How to Fight Your BattlesSample

About twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee, at the base of Mount Hermon, lies one of the largest springs that feeds into the Jordan River—in a place called Caesarea Philippi. The spring emerged from a large cave called the Grotto of Pan, which became the center of pagan worship where, beginning in the third century BC, sacrifices were cast into the cave as offerings to the god Pan. The Grotto (or cave) of Pan was considered the pagan “Gate of Hades.”

This place had a history of adversity, fear, temptation, sin, and bad choices. Many of us have those places in our lives—a dark cave, far from where God wants us to be. We keep exploring, searching for answers, chasing wonders, drawn to things that scare us but seem exciting.

I had a long season in this type of cave—chasing the wrong things because they looked right. Like the Greeks were to Pan, I was pulled to the mystery of what frightened me. It’s easy to get sucked in.

In 20 BC, King Herod was given control over this area and built a center of worship along with a beautiful temple of pure white stone. When he died, it was passed to his son Philip, who expanded it and renamed it Caesarea Philippi.

Isn’t that just like the enemy—to make our dark seasons look beautiful? Instead of tearing down our idols, we often try to cover them with outward beauty, pretending our foundation isn’t rooted in fear, shame, guilt, or hurt.

Jesus breaks through that darkness with His truth, and the freedom He promises overpowers the darkness.

Whatever you are facing today, Jesus overpowers it.