by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
From Scattered Battlefields to Surrendered Hearts
James 4:7–8 (ESV)
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
I clean up this Lego battlefield somewhere in the house every single day. Yesterday, the fallen soldiers were scattered across the kitchen island after a full Revolutionary War campaign, and today, they lie headless and armless on the love seat where U.S. troops have faced German forces.
Tomorrow, they will move again to a new front, a new conflict, and probably a new time period. The location changes, the uniforms change, and the storyline changes, but one thing remains constant — the warfare.
As I gathered the pieces this morning, I realized how much Liam’s recreated battles mirror my own spiritual life. I rarely know what pressures, internal struggles or unexpected conflicts will rise up from one day to the next. Yet, I can count on the reality that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but we battle against rulers, against authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). The battlefield shifts, but the war itself is real.
Because the battle is not carnal, our weapons cannot be either. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). For the last three days, my primary battlement has been prayer as I have sought deeper intimacy with the Father and prepared my heart for sincere God-centered worship this coming Sunday. I have treasured the nearness of His presence and the stillness that comes when I stop striving and simply sit with Him.
Then, I walked into the office after a special time of prayer and worship at home.
Task after task unfolded, and with those tasks, came conflict at the shop — the kind that tries to pull the heart out of worship and redirect the mind toward frustration and defeat. I literally said, “I rebuke this situation in the name of Jesus!” The enemy does not create new strategies. He simply accuses because he is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). His goal is always the same. He wants me paralyzed in fear, so I will forget that the victory has already been won.
“The Lord rebuke you” is still a powerful reality (Zechariah 3:2). The Father Himself stands as our defender and rebukes the enemy for our sake just as He does for all the brethren who are born again. When the accuser rises to speak, we are reminded that it is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us (Romans 8:33–34). The enemy may accuse, but he cannot overturn the verdict that was settled at the cross.
Ultimately, my praise, my worship and my heart posture before the Father are my true battlements. My anointed gifts are not dependent on my circumstances, my feelings, or the resistance I encounter. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Worship is not my reaction to the battle. It is my position in the victory.
Most importantly, every position of victory leads me to the same place — the altar.
Liam’s Lego soldiers lie in pieces today, but tomorrow they will be rebuilt and sent back into the fight.
That image stopped me because the same is true for us. The righteous fall seven times and rise again (Proverbs 24:16). We are never left dismantled on the field because our Commander has already secured the ground we stand on; the battlefield may move from room to room, but the altar remains constant.
This week as I have worshiped, I have found myself face down before Him in the only posture that wins the war — a surrendered posture.
“Where the tears of the desperate reach the feet of the Savior…there’s no waste at the altar.” (“At the Altar” by Maverick City).
Everything I have carried into His presence has become an offering. The conflict. The preparation. The fatigue. The longing for deeper intimacy. None of it has been wasted because the altar is where the heart of surrender meets the hands of the Maker.
Reflection — Face Down at the Altar
Every battlefield must lead somewhere, and for the believer, it always leads to the altar. The place of victory is not the visible strength or the perfect strategy. It is the posture of surrender — face down, heart open, mind yielded and being still at the feet of Jesus. It is the place where fear loses its voice, and intimacy is restored because we remember that He can use anything we bring to Him.
Ask yourself where your posture has been this week. Have you been striving to stand in your own strength, or have you allowed the Spirit to bring you to your knees? The altar is not a place of defeat. It is the place where the battle is rightly positioned, and where we return again and again to the truth that nothing offered to Jesus in prayer is ever wasted.
Bring the broken places.
Bring the victories.
Bring the anxiety.
Bring the calling.
Lay it all down.
Scripture Study — Returning to the Altar
Read these passages slowly this week from a posture of surrender:
Romans 12:1–2
How does becoming a living sacrifice change the way you approach spiritual warfare?
Hebrews 4:16
What does it look like for you to run to the throne of grace first instead of fighting in your own strength?
James 4:7–10
How does submission to God become your greatest weapon?
2 Chronicles 20:3, 12, 15, 21–22
What do you learn about victory when the battle begins with seeking the Lord and worshiping Him?
Psalm 27:4–6
How does dwelling in His presence lift your head above the battle around you?
Write one phrase from these passages and return to it throughout your day. Let it bring you back to the altar again and again.
Where the heart of surrender meets the hands of the Maker; there is no waste at the altar.
Closing Prayer
Father, teach me to run to the altar first. Bring my heart into a posture of surrender where every fear, every conflict, and every victory is laid at Your feet. Guard me from fighting battles in my own strength and keep my eyes fixed on the victory that Jesus has already secured. Let my worship remain pure and my intimacy with You remain my highest ground. Use every part of my life for Your glory because nothing surrendered to You is ever wasted. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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