won. I cannot say that enough. You must understand that you fight from a place of victory. It is one of the first lies the devil will try to plant within us that we're constantly playing catch-up, that we're constantly outmatched and outnumbered. No, when we stand firm in Jesus, we fight from a place of victory that Jesus has already won. Do not forget that. James 4:7 gives us this order. He says, Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he draws near to us. Submission must come first, then resistance. And when we do it God's way, the enemy has no choice but to run. Think back to one of those defensive characteristics, holiness. When we bring God's holiness into the battlefield, it is a power the enemy cannot stand against. So we must stand firm in the armor God has given us, just as Ephesians 6.13 says. 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. We don't stand in our own strength. We stand on the tools and the power that God has given us, that He has issued us truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word. That armor lets us hold the line when the attacks come. That is the way we resist by God's truth, by living righteous, by having peace, by having faith, by remembering the salvation that Christ has given us and consuming the word and letting it fill our lives. And we will endure till the end when we utilize the tools that God has given us. Jesus said in Matthew 24, 13, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Endurance is more than just defense. It's holding the line and finishing the mission. It is pressing forward, taking what the enemy doesn't want you to take, and then holding on to it until he flees. God Himself secures this victory, but he works through our faith, our obedience, and our resistance. Episode 31 and 32 prepared us to engage with the right mindset and step into those openings. But resistance is how we hold the ground we take and keep advancing the kingdom without losing what Christ has already given us. We resist, and in our resistance, we're able to build those firm defenses, and then we look for our next target and we push forward. And here is the application we can have this week. Identify one specific area where you've been tempted to give ground this week. Maybe in a relationship, a habit, a fear, a compromise the world is offering you, and commit to standing firm there with prayer, scripture, and a daily choice to endure one area, one week, and watch what God does. Maybe it's your job, maybe it's a relationship, maybe it's your environment. Only you can identify that and pursue what God has for you through resistance. Now faith anchors us, obedience shapes us, and resistance helps us to hold the line. Together, they are our daily victory in Christ. Because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, we have launched our offensive from a place of victory, and God Himself will secure this victory because He works through us. You're not fighting alone in this fight. We're in it together, and Christ has already overcome all that has been set before you and all the enemy is going to throw at you. Now let us pray. Father, thank you that we don't fight for victory, but we fight from the victory Jesus has already won. Strengthen our faith to trust your promises and run with endurance. Train us in obedience through prayer and your word. Give us the grace to resist, to stand firm in the armor, and to endure to the end. We submit to you, we resist the enemy, and we trust that he must flee. Keep us steady, keep us close, and use our lives to advance your kingdom. In Jesus' powerful name we pray. Amen. Now before we wrap up, let's take a quiet moment and lock in these final challenges for the episode. When it comes to faith, which one promise will you trust and proclaim this week? When it comes to obedience, what one discipline, prayer, or the word will you strengthen? And when it comes to resistance, where will you refuse to give ground and endure with Christ's strength? Thank you so much for being with us today. Keep pressing forward, keep standing firm, and remember we are in this fight together. We fight from victory. See you next time on joining the fight. God bless.