It started as a running mantra. For those who may not know what a running mantra is, it is simply something you say to yourself when you are out there running and you simply want to quit. It can also be something you say to yourself to make you run harder and stronger. Yes, I have just admitted that I talk to myself - but sometimes it's because I "need a good talkin' to" and sometimes it's because I'm just trying to find someone who will listen. At any rate, my mantra was "Everyday I run is another battle won." This got me around the track and through more miles than I ever imagined it would...and then it became something more. It became a mantra that helps me get through each day.
Maybe I'm the only one who ever has those days that make you just want to sit down and call it quits - the ones that make you want to say I'm out of this race. If so, then I'll just keep writing this to me. After all, I've already admitted I talk to myself. Still, I have to believe there are others out there who sometimes struggle as well. After all, there is nothing really new under the sun.
In 1 Timothy 6: 11-12, it says, "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Sometimes it is a battle to pursue those things we are told to pursue, and not always a battle with the enemy. Sometimes it's simply a battle with myself.
One of my favorite books in the Bible is Nehemiah. In that book, Nehemiah has been called by God to go back to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. The people had returned to that city years before and set up the temple, but the walls of the city still lay in ruins - leaving them vulnerable to attack. I remember the first time I studied this book and realized this explained how someone could be a Christian and yet their lives could still be in ruins. The temple had been set up in their hearts, but the walls of their life that the enemy had torn down over the years still lay in ruins. To rebuild those walls, the workers actually had to have a sword in one hand and a building tool in the other!
Nehemiah 4:16 - 18 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.
Rebuilding was not only work, it was a battle.
That's what another battle won really means to me. Some days are a battle of the will to do what I know is right; sometimes they are a battle to keep my focus on the Lord and what He has called me to; some days are a battle to listen not to the enemy, but to the promises of my Father who has never failed.
Nehemiah 6:9, 16 "They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, "They'll give up; they'll never finish it." I prayed, "Give me strength." ; "When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work. "
So that's what another battle won is all about....taking this call God has given me and walking it out one day at a time. On this day, I choose to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.I will fight the good fight of the faith. so that when I lay my head on my pillow at night I can close my eyes and say, "Today has been another battle won in the Lord."
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