Today I would like to talk to you about the battles we face,
lies we believe and how they affect our walk with Christ. Let’s pretend we are
a couple of old friends sitting across the table from each other sipping our
coffee because that’s what I wish we could do for a conversation like this.
This is a topic that could get pretty deep but I can only cover a part of the
layers here on the blog. So let’s dive in shall we?
Over the last few years, for me, it has felt like I just
can’t catch a break. It feels like it’s always winter (spiritually and
emotionally) even when it’s (physical) summer. It seems like every time I think
I’m turning a new corner, like I will feel the sun again, I’m still face to
face with winter. It is a little strange actually. I have felt it in my bones,
in my soul that a season of rest is just on the horizon, the cloud will be
lifted! I have felt it so strongly I even put it out there on social media. And
then it doesn’t come. The winter settles in and I’m fighting against the grain
again. And it starts to feel like it will NEVER come! When it gets to that
point where I feel like I’ll never see the sun again (figuratively), I get
weary and feel like throwing in the towel.
Through all the battles I’ve had to face, I admit I have
swallowed some lies. Somewhere along the way I bought this lie that if I just
did all the right things that life would be peachy keen. I bought that lie that
Christians aren’t supposed to struggle. And I bought the lie that if I
was facing trial after trial that I was somehow being punished, but I couldn’t
figure out what I was doing wrong. This is how those lies work, I knew they
weren’t true, it wasn’t something I said out loud but I sure was operating out
of those lies. So I began feeling defeated ALL THE TIME.
So the other day I had this realization. It was the kind of
realization where you knew it all along but all of the sudden it becomes real
to you in a new way and your perspective shifts. I realized I wasn’t facing reality!
And the reality is that...
- In this
life we will have trouble. (“I have
told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
NIV)
- We
have a real enemy and he’s not just out for blood, he wants our soul (“The enemy pursues me, he crushes me
to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.”
Psalm 143:3 NIV)
So here’s the thing, the enemy (that’s Satan by the way)
wants nothing more than for me to keep quiet and pretend like I have got it all
together. He wants nothing more than for me to keep my depression buried never
talking about it with those closest to me. He wants nothing more than for me to
keep trying to manipulate things to seem like “I got this.” Satan skips along happily
if I keep all that bottled up inside because then I’m not being effective. If
he can keep me distracted by trying to tie up those battles in a neat little
package so everything looks fine, then he’s winning and I’m not stepping into
what God has for me.
There are many things I don’t understand about the spiritual
realm but if there’s one thing the last few years have taught me it is that the
physical realm keeps us distracted from the spiritual. Paul talks about it... a
lot! Sometimes the daily battles we face can keep us stifled, paralyzed almost.
God’s word tells us that He will fight for us (“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
NIV) but that doesn’t mean we are passive participants in the battle. If
you read the rest of that story, Moses still had to use his staff and stretch
out his hand and the Israelites still had to walk across the bottom of the sea.
I don’t think crossing the sea between the parted waters was easy. Am I
right?
It’s not easy, facing our struggles and getting real with
people. It’s not easy to face the battle every day, year after year. I thought
my Christian life was supposed to be all peachy keen and if it wasn’t then I
must be doing something wrong. It turns out, that’s just life. A season of rest
may not be around the corner but I’m done letting Satan win because I’m waiting
for rest. I don’t want to repeat the Israelites mistakes, moaning and groaning
because they had to wait.
Jesus gave us a battle plan. He gave us the armor of God,
activated by prayer and I’m ready to suit up!
“Put on the full armor
of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in
place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel
of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you
can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in
the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this
in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:11-18 NIV
There is a song called Diamonds by the duo JOHNNYSWIM and to
me it’s kind of an anthem for victory. Some of the lyrics are:
“You’ve taken down so many others
Oh but you’ll know my name when you see
And in these ashes I’m stronger still ...”
I get all fired up and start pumping my fists because this
is how I feel about my victory over Satan! He might keep trying to wear me down
so he can take me out but in the ashes I am stronger! Each time I rise again I
am stronger and stronger!
“But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV
My God is bigger than any battle I face. It is time for me
to stop pretending like everything is fine all the time because sometimes it’s
mostly not fine, and that’s okay.
You don’t have to fight your battles alone either. Let’s
boast in our weakness all for God’s Glory! We love you ladies and we are
here for you! How can we be praying for you today?
Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni
