There are spiritual battles we, as Christians, need to fight that we are not ready to face. In his mercy, the Lord shelters us from them, but only for a while and only to train us up. There’s a picture of this truth in the book of Exodus.
Immediately after God sets Israel free from Egypt, he begins leading them out of slavery with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. As God is leading them, scripture says, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt.” (Exodus 13:17). Never forget that they would eventually face the Philistines when God would move them into the promised land, but at this point, they were not ready. They would have retreated into the land of slavery had they faced the Philistines then.
It is a mercy that God protects us from battles we are not ready to fight. But as he does, he teaches us to trust him, so we will be ready to fight in the future. In the case of the Exodus, God was going to train Israel by pinning them between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. In doing this, God was going to destroy their enslavers. “For the Egyptian whom you see today, you will never see again. The Lord fights for you, and you have only to be silent. (Exodus 14:13b-14).
We know the story. God parted the Red Sea so his people could pass safely through. Then, as Pharaoh’s army pursued, God caused the water to swallow them.
There are verses in the Bible we rarely quote because they don’t fit our current sensibilities, but they speak volumes. Exodus 14:30 is one of them. It says, “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.” This would have been a powerful sight.
The army that had enslaved Israel and had just threatened to kill them was now nothing more than waterlogged, dead bodies lining the shore. What are we to do with this? We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and we are called to fight. Every battle you win in this life, through the power of God, prepares you for future battles. The battles will not end on this side of eternity. They will only grow heavier as we mature spiritually, but as you face them, the Lord strengthens your faith by showing you the foes he has already conquered in your past.
What are some of the battles we must fight? We fight our own sinful desires in pursuit of holiness, we contend for joy against sorrow, and we battle against spiritual apathy. We strive in the battle of repentance, not only confessing sin, but truly turning from it. We must contend for the integrity of our private lives. We fight the battle of competing voices, learning to discern the voice of our Shepherd from wolves in shepherd’s clothing.
We must wage war against the bitterness and unforgiveness growing in the crevices of our broken hearts. There is also the battle to love difficult people, and the battle to surrender something good that God has asked you to release.
In every battle we win through God’s power, we must battle against pride. Victorious people often begin to stick out their chests. Do not believe your own press. We must also fight the battles of contentment, stewardship, discouragement, and the list could go on.
Eventually, we will face the final enemy, death. Not in the abstract but in reality, when it comes to us. When it brings you low and diminishes your quality of life, you will need to battle well. You will need to realize that many things you thought were important when you were healthy were not. You will need to face all the time you wasted. You will need to fall fresh on Jesus and trust him to lead you home.
Why write all of this? As Christians living in affluent countries, we tend to forget we are called to fight spiritual battles. Not just now, but until the day we die. We do not stop fighting the fight of faith as we age.
We must wage war on the unbiblical expectation that as we mature, it should get easier. Your retirement years, if the Lord gives them to you, should not be a time when we expect our spiritual lives to become more relaxed. Your employment may have come to an end, but not your enlistment under King Jesus. On the contrary, your training up to this point now allows you to face old foes and new enemies in new ways. In doing so, you are like the Israelites years later, prepared to face the kinds of enemies that once would have sent them running back to Egypt.
The battles of early faith are no less real, but they are often simpler and easier to name—leaving behind old patterns, resisting clear temptations, learning new rhythms of obedience. As we grow, the battles deepen. They move beneath the surface—fighting pride in success, trusting God in long silence, persevering when obedience feels unnoticed. These battles are heavier—they require endurance instead of impulse, wisdom instead of instinct, and faith that holds fast over time. You will see things younger believers miss, which gives you more to pray for in your own lives and theirs, but you have also seen the Lord work, time and time again.
Keep your eyes open for your former enslavers’ dead bodies on the shore of the Red Sea. Learn to trust your Savior’s leading. The Lord who fights for you today is preparing you to stand tomorrow. Press on, there is still ground to take.
-D. Eaton
The Fight of Faith 