Title: Pick your battle Carefully
Scripture: so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop, while I leave it and go down to you?” – Nehemiah 6:3
Life is a war with a series of battles. We can lose a some battles but not the war. Each move we make must be carefully planned strategically or tactically towards victory. God sometimes allows the enemy to win a few battles, so to lure into a sense of security. The death of Christ on the cross of Calvary is classic example of God allowing the devil to win a battle, but luring him into believing that by killing Christ he has won the war but the Lord third rose on the third day.
[pullquote] None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory- 1 Corinthian 2:8[/pullquote] The ability to pick the greater good over a lesser good is the greatest sign of maturity. During World War II, the British intelligence intercepted the German secure communication, about their plan to bomb the city of Leicester. If they evacuated the city, the Germans would become aware that their secure communication was intercepted and they would change it. Prime Minister Churchill simply allowed the German to bomb the city of Leicester so that he can gain greater intelligence that led to ultimate victory against the Germans.
“Choose your battles wisely. After all, life isn’t measured by how many times you stood up to fight. It’s not winning battles that makes you happy, but it’s how many times you turned away and chose to look into a better direction. Life is too short to spend it on warring. Fight only the most, most, most important ones; let the rest go.” – C. JoyBell C.
As Christians, we mustn’t allow petty things to cloud our overall objective in life. Many have failed because they were overstretched and spread across thinly. They have dissipated their energy on wrong things, by the final battle came they had no more energy to final. For example, A wife who would want to contest every decision with husband in the home, can only blame herself, if he becomes distance and secretive. A teenager who would want to react angrily to every insult or teasing he gets form his peers can be only blame himself if his permanent record is tarnished. One moment of inappropriate behavior can ruin a life time of work. It is important for us to nurture the core relationships in our lives, families, loved ones and close friends(Proverbs 18:24).
Consider the following guidelines. It’s best not to engage when:
- There’s a low probability of winning without doing excessive damage
- Upon reflection, winning isn’t as important as it originally seemed
- There will likely be a time down the line when you can raise the issue again with a different person or in a different way
- The other party’s style is provocative; Whether speaking with you or others, so it’s not worth taking personally
- You could win on the immediate issue, but lose big in terms of the relationship
The Wisdom to choose wisely God will release to you in Jesus name
Prayer Points
- Father please release afresh upon me, the wisdom to choose my battles carefully in Jesus name
- Father help me to control my tongue
- Father help to see beyond my present circumstances and situations in Jesus name
- Father I will not destroy my own future with my own hands in Jesus name.
