Now I Have Four More Battles
Imagine a soldier who finally musters the courage to step onto the battlefield for the first time. He fights hard, makes mistakes, learns on the fly, and somehow manages to win his very first skirmish. Sweat pours down his face, and he feels the surge of relief. It’s over. I did it.
But then the commander steps forward, claps him on the shoulder, and says, “Good work. Now the real warfare begins. We have four more battles waiting.”
That’s often what it feels like when we say yes to God. It’s easy to mistake our yes’ for the end of war. But instead, it becomes the doorway. I’ve lived to see that the yes leads to more yeses. The victory leads to bigger battles, and the step of faith leads to a journey that keeps unfolding.
God it’s cruel. This happens because He’s shaping us into warriors. If we want to make it in life we can’t be tourists. He’s training us for endurance, not convenience. God is inviting us to know Him more deeply, in the clash of the fight.
The First Yes Is Only the Beginning
When God calls us to an assignment, our minds get flooded with questions. Whether it’s to lead a small group, reconcile with someone, launch a ministry, or step into a leadership role we often hesitate. The imposter syndrome wants to take over. Am I qualified? Will I fail? Do I really have what it takes? Is this the right time?
Until we finally surrender. We say yes. And the moment we settle and slightly drop our shoulders and say yes, a shift happens. We could almost see the spiritual atmosphere change. We start seeing how one bullet comes right after the other.
I’ve found myself telling God, “I thought that you wanted me to say yes”. I’ve question the timing, and decision. “Did I acted without direction? Was I letting myself go by my own emotions? I think I heard you clearly, but instead it was all in my head…?”
Yes, there’s been seasons when I’ve expected relief, but instead often faced resistance. The “yes” isn’t the end of our struggle—it’s the beginning of new challenges to overcome.
Moses didn’t stop at saying yes at the burning bush. That yes was just the doorway to ten plagues, years of wandering, rebellions, and intercessions. Nehemiah didn’t stop at saying yes to rebuilding the wall. That yes meant ridicule from enemies, constant threats, sleepless nights, and the temptation to quit. Mary didn’t stop at saying yes to bearing the Messiah. That yes meant fleeing to Egypt, watching her Son misunderstood, and eventually standing at the foot of the cross.
In each case, one yes became many battles.
Why God Multiplies the Battles
Why doesn’t God make it easy after our first step of obedience? Why does one assignment open the floodgates to four more?
Because the battles are part of His training ground. He wants to level us higher.
He Works to Grow Our Capacity
That first assignment shows us the limits of our strength, and then God enlarges our capacity by walking us through greater challenges. Think of David. His yes to fighting Goliath revealed courage, but that was only the beginning of a lot of fighting. God used the battles that followed like Saul’s jealousy, years of exile, and leadership struggles to shape him into a king who could shepherd a nation.
God Wants to Reveal His Strength in Our Weakness
God chooses the unqualified on purpose to show us, our own strength through Him. Gideon is proof of this. When he said yes to leading Israel, God allowed his army to be reduced to 300 men to make sure the victory would point only to Him (God Almighty).
Our insufficiency is not an eternal barrier, it’s the backdrop for God’s glory.
God’s Goal is to Equip Us for Future Battles
Every assignment prepares us for the next. Remember that the lion prepared David for the bear, and the bear prepared David for Goliath. Now, Goliath prepared David for kingship.
What is your Goliat preparing you for? The victories of yesterday aren’t just memories; they’re training.
He Wants to be Able to Encourage Others Through Our Journey
Your yes is never just about you. Every battle you face and every victory you win becomes a testimony that equips others. Winning can be hard to perceive when we feel like we’re running out of fuel. But the point here is that we should never try to fight with our own strengths. Just as Paul’s chains encouraged the early church in Philippians 1:14, your endurance can spark courage in someone else battle.
Four Common Battles
What do these battles may look like when God gives us more assignments? They may not come with swords or spears, but they’re just as real.
1. The Battle of Fear
Fear is often the first giant we face. Fear of failure, rejection, or inadequacy. When God calls us to something new, fear (dares to) whisper: You can’t do this. Moses heard that whisper and yielded to it. He argued with God about his stutter and lack of eloquence. Joshua heard it too as he faced the Promised Land, and God had to tell him repeatedly, “Be strong and courageous.”
Fear is a God given natural response, but it should get the final word. Faith doesn’t mean the absence of fear; it means moving forward anyway, trusting God’s presence to go with us.
2. There’s Also The Battle of Discouragement
Once the excitement of starting something new fades, discouragement sets in. Here’s when we begin to feel that our progress slows down. When opposition arises we begin to wonder if we misheard God.
Nehemiah faced these challenges when he decided to say yes. At first, the people worked with enthusiasm, but soon their strength gave out, and their flesh took over. The rubble looked overwhelming, and their enemies kept taunting them they felt like they could not keep going. Nehemiah had to remind them: “Don’t be afraid… remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.”
Discouragement often comes right before breakthrough. Read it again! Yes, breakthrough is around the corner. Galatians 6:9 reminds us to “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
3. The Battle of Distraction
Not every battle comes head-on. Some come sideways masked as busyness, temptations, and good-but-not-great opportunities that can pull us away from our assignment.
Samson is a tragic example of this. He had a calling from birth, but distractions weakened him. Ooff—women, pride, and compromise became greater and more appealing than his assignment. Instead of walking in his full anointing, he kept veering off track to pursue the newness, show off his skills and seek sensation.
Jesus warns about this in the parable of the sower. The seed that fell among thorns was choked by “the cares of this life.” Staying focused is a fight in itself.
4. The Battle of Surrender
Perhaps the hardest battle of all is surrender and laying down our timeline, our ways, and our expectations. We must keep in mind that God’s assignments rarely unfold the way we imagined. In fact, it should not unfold the way we imagine.
Abraham knew the battle of surrender and is evidence of the power we obtain by trusting God. He will always provide. God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, yet year after year passed before he was able to see his first born. It wasn’t until he was 100, before Isaac finally came. God asked him to lay that promise on the altar, to sacrifice Isaac. Can you imagine this? Imagine going a week without food, without water, and without a shower, and when you finally get the blessing to eat, shower, and drink the Lord says to you, give it to someone else. Abraham’s surrender became the stage for God’s faithfulness. Ultimate faith and obedience.
Surrender is where we stop striving and let the Holy Spirit lead. It’s where we declare: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
His Faithfulness Is the Anchor
While the battles multiply, so does His grace. God never calls us to an assignment and then abandons us in it.
He promises: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
That’s the secret weapon, Jesus Himself. We fight, and we endure, yes. But ultimately, the weight of the outcome rests on God’s shoulders, not ours.
David said “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall” (Psalm 18:29). His confidence was more than a bravado. His confidence came from the memories of what God had done for him in the past. Every battle behind him reminded him that God was faithful, and that faithfulness was his anchor for the battles ahead.
Saying yes to God is not the end of struggle. Saying yes it’s the start of greater battles.
Every new challenge grows our faith, reveals His strength, equips us for what’s ahead, and encourages those who follow. We may feel unqualified, but God delights in using the unqualified to display His glory. So when He says, “Now I have four more battles I need you to fight,” don’t hold back. Remember the first yes. Remember His faithfulness. And remember that you’re not fighting alone.
Your yes is the seed, His faithfulness is the harvest, and every battle in between is shaping you, strengthening you, and equipping others for their own fight.
©️2025 Denise Kilby New Hope MHCLC Assoc. All rights reserved.
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