Built For Battle

Season 2 of Keepers of the Light begins with a powerful reminder: you were built for the battle.

In this premiere episode, Dylan Burcham dives into the spiritual battles every believer faces—fatigue, discouragement, pressure, and the temptation to quit—and reveals how God has already equipped us to stand strong through it all.

With encouraging Scripture, practical truth, and powerful illustrations, this episode will challenge you to recognize the battle, strengthen your faith, and keep moving forward with confidence in God’s purpose for your life.

No matter where you are in your walk with God—whether you feel strong in faith or weary in the fight—this message is for you.

It’s time to be reminded that the pressure you’re facing is not proof of defeat… it’s proof that God is preparing you for victory.

🎧 Tune in to “Built for the Battle” and step into Season 2 with renewed strength, renewed faith, and renewed purpose.

Transcript

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What's going on, everybody, and welcome back to Keepers of the Light, the official podcast of Gospel Lighthouse Pentecostal Church right here in Tishamingo, Mississippi. As always, I'm your host, Dylan Bircham, and we are coming back today for season number two of Keepers of the Light after a couple week break from ending season one. And I am excited to jump right into season number two. This season, we're not just talking about growth. Yes, we will talk about it some, but we're gonna talk about more than that. There's a lot in store for season two. We're gonna talk about resistance, we're gonna talk about pressure, we're going to talk about what it means to stand when everything in life is trying to push you back. And we're gonna begin that today with a powerful episode titled Built for Battle. Because believe it or not, you're M1. Before we completely dive into today's episode, I just want to take just a moment to say thank you so much for your support so far. The support for season one of Keepers of the Light was awesome. I don't expect season two to be anything less. It's going to be an awesome season with some awesome episodes. But before we begin, I do want to remind everyone, just as I did in season one, that no matter where you are in your walk with God, this space was created for you and with you in mind. I don't care if you've served the Lord for 20 years, 20 days, or you're just now beginning. Today is day number one of endeavoring to learn about Him. You are welcome here and we love you. We want you in this space. This podcast was created for you. So thank you so much for tuning in. Don't go anywhere. Please stick around because God designed it. You did not click on this link by accident. So let's establish this right now. And I know this is going to come as a shock to many of you, but I feel that it's important that we get this out of the way. Following God does not remove struggle. 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12 says, Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ, Jesus, shall suffer persecution. That's not a maybe, that's a promise. But here's the shift. The battle that you're in is not proof that something is wrong. It's often proof that something is so right. Because you don't get resistance without movement, and you don't get opposition without purpose. Some of you today that are listening have probably been asking, why is everything so hard? And maybe it's because you're not walking in the wrong direction. Just maybe it's because you're finally walking in the right one. No matter who we are, no matter where we go, no matter what our past, no matter what our future, we have to get one thing clear, and that is that your battle is not always what you think it is. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12 tells us for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. You see, it's not just people and it's not just circumstances. There is a spiritual dimension to what you're facing. And if you misidentify the enemy, you'll fight the wrong battles. You'll waste energy arguing when you should be praying. You'll get bitter when you should be building. And we have to be careful to remember the battle is not always what we think it is. We need to make sure that we identify the enemy properly. But oftentimes, in that battle and in that fight, there is this little thing called exhaustion that takes place. I know you probably weren't expecting us to get that real right out of the gate. This is episode one, but it also is season number two. We're going to be real this season. Exhaustion happens. It's a real thing. Spiritual exhaustion. Because even strong people get tired. Galatians 6 and 9, and we use this in our season one finale, says, Let us not be weary in well doing. Maybe you're listening today and you've been trying. You've been showing up. You've been pushing forward. But lately it's felt heavy. And here's why. Maybe you've been fighting, but you haven't been refilling. You can't pour out without pouring in. Let me paint you a picture today to illustrate this a little better. There is a story of a man who decided that he was going to chop down a large tree. And he got out there early in the morning, full of energy, and he started to swing his axe. Hour one, he's making progress. Hour two, he's sweating, but he's still pushing. Hour three, he's exhausted, but the tree is barely giving. And another man walks by and says to him, Hey, when is the last time you sharpen that axe? And the first man responds, I don't have time to resharpen it. I'm too busy chopping. And that's how a lot of people are living spiritually. You're swinging, you're working, you're trying, but you're exhausted because you're dull. Not because you're weak, but because you're dull. You see, some of us we don't need to try harder. We need to pause for a moment and allow God to refill us and sharpen us. Prayer sharpens you. The word of God sharpens you. Time with God sharpens you because a sharp believer can do more in one swing than a dull one can do in a hundred. This is the moment of our life, though, that we need to make sure that we are equipped. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 11 tells us put on the whole armor of God, not part of it, all of it. Put on truth and righteousness and peace and faith and salvation in the Word of God. This isn't something that's symbolic and just a Sunday school lesson. This is what it means to survive the battle that we are in. Too many people are trying to fight spiritual battles with emotional strength alone. And I'm sorry to tell you today that emotional strength has never won a spiritual battle. In fact, if you run on emotional strength, what is going to happen? It is going to drive you to have ideas of quitting. So let's go there for a minute. Because this is where a lot of people are right now. You're on the edge of giving up. You've thought about giving up. You've thought about slowing down and backing off and taking a break from church and taking a break from this. And you're having all of those thoughts and all of those emotions, and you were never meant to fight this battle on emotions. You're supposed to fight this battle spiritually. So if you're having these thoughts, I want you to hear this today. In Luke chapter 9 and verse 62, the Bible says that no man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. You didn't come this far to stop in this moment. The pressure you feel, it's not there to break you, but it is there to reveal you to who you truly are. On that topic, let me give you another picture today. And I know I'm loading you with illustrations, but I think it's so important to bring this together and show us what we're talking about instead of just tell us. Um there's a story of a soldier in training, and he is pushed to his limits. He's exhausted and frustrated and ready to quit. And everything in him says, I can't do this anymore. So he goes to his instructor and he tells him, I'm done. And the instructor looked at him and said something so powerful that I want to say to every listener right now that is considering quitting. He said, You're not done. You are just to the point where most people quit. Let that sink in today. Because there is a moment in every battle where quitting feels justified, where stopping feels reasonable, where giving up feels easier than pushing forward. But that moment, that moment is the line, and on the other side of the line is the breakthrough. Some of you are closer than you think, and the enemy isn't trying to destroy you right now, but he's just trying to put enough pressure on you to convince you to stop. Because if you stop, you will never see what was about to happen. So don't let that pressure define you. Let that pressure motivate you to be who you're called to be. And if that pressure is revealing that you're fighting spiritual battles with emotions, you've got to fix that before the battle can ever be won. If you do fix that, the good news is that is where energy begins to rise again. You're not weak, you're not fragile, you're not easily defeated. Romans 8 and 37 says, Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors. We're not just survivors, we're more than conquerors. That means you don't just endure hardship, you overcome it. There is something in you today that the enemy cannot destroy because God put it in there for you to be more than a conqueror. But in that, in being more than a conqueror, in being victorious, there needs to be a reminder today that victory doesn't always look like moving forward. Sometimes victory just looks like not moving back. And I know that sounds a little bit confusing, but as long as you don't go backwards, you're victorious. You may not always be able to gain 10 steps on the spiritual enemy, but as long as I don't lose any, I'm doing good. I'm being victorious. Ephesians 6 and 13 illustrates it this way: having done all to stand. Stand when it's hard, stand when it's quiet, stand when it feels like nothing is changing at all. Because stability is strength. So be stable, be strong, and make up in your mind that I am built for battle and I can overcome. I can be more than a conqueror. I can be what I'm called to be, and I can be a keeper of the light. Let's pray together. Lord, right now I pray strength over every listener. You see the battles that they don't talk about, and you understand the weight that they all carry. Lord, your word says that you are our strength and our shield. And so, Lord, I'm asking you to be that for them today. Strength where they are weak, peace where they are overwhelmed, clarity where they are confused. Lord, I ask you to remind them that they are not fighting alone. Equip them, sustain them, carry them when they feel like they can't go on anymore. And let them walk out of this moment stronger than they were before. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Thank you so much for coming back for the first episode of season two of Keepers of the Light. I want to say today, if this episode spoke to you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with somebody. Help this podcast grow. But more than that, I want you to share it because someone else is in a battle that they don't know how to fight. And I want you to remember today, you're not just going through something. You were built for this battle. This is episode one of season two of Keepers of the Light, and we're not backing down. We're not giving up, and we're not giving in. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode of Keepers of the Light. As always, my name is Dylan Bircham, and I do want to remind you today in the first episode of season two to share this podcast with a friend. Follow us on Facebook at Keepers of the Light, the Facebook page. Follow our website, maybe add our podcast to your regular downloads, turn notifications on so you know you get new episodes every single time we post one. And the one thing I don't like to talk about, but it does mean a lot to us because we are listener supported. If you find it in your heart to give to Keepers of the Light to help ensure that we continue to be able to do what we do, you can do so at keepers of the light.buzzsprout.com. In the top right hand corner, you can click the small dollar icon or the support button that will allow you to become a monthly sponsor of Keepers of the Light. And again, that's not mandatory. That's not me asking you to. But if you do find it in your heart to do so, I pray the Lord blesses you and I thank you so much. Again, this has been episode number one of season two of Keepers of the Light. And until next time, keep the light burning.