Running Into The Battle: Part 5 – When The Battle Turns Into A Long War

Key Text: 1 Kings Chapter 17, 18 and 19

In this concluding message in the “Running Into The Battle” Series, I want to focus on a particular type of battle that almost all of us will face at some point in our lives. Most battles are just that. An enemy presents itself, there is a conflict and then the battle is over. I am not saying that these battles are easy or small, or even quick in nature. But some battles turn into something much more. I want to talk about how we can continue to engage the enemy with the same fervor that David had when he ran towards Goliath – even when the battle turns into a long war. Some struggles are not brief battles but long wars, and believers must learn how to remain faithful, patient, and spiritually resilient when victory does not come quickly.

Using Elijah’s conflict with Ahab, Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 17–19, this message traces a prolonged season of drought, miraculous provision, confrontation, victory, exhaustion, fear, and renewal. Elijah trusts God at the Kerith Ravine, witnesses God provide through the widow of Zarephath, prays for her son to be restored to life, confronts Baal worship on Mount Carmel, and persistently prays for rain. Yet after these victories, Jezebel’s threat leaves him discouraged and overwhelmed. God responds not with condemnation but with food, rest, compassionate conversation, a gentle whisper, renewed purpose, and the reminder that Elijah is not alone.

The sermon offers eight principles for enduring a long war:

Total trust — Trust God through victories, setbacks, clarity, and uncertainty.

Daily dependence — Receive what God provides one day at a time rather than demanding every answer in advance.

Fervent faith — Continue believing for miracles and rely on the Holy Spirit rather than personal strength.

Confronting culture — Resist pressures that lead away from God; failing to confront culture eventually leads to conformity.

Persistent and passionate prayer — Keep praying even when there is no immediate evidence of an answer.

Honesty about our humanity — Acknowledge fear, exhaustion, loneliness, anxiety, and despair instead of hiding them.

Quiet assurance — Recognize that God may speak through stillness and a gentle whisper, not only through dramatic experiences.

Remembering that we are not alone — Like Elijah, believers may feel isolated, but God has other faithful people engaged in the same larger struggle.

The sermon concludes with encouragement to keep running into the battle, trusting that God is faithful, present, and able to sustain His people through prolonged hardship.

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