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THE BATTLE IS NOT TO THE STRONG

A few centuries before Christ, Alexander the Great conquered almost all of the known world with his military strength, cleverness, and diplomacy. One day, Alexander and a small company of soldiers approached a strongly defended, walled city. Alexander, standing outside the walls, raised his voice, demanding to see the king. The king, approaching the battlements above the invading army, agreed to hear Alexander’s demands.

"Surrender to me immediately," commanded Alexander.

The king laughed. "Why should I surrender to you?" he called down. "We have you far outnumbered. You are no threat to us!"

Alexander was ready to answer the challenge. "Allow me to demonstrate why you should surrender," he replied. Alexander ordered his men to line up single file and start marching. He marched them straight toward a sheer cliff that dropped hundreds of feet to rocks below. The king and his soldiers watched in shocked disbelief as, one by one, Alexander’s soldiers marched without hesitation right off the cliff to their deaths. After ten soldiers had died, Alexander ordered the rest of his men to stop and to return to his side.

The king and his soldiers surrendered on the spot to Alexander the Great.

(From a sermon by Johnny Creasong, "The Gambler" 1/28/2009)

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