How Do You Battle?

All this talk of conflict and game pieces leaves us to some questions. We have to ask ourselves how we battle. The time has come to stop looking at others and examine ourselves and how we do life. You need to ask yourself a couple of questions. The first one is simply: “How do you battle?” In Ephesians 4 the Bible lets us know some ground rules for how to enter conflict. “26 When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. 27 Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.” “29 When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.” [Ephesians 4:26-29 (NCV)]

The first step is to decide not to sin in your anger. You must find a way to express our anger without going too far and hurting someone else. It is important to express your anger, but to let it go once you have. Being angry is not the sin; it is allowing anger to control you. To let it be expressed in one of the ways you just learned about in the game pieces. To blow someone out of the water going for blood when it is not necessary, and trying to prove your point over everything else is destructive. The next verses tell you to watch what you say, but more importantly how you say it. Conflict is not helpful if you let it become about getting even or ahead. It must lead to reconciliation or it is not helpful to others or to yourself.

Why Do You Battle?

The second question you need to answer is “Why do you battle?” Since the beginning of time nations and people have gone to war for several reasons. Strange thing is that no matter why they have gone to war, it seems justified in their own eyes. Any conflict must be entered into slowly and thoughtfully. After all why are you entering the fray? In Romans 12 the Bible shows us why we should battle with others. 17 If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. 18 Do your best to live in peace with everyone. 19 My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them,” says the Lord. 20 But you should do this: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good. [Romans 12:17-21 (NCV)]
You must enter conflict to gain or repair a relationship. Doing good to others is not throwing the game by guessing where you know their ships are not located. It is rising above where you find yourself now, and moving to a place that is completely different from what is normal. You can no longer battle to gain a victory or to prove a point of show your own greatness. You must battle to gain peace. We are to live in peace as much as we can with other people. Does that mean you will accomplish your goal or finding peace in every relationship or have a peace summit after every conflict? No it doesn’t. The thing that matters is not what happens outwardly, but what happens within your own heart.

Battleship is a part of life. You battle people from time to time. You better be sure how you want to battle someone or what you want to accomplish as you battle another person. God has called you to live in a different way. When the game is over, the pieces all go back in the box. Make sure you have done what you need to live in peace, to battle to win a heart, not a fight. This battling is what honors God and makes for peace in this world. Do not be afraid to battle but find the way that is most helpful, not destructive.