The battle of greatness.

Very recently, I was in a game of Paintball with some friends. During that game session, I tried to be as gentle as I could but the other parties were busy firing shots at me. The bullets landed on me like raindrops. I dodged very few of them until the pain became so unbearable. I had to start blind firing at a point. I fired almost all my bullet in one session of the game. I broke most of the laws of the game but I got two of the opposition down at the right time. When they surrendered I refused to stop firing. The opposition went down. There was peace. It was that simple. It wasn’t that easy. Just like in Paintball game and in a real war situation. Life will be filled with battles you will have to fight. There will be time to hide and a time to come out of hiding and just shoot those bullets. And it is wise decision to never fight any battle you know that you can never win.

Some battle of greatness will be fought in our relationships. It is difficult for some one you have never known, heard of or seen to fight with you.
There will be battles against our own self, against our own selfishness. We will be better of competing against our own self rather than with anyone else. There will be some battles of greatness to fight in life; some of them will be at workplace, in business, academics, sometimes in the family, and even among some friends. The greatest battle you will ever fight is the one you will have to fight to protect your focus. The battles over destiny are such that require you to guide your focus. If your focus gets affected, you lost already! What happens when destiny is short-circuited can not be described with mere words. This is life. It is battle. Whether you like it or not; there will be some thing, some one to contend with before you reach your goal. Moses faced pharaoh; David fought the Philistines, and their Goliath. Modeccai and Esther faced Haman. Even, Jesus contended with Satan, Pharisees and Sadducees.
You may want to ask what this is all about. The battle of greatness is the battle against what is on the inside of you. It is the battle against your assignment and life’s calling. It is more than your color, gender or race as a person. It’s beyond your personality. It is actually against where you are going in life. When any situation tries to kill that spirit in you, never consent. That is time to fight with everything in you to keep your dreams and destiny alive. Stay in the fight, stay in the heat, and stay alive because the battle is not actually for you as much as it is against the greatness in you. It is against the seed of destiny.

If you ever thought of any man who knows how to avoid confrontation. It was Isaac. He would rather leave than argue. He lost many of his father’s well to the philistines in the process. Walking away sometimes does not solve the problem because some stubborn strive lovers still wouldn’t back off. The devil will set off the least expected against you. He is after your destiny. They could still come chasing at you and taunting you even when you have allowed them to have their way. Little wonder that adage said: He, who runs from fight, flees to fight another day. In my young life, I have had to avoid fights. I have taken a bow and left with my tail between my two laps. I have bent over to be ridden over. I have lost at negotiation tables intentionally. Yes, I have avoided strive like Isaac. However, I have come to discover that there are times for that .Yes there are times you will have to allow peace to reign. And there are days when you can only sheath your swords to your own peril. It will be foolish to passively expect peace in the midst of chaos. It’s all in the understanding of the times and seasons. Like the men of Issachar who knew what Israel were to do per time. Their brethren (and I added… both eldest brother and youngest sisters in terms of age) were at their command.


“…And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water [is] ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” – (Genesis 26:18 -22)

the man called Isaac during the time of recession went through the eyes of the storm, facing several challenges which I have divided into three basic stages below. The fact was that until he went through these three stages, he did not get unto his financial blessing and greatness. Although, you may not experience exactly what he experienced. It is good to know that he went through strive, fight, offence hurled against him by neighbour, fellow city dwellers, before he reached his destination.

1. Esek, because there was a fight over his well project. There was fight over his dream. There will be fights concerning your personality, vision, dreams, actions, opinions. Genesis 26:20. Are you braced for the challenge?


2. Sitnah. …And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. There would be a fight about whatever new idea or adjustment you brought. Because some people simply delight in taking offence. Are you braced to handle difficult people? If you think you will fight only one battle in life and reach your goal; you are lying. If you think you will fight one battle and enter into greatness, you are not prepared. It takes stamina to go through the tunnel of strife and come out on the other side triumphantly.


3. Rehoboth …And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land…there is a place called there. Where dreams come through and true, when there is room to flourish and when we finally find water out of our difficult situations and experience. Isaac did not complain to God that you told me to stay in this land, but what is this that is happening to me everywhere I go?