When I first became a Christian many years ago, I was in my early twenties. I had never been an overly wild child. I am my mothers only child and my fathers only daughter. Needless to say, I was and still am very much spoiled. They were overprotective but it kept me out of harms way. They taught me the difference between right and wrong and about God but we didn’t attend church regularly. For such believers, you would think I would have been baptized but no. So I said all of that to say, I had some huge misconceptions about what being saved meant. I thought I would have less problems than those that were not saved. Talk about being lost….
I now know that being a Christian could very well mean you have more adversities. You see, being a child of God makes you the enemy. You are in the world doing God’s business but Satan is not happy. He will come after you but you have to be prepared for battles. Don’t think for a second they’re not coming. There are physical and spiritual battles headed your way. The devil will tell you lies about yourself especially in tough times. He may try to convince you that you have no one. LIES!!!! You always have God! He will provide you strength for battle. Trust…because with Him, you will win! You also have to utilize your faith because you may “feel” like you’re losing.
One thing you have to realize too is that your battles are customized for you. The devil is smart and knows your weakenesses. He will not only expose but magnify them to get to you. What you must know from “He Whispers…” is he can’t steal your spirit BUT ☝🏽he can harass you. That’s exactly what’s happening when one bad thing happens, after another, after another. You are so caught off guard and under attack, you forget this is his purpose. Oh but I have news for you….the same God that defeated Satan, is thee exact same God that lives inside of you!!! For the people in the cheap seats… it means your team is going to win no matter what it looks like in the third quarter.
Recently I have been hearing a reoccurring theme…watch your thoughts! The mind is so powerful. You must take control over your thoughts. “He Whispers…” teaches you that losing the battle is all in your mind. You have to rely on promise and His word, not fear and thoughts of failure. You must also control your emotions. I have a hard time with this outside of work. I think it’s because I want to preserve my image but I can choose outside of that arena. The heart is deceitful! I learned this through many failed relationships. I made so many decisions with my heart when my head knew better! It’s the same on the battlefield…put your feelings aside and go with what you know which is, you will be victorious in the end!
You will hear some Christians say…”don’t leave the house without your armor!” Basically they’re saying stay clothed in the word of God. Be prepared for battle. Don’t walk out unaware and exposed. I stay prayed up so to speak. I thank God when I open my eyes for another day. I ask for covering and protection throughout each day. I do not go into the world without Him. I cannot fight alone. When doubt and discouragement creeps up go back to your salvation! Rest assured you will win every battle.
Oh and fear… let’s talk about that for a second. I don’t know about you but I never learned to fight. I was raised to resolve conflict with my words. The few times I was threatened with physical altercations I was afraid. I’m a person who doesn’t start fights, would never hit first, but baby if you touch me…you literally poked a bear! I don’t have technique but I hit hard. You will regret you ever touched me. Those lessons taught me I had nothing to fear then or now. Just as I came out of every situation more knowledgeable about myself, the same applies to spiritual battles. No need to fear because you may have to go through it ALL to get the lesson the Lord wanted to teach you. You will want to give up or even demand that God fixes it. Don’t judge…you too have gotten upset with God for not responding fast enough. You have to trust His plan and His timing. Yours may not reveal all He has in store for you. Trust me when I say, some lessons will take you to the next level. Honestly, each major lesson of my life has taken me to a higher level i.e. my career, my education, my relationships, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I will not say this is easy! In fact, all is quiet right now which means a storm is brewing. I may forget every word I’m typing to you when it happens. I too will have to read this, get grounded, and hunker down for battle. Tools are useless until you pick them up. “He Whispers…” says to remember you are either living for God or against God. I’m sure you know which one has a better success rate. If not, you need more than this blog can provide.
Storms are sometimes so dark you can’t see straight. You do not know what to do but this is when you surrender. Call out to Him and He will guide you and keep you. If He sees fit, he may completely remove your obstacles. And like mentioned earlier, sometimes He will just walk you through the fire. Either way, there is purpose in every situation. Your faith will bring you the patience you’ll need to receive God’s battle plan. Trust in Him is key!
Next week we will delve into Peace which Cherie placed perfectly behind the battle. 😉
*This series is a summary of my lessons from He Whispers Your Name by Cherie Hill*
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