by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

2 Timothy 2:1-3

No battle was ever won by surrendering.

When someone hears the name "Michael Jordan" they usually think of the wildly-successful professional basketball player-and rightly so. Michael Jordan not only popularized the NBA in America during the 80s and 90s, but created a world phenomena through marketing and promotions. Throughout his basketball career, Jordan scored over thirty-two thousand points, grabbed over six thousand rebounds, and posted over five thousand assists. Simply listing Jordan's career accomplishments is staggering: six-time NBA Champion, five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, fourteen-time NBA All-Star, six-time NBA Finals MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, ten-time All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Rookie First Team, three0-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, two-time NBA Slam Dunk Content winner, two-time Gold Medal winner in the Olympics, NCAA Men's Basketball Champion, two-time Consensus NCAA All-American First Team, 1982 ACC Freshman of the Year, 1984 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and the list goes on.

But what many people don't think of when they hear the name "Michael Jordan" is the failures he endured. In his own words, he could've held many more records and commanded more prestige had he not failed, yet he still considers himself a success:

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Who wouldn't consider Michael Jordan's career a success? Yet few remember the struggles and failures he faced on his way to becoming one of the NBA's greatest players.

Similarly, we face failures and setbacks every day on our Christian journey. Do you ever feel that some days you take three steps forward just to turn around and take two steps back the next day? The Christian life isn't a full sprint, but a daily journey that features failures and mistakes.

In counseling Timothy, Paul notes that Timothy will have to endure hardness during his Christian journey. He'll have to face critics, humbly repent of sins, and get back up after failures. Yet Paul encourages him, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

By now you've probably learned that the Christian life is a battle. The devil's attacks are constant and intense, and living outside of God's help will leave you wounded on the side of the battlefield. But despite the failures, God encourages you to get back up and keep fighting. Does a military general give up a war after a lost battle? No! He learns from his mistakes and continues fighting.

What do you do when you give in to the devil's temptation? Get back up. What do you do when you forget to spend time with God? Get back up. What do you do when you let your emotions control you? Get back up. What do you do when you make a mistake? Get back up. No battle was ever won by surrendering.

Thankfully, our God has won the war against the devil. Christ's sacrifice on the Cross paid for sin and satisfied our debt to God. The war is over! Yet we must daily fight the battles of living godly lives. Rather than giving into the devil when the battle becomes difficult, stand strong and get back up every time you fall.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 57-59 | Romans 4