No Battle, No Spoils

Wield the Sword of the Spirit.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “No battle, no spoils.” But here’s the truth: while we may feel the struggle, the battle is never truly ours. It belongs to the Lord, and He never loses.

This became more than a saying for me as I walked through a difficult season. It felt like a tug-of-war: three steps forward, four steps back, inching ahead only to slip behind again.  Maybe you’ve been there too, fighting to stay upright, and when you finally come up for air, it seems as though life has passed you by.

I’ve faced valleys before, but this one was different. The details I’ll share another time, but what I want to give you today is the treasure I carried out of the fire, a word the Lord anchored in me.  Long before symptoms showed up in my body, He began whispering: “Step into a deeper rest and prepare to take more territory.”

Honestly, I thought I was prepared.  I expected a battle, but not in the way it arrived.  The truth is, our inheritance is received; however, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a struggle to hold fast to God’s Word in the very thick of it.

It’s in the fire that the promise of being refined into His likeness really takes shape.  In the fight, the Lord teaches us to brandish His Word and take ground by faith.

Friend, even when despair pressed hard, when oppressive thoughts whispered my name, Jesus never left me.  No child of God is ever abandoned, especially on the battlefield.  At times, my mind tried to tell me I couldn’t hear His voice, that He wasn’t close, and yet His word sought me, held me, and kept me.  He revealed wisdom in the midst of it. The first was this:

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Exodus 14:14.

I am sure you’ve heard this many times before, but when we are butting up against the enemy, oftentimes we want to do something.  But what is so incredibly important to understand is that rest in the Lord confuses the devil.  The enemy is at a loss when we trust God with childlike faith.  When we say, “I don’t need to know why, how, when, because I know You.”

Beloved, stillness is not passivity: it’s Spirit-directed activity.  It is laying down self-effort to abide in the presence of God.  That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a wrestle.  It means we fight differently.   It was at this time that I realized the enemy wasn’t just after me—he was after the Word.   

The battle became my training ground, teaching me to wield the very Word the enemy tried to steal.  The Lord showed me the battle was never meant to destroy me.  Here me again, the enemy may have sent it, but he isn’t in control of it.  God Himself has promised forever onslaught; the enemy must pay a heavy price!

For there are spoils in the battle, and the major one is more of God!  We get to know more of Him, soaking in every facet of His character, which transforms us into Christ’s very likeness.  It is here we take our position in Christ, seated above the fray, while the Father subdues every attack beneath His feet.  It is when we rest that God enlarges our borders and we begin to take new territory.

The battlefield becomes the place of authority, where the Sword of the Spirit cuts through deception and demolishes strongholds that once imprisoned my heart.  Yet it was not for me alone.  It was also preparation to serve others in an entirely new capacity.  Out of the suffering, I can testify to the goodness of God.

And isn’t this the way of the Kingdom?  To serve others by giving them what we have freely received.

Beloved, each season continues to reinforce that victory comes not through striving, but through abiding.  The spoils of war are gathered by surrendering, not self-effort.

Think of David before Goliath. Saul’s armor (representative of the flesh) weighed him down.  But David took it off and trusted in what God had already placed in his hands.  The contrast is striking: King Saul leaned on himself and never went out to meet the giant, though he taunted Israel for forty days, while David, bearing cheese and bread, leaned on the Lord alone.

“Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 

I Samuel 17:47.

Just as David’s sling and stones were enough because the battle belonged to God, so too are the weapons He has placed in our hands, and we are amply supplied with the Word!

We see it again in the life of Eleazar, one of David’s mighty men: 

“He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day.”

2 Samuel 23:10. 

His grip on the sword became so tight that it fused to him in the heat of battle. Beloved, we are called to cling to the Word of God until it becomes one with us, inseparable from our very being.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that we are clothed in God’s armor.  Most of it is defensive: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the shoes of peace.  These pieces guard, cover, and protect.  But there are two offensive weapons: the Sword of the Spirit and Praying at all times in the Spirit—these advance.  They pierce darkness, cut down deception, and drive back the enemy.

And our Lord Jesus demonstrated this in the wilderness.  He overcame testing, not by clever reasoning but by wielding the Word. Again and again, He unsheathed the sword with three simple words: “It is written.” Matthew 4:4, 7, 10.  That is how lies are silenced and victory is secured.

Isn’t it remarkable that even on the cross, at the height of His suffering, Jesus reached for Scripture?  He anchored Himself in the Word, quoting Psalm 22: ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’

What looked like defeat was in fact fulfillment of prophecy, and even in pain, Jesus demonstrated that the Word of God is the anchor for every moment, even our darkest hour.

We overcome by clinging to what God has spoken, especially in the throes of adversity.

Faith grips the Word, and the Word spoken cuts through every scheme that rises against the knowledge of Christ.

“We having the same spirit of faith, believe and therefore we speak” 

2 Corinthians 4:13.

As Scripture declares: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6.

So when the enemy presses hard and the fight feels unending, don’t loosen your grip.  Let the Word cleave to your heart, your mouth, and your hands until it becomes life within you.  This is our weapon in warfare, our defense in temptation, and our victory in trial.

Beloved, don’t despise the battle for it is the very ground upon which spoils are gathered. Hold fast until the sword and your hand are one, and watch as the Lord brings about triumph in every area of your life.

“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19.

Closing Prayer

Abba Father,

You are most glorious, clothed in majesty and strength. I bow before You with thanksgiving, for there is none like You, awesome and mighty in power.

As I walk through this week, remind me that the battle is Yours, not mine. Teach me to wield the Sword of the Spirit faithfully, declaring “It is written” against every lie. Help me to pray in the Spirit at all times, staying watchful and steadfast.

Let Your Word be fused to my heart and lips, inseparable from my being. May I stand clothed in Your armor, upheld by Your Spirit, and walk in victory that gives glory to Your name.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Let's Worship.