Military Devotion – The Champion Who Fought for You – February 20, 2026
Based on Genesis 3:15; Matthew 4:1–11
The Champion Who Fought for You
At the time of this recording one of our US Navy carrier strike groups has positioned itself in the Middle East. The purpose of this mission is to strengthen alliances, deter aggression from our near peer competitors and provide rapid response in the region. In a situation like this, you don’t send just anyone into a fight. You send people who are trained, tested, and capable of winning—and you give them the equipment to win. Because the outcome affects everyone else. When the mission is critical, you need champions.
Right after the fall into sin, God promised a champion. In Genesis 3:15, the LORD spoke to the serpent and said that the offspring of the woman would crush his head. That was a battlefield promise. Evil would not have the final word. A champion was coming.
Fast forward to the wilderness on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Jesus, newly baptized, is led into combat—not against flesh and blood, but against the devil himself. Forty days, no food, complete weakness. This is not a fair fight by human standards. And that’s the point. Where Adam fell in a perfect garden, Jesus stands firm in a barren wasteland. Where Israel failed in the wilderness, Jesus holds the line.
The devil attacks the way he always does—by twisting God’s Word, questioning God’s care, and offering shortcuts to glory without suffering or the cross. And Jesus doesn’t argue. He doesn’t negotiate. He answers every assault with, “It is written.”
Jesus fights with the Word of God.
This isn’t just an example for you to follow. This is a victory Jesus wins for you. Jesus goes into this fight as your substitute. He resists temptation in your place. He defeats the devil on your behalf.
The serpent strikes, but Christ stands. The head is crushed, just as God promised. The champion has won.
That matters for you. Because you still face temptation. A war fighter on deployment reached out to me asking for prayers to fight against the sins of lust and coveting, and laziness with the Word of God. You will still feel weakness. You may lose battles. But your salvation does not rest on your performance. It rests on Christ’s victory.
In your baptism, his win becomes yours. His obedience covers your failure. His triumph silences the accuser. The devil can still harass, but he cannot condemn. His head is crushed.
So, when the fight is fierce, when the pressure is heavy, remember this: the battle that decided your eternity is already over. Your champion stands victorious, and he stands for you.
Prayer:
Mighty God and Father, our Lord Jesus walked into the wilderness to face the devil’s temptations, but he did not succumb to Satan’s lies or falter in his resolve to save the world from the prison of hell. Bolster our faith by his mighty victory that we may battle against the forces of evil with courage and confidence; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.
