WHO WILL GAIN THE HEIGHTS?
In the early days of the revolutionary war the Continental Army led by Washington was besieging the British Army in the city of Boston. They faced each other on opposite hills- the British at Bunker Hill, a fortification they won only at great cost and the Americans in Cambridge. But there was a third hill of Dorchester that sat open and empty and strategically located. Whoever took this hill would win the Battle of Boston as it strategically overlooked the other positions. The Continental Army could not make a move toward Dorchester because they knew when they did the British Army would engage them and they would be defeated as their numbers were small, they had limited firepower and virtually no powder – so they had to wait month after month as the strategic hill sat empty.
General Howe, on the other hand, had near unlimited firepower and trained troops at his disposal. He knew of the strategic importance of Dorchester, the hill that overlooked all of Boston Bay, and yet he chose to not take the hill. Instead of taking the high ground, he settled for Washington not taking it. What he did not know was that Washington would not join him in his apathy. Under the cover of secrecy Washington dispatched Henry Knox to Fort Ticonderoga 200 miles away to secure the cannons abandoned there by the British. Over mud and mountain, ice and snow Knox and his men dragged these cannons towards Boston. For 3 long months they strained against time and nature to deliver the cannons to Washington and to his high ground.
When Knox arrived the army mobilized to place the cannons and fortify the position in the dead of night. The reverend is quoted as saying “God himself” was for them. In one night they accomplished what one British soldier would say looked like 4 months worth of work- the spirit of the revolutionaries would not be satisfied with stalemate nor did they take their cue from their enemy. Instead, they gained the heights. When the British awoke to find the fortifications lifted and cannon aimed at them from above, they knew the battle was lost before a shot was fired. Within two days General Howe ordered a retreat by sea giving the patriots their first major victory, and evidence that their cause could succeed.
Apathy is anathema to leadership. You must not wait to see where the enemy will attack before you build up your defense. Do not cede by disinterest the strategic areas of your life and mind, to a devil whose desire is to destroy you. Be sober, be vigilant because your enemy stalks like a lion seeking whom he may devour. Above all, do not allow the culture of complacency that surrounds you, seep into you. Instead, gain the heights in your life. Conquer your flesh, discipline your mind, form healthy habits, honor God. Surround yourself with men who do not accept the status quo, but push you towards virtue and victory. Raise the fortifications of your convictions, and sacrifice the things that make you less. Allow God to do the deep work in your life, and take the hills the enemy has his eye on. Deny him the strength by denying yourself, take ground by taking up your cross, and gain the heights by following Christ.
Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Revelation 3:2