In the year 490 B.C., the Persian Army, seeking to invade Greece, landed a large force 26 miles outside of Athens. The huge army disembarked from their warships and gathered on the plains of a place called Marathon. There they prepared to attack the Greek Army and establish their presence in Europe.

The Greeks were outnumbered 4 to 1, but they launched a surprise offensive thrust against the Persians. At the time the plan seemed suicidal; but by day's end, 6,400 Persian bodies lay dead on the field, while only 192 Greek soldiers had been killed. The surviving Persians fled to sea and headed south to Athens where they hoped to attack the city before the Greek Army could re-assemble there. With no word of the Greek victory, the Persians believed the city would surrender.

A young messenger named Pheidippides was called upon to run the distance to Athens. He was to carry the good news of the victory and warn the Athenians about the approaching Persian ships. Pheidippides was already tired from another long run and from having fought in heavy armor against the Persians but seeing the need to carry the truth to his countrymen, Pheidippides rose to the challenge. Pushing himself past the normal limits of human endurance, Pheidippides ran the 26 miles to Athens in about 3 hours (today's marathon races have been created to commemorate this). As he stumbled into the city he gasped to the leaders, "Rejoice, we conquer!" and died. Hearing the news, the Athenians held on until the army arrived. The battle was won. The enemy was defeated. No surrender was necessary.

Satan tries to convince us that his battle with God still rages and would love to make us believe that he will win. Many might be inclined to believe his lies with what we see around us, but this is simply not so. Satan is a liar. While he can cause misery here, make no mistake, he has been defeated. Jesus won the victory over Satan more than 2,000 years ago when he died on the cross and resurrected just three days later.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, at times I have felt tired or lost my motivation in sharing Your Good News with others. I start believing Satan's lies and allow myself to get distracted. But today I ask that you renew my strength and give me the determination to spread your message of hope to others. In you, we are more than conquerors! Thank you for the victory we have in you. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

1. Colossians 2:15 (NIV).