There is an unusual expression of praise stated in the הניסים על. We thank Hashem על המלחמות, for the wars. If we said, "[We thank Hashem] for giving us victory, we would understand. But why do we thank Hashem for the wars themselves?! The Ponovizher Rav zt'l answers that we never finished the fight. Until Moshiach comes, we are in the midst of the battle. Therefore, המלחמות על is praising Hashem that we are not giving up, and we are still battling the war. We can't yet praise Hashem for being victorious in this war because we are still in the middle of it. Even if we aren't fighting the war in a literal sense, but spiritually, we are still battling a war against the influences and ideologies of the Yevanim, and we thank Hashem that we didn't give up and we are still fighting.
The holy Chashmonaim were a small group fighting a war against a mighty, large army. One wonders, "Was this a war? It appears to be a suicide mission. They will undoubtedly lose! The answer is that the Chashmonaim understood that they must wage this war to save Klal Yisrael, so they put aside logic and common sense and threw themselves into the battle.
It states in Daniel (7:6), כנמר אחרי וארו, that Balshatzar, the king of Bavel, saw a leopard in his dreams. Rashi writes, "This represents the kingship of Antiochus." A leopard has the attribute of עזות, as it states in Pirkei Avos (5:2), כנמר עז הוי, "Be brazen like a leopard." The Shem MiShmuel ('ד ליל ט"תרע) says that this tells us that the Yevanim had the attribute of עזות. The Chashmonaim adapted and acquired this attitude from the Yevanim. Only, the Chashmonaim used the trait of עזות, brazenness, to be strong in their resolve not to allow anything to get in the way. A large army didn’t frighten them. They went out to war and won.
We should do the same when it comes to our battle against the yetzer hara. We should be brazened, fearless, and determined to do what's right.
The mechanach Reb Moshe Blau Shlita tells a story that happened to his chavrusah back in the year ה"תשמ. His chavrusah once went to a dentist in Tel Aviv and was faced with difficult tests in shemiras einayim. His chavrusah was extremely upset and broken because he didn't pass every test. Reb Moshe Blau wanted to give him chizuk. He said, "It is 11:30 p.m. The Steipler's home is still open. Let's go to him now, and you can tell him about your worries." (This happened a half-year before the Steipler was niftar.)
In those days, the Steipler didn't hear, and all requests were written. The bachur wrote on paper what happened, how he failed to guard his eyes. The Steipler asked, "Were there times during your trip to Tel Aviv that you did guard your eyes?"
