In terms of battle, those who possess the high ground usually win the battle. In an article by army officer Eric Tang, he said, “All combat units strive to do these three things well: shoot, move, and communicate. High ground typically gives combat units an advantage in those three areas.”
A few months ago while in prayer, the Lord made it clear to me,
You must not surrender the place of prayer. It is your high ground. With it you will ALWAYS have the advantage.
For followers of Jesus, prayer is your high ground and here’s why:
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)
So tell me, if we are wrestling with an enemy we can’t see, why do we spend so much time and energy on things we can see? The short answer is: it’s much easier to focus on tangible things we can see than upon the things we cannot see. It’s our human nature. The only problem is, as followers of Jesus, we are called to walk by faith, not sight! (see 2 Corinthians 5:7)
Our Advantage
What is so advantageous about high ground? Officer Tang goes on to explain,
- Shoot – from high ground you gain more range with your weapons. You have a better line of vision, and there are less obstructions.
Your prayers become more effective and accurate as you pray from an informed place. God gives you insight without obstructions and spiritual eyes to see from His perspective. Your prayers become accurate, effective, and specific.
- Move – It’s easier and more advantageous to attack from an uphill position.
Prayer places you on high ground, giving you the uphill position. The enemy must then attack you from a disadvantaged downhill position. In Christ, we find our high place,
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6 NLT)
Martin Luther the Reformer said this about prayer:
“If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day.”
I find this to be absolutely true in my life. I must pray until I gain a sense of victory, otherwise I lose the day. I’m not proposing that everyone must pray two hours per day; what I’m proposing is that you pray until you gain the victory.
- Communicate – There is a higher chance of successful communications from high ground when your primary means of communication are “Line of Sight” and VHF radios. If communication flows freely, you have a distinct advantage!
Prayer allows your communication with God to flow freely as you take time to hear His voice and see from His perspective. This gives you a distinct advantage over your enemy because you can see him coming! He can’t sneak up on you! There’s a much lower chance of confusion and mixed signals when you have clear communication. Jesus was our example in this:
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19 NLT)
Have you given up your high ground?
I could go on and on about this and cite multiple Biblical examples, but I won’t. Instead, ask yourself a few questions. Each question begins with “Have I traded…”
- My place of power (the place of prayer) for the urgency of the moment?
- The secret place of His presence for the applause of men?
- The one thing (Mary) for the many things (Martha)?
- Being for doing?
- Friendship for service (John 15:15)?
- Peace for anxiety (Philippians 4:6)?
- Joy for mourning (Isaiah 61:3)?
- Stillness for frenzy (Psalm 46)?
- The best for the good or the greater for the lesser (Rom. 8:32)?
- Worship for idolatry (John 4:24)?
- A heavenly perspective for an earthly one (Col. 3:2)?
- The foolishness of God for the wisdom of men (1 Cor. 1:25)?
- God’s approval for the approval of others (2 Corinthians 10:12)?
- His words for the words of men (Psalm 1)?
Take Back Your High Ground
I’m not going to insult you with a methodological formula of what it looks like for you to abide in Christ and take back your high ground. In the end, it looks different for every person and obedience is better than sacrifice. While we all have the invitation to abide in Christ, what it looks like varies from person to person depending on your unique personality and calling.
Paul Johansson, a father in the Elim movement, was once asked, “How long do you pray each day?” He responded, “I pray until I connect with God. The point isn’t how long you pray, the point is to connect with Jesus.” How long should you pray? Pray each day until you connect with Jesus and move out from a place of faith and victory.
Next Steps
Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit how to take back your high ground and what that looks like for you, then simply obey!
Start right now. Take back your high ground.
