When you're tired of the fight

Sometimes you get tired of the fight.
You get tired of the constant battle.
You get tired of always feeling like your world is falling apart.

And you want to tap out. 
You want to throw in the towel.
You want to chalk it all up to defeat.

Because you're done.

You are so done.

And satan laughs.

he LAUGHS.

Because he knew just how to get you.
he knew what buttons to push.
he knew exactly what to do to get you to break down.

he knew it was just a matter of time before you started thinking about giving up.

This isn't his first time coming for you.

If you're living in this world and think that satan isn't trying to destroy you,
every minute of every day, you're wrong.

he'll send distractions.
he'll send disappointments.
he'll send despair.

And not just to you.

he'll send it to everyone around you.

Because if he can surround you with desperation, he knows you'll start to feel desperate.

And he knows desperate people do desperate things.

Like turn away from God. 

satan will stop at nothing to get you to give in. 

he will do everything, to keep you focused on your problems, instead of focused on the Cross.

he needs to keep you distracted.

Because if he can keep your eyes off of Jesus, he wins.

If he can keep you from doubting God's Word, he wins.

If he can keep you so consumed with despair, he wins.

he WINS.

And you weren't born for him to win. 

If you are in the middle of a battle right now, you better believe satan is after something you have.

The question is, "are you going to let him have it?"

Everything you need to overcome this fight, God has already provided. 

But you have to choose where you put your faith.

In the one coming to steal, kill and destroy.

Or the One who came to give you peace.

Look to God. Cling to His promises. Trust in His Word.

The world will have you believe there's no hope for what you're going through.

But the Word of God reminds you that He has overcome the world!!!

 

God is always on our side

I was tired, but the Lord stood at my side.

I had sinned, but the Lord stood at my side. 

I was unworthy, but the Lord stood at my side.

Broken.

Beaten. 

Overwhelmed.

Overcome.

But the Lord stood at my side.

There is nothing that can separate us from God.

Nothing that is too much for Him to bear. 

God wants to take our anxiety, our fears, our distress.

But we refuse to give it to Him.

We want to fix it.

We want to be in charge. 

We want to prove we don't need anyone.

That we got his.

And sometimes we just want to clean ourselves up before we go to Him.

Wipe off our faces.

Smooth our clothes.

Brush our hair.

We don't want God to see us like this.

Dirty.

Disgusting.

Disheveled.

But we forget that God already sees us.

He already knows.

And He already willingly paid the price with the Blood of His Son.

No matter what we're facing.

What enemy is against us.

What demon is tormenting us.

God is right there. 

By our side.

Wanting us to trust Him. 

Wanting to give us His strength.

We can't do this life alone.

No one can. 

God is waiting. 

What are we waiting for?

Is God's Word enough for us?

Remember Moses? God wanted him to go to Pharaoh on His behalf. But Moses didn't want to go. He didn't feel like he was the right person for the job. And so, he questioned God.    

But God, who I am that I should go?

But God, what if they don't believe me?

But God, what if they don't listen to me?

But God. 

But God. 

But God.

God was performing miracles right in front of him. He was showing him the impossible was possible.

He was reassuring every doubt. He promised to be with him.

But despite it all, Moses still doubted.  

You would think God appearing in a burning bush would be enough.

You would think Him turning a staff into a snake would be enough.

You would think His every Word would be enough. 

But it wasn't enough for Moses.

God was standing right in front of him. Asking him to believe. Asking him to trust Him. 

"I will be with you," He promised.

And yet Moses still needed more.

It's easy to read that account in the Bible and call him crazy. "How much more did he need?" we ask.

But if we're honest, most of us are just like him. 

We need more too.

God will provide an opportunity and we hesitate.

"Are you sure, God?"

"Isn't there someone better, Lord?" 

When faced with using our faith, we question God as much as Moses did. 

"Why are you asking me to do, what I am not able to do?" 

The question from Moses becomes the question from us. 

And God answers from His place of promise.   

Abraham wasn't able, He reminds us.   

Joseph wasn't able. 

David wasn't able.  

Sarah.

Ruth.

Mary.

None of them were able.

But none of them stopped at what they weren't able to do.  

In the most uncertain moments of their lives, God asked them to believe. 

That though they weren't able, He was.  

And now He asks us the same.

When we're faced with hard moments. When we're overcome with doubt.

When we're scared.

When it's too hard. When it's too much.

When we don't want to do what God is asking us to do.

Will we still do it? 

Will we trust Him anyway?

Will we listen to the promise of God's Word?

And will His Word be enough for us?

 

Coronavirus Battle Plan - Trusting God in the fight

I can't read one more thing about the Coronavirus chaos. 

I can't hear one more news briefing. Listen to one more opinion. Take into consideration one more theory. One more speculation. One more best guess.

I can't and I won't.

At least not today.

Not because I want to bury my head in the sand and pretend it's not there. But because I've given enough time to what the world says. I've given too many of my minutes to worry, and anxiety and fear. And I refuse to give it anymore. 

I know I'm not the only one overwhelmed. We are surrounded by information overload. Some of it accurate. Some of it inaccurate. And us in the middle trying to distinguish between the two. Trying to figure out the truth.

People are fighting. And hoarding. And saying awful things to each other. And I wish I could say it was happening far away. In some other country. In some other town. But it's happening in our country. In our town. It's happening right in front of us. 

And some days it's happening because of us. 

And I keep saying I can't wait for the world to get back to "normal". Until I realized today that maybe normal isn't a good goal. That maybe normal is what got us here in the first place.

This virus has shown very clearly where our hearts are.

And our hearts are IN this world. 

Because our hearts are OF this world.

And God is wondering where His people are. 

He's wondering why we're spending more time in the news than in the Bible. He's wondering why we're spending more time spreading fear than spreading faith. He's wondering why it's easier for us to believe CNN, or FOX, or Facebook, than it is to believe Him.

He's wondering why, when faced with the impossible, we don't think He's enough. Why we haven't spent time with Him to find out what He needs us to do. 

We say we're acting in wisdom. But whose wisdom? 

The world? Or His Word?

If we believe in God. If we believe that He loved us enough to send His only Son to save us. Then surely we can believe that spending time with Him in the middle of a crisis is where we should be.

We should be consulting God for His opinion. We should be asking Him for guidance. We should be seeking Him for peace.

We're in the middle of a battle and we know the One willing to fight the battle for us.

Before we say one more word, or type one more response, or post one more opinion, let's seek Him.

Really seek Him.

Let's ask Him to lead us. Let's ask Him to direct our steps. Let's ask Him to direct our hearts.  

Our faith in the world has only filled us with worry. And anxiety. And fear. Maybe it's time we turn off the television. Turn off the internet. Turn off the distractions. 

Just for the day. 

[Heart check. Was our immediate response to fight against this idea? Or did we consider it something we could do?]

It's not putting our head in the sand. It's putting our heart in His Hands. 

We are more than willing to fill our lives up listening to what the world says.  

God stands waiting for us, to be willing to fill our lives up, listening to Him.   

-----------------------------------------------------------

We're in a battle. It's time to make a battle plan. If you don't know how or need direction, you can click back to this previous post and print out a free draft to get you started: How to make a Prayer Battle Plan with God. The printable link is in the middle of the post. I did mine the other day. I put on some praise music, printed out a battle plan, and opened the Bible. 

And I went from anxiety to peace. 

Immediately. 

When we seek God we find Him. Always.

when you're tired of holding on

hold on. 

there's so much wrapped up in those two words.

but how do you hold on when you're tired?

how do you hold on when you're slipping?

how do you hold on when you just want the relief of letting go?

and so you let go.

you stop holding and you let yourself fall.

sometimes we're so worried about falling we don't realize our holding on is the problem.

we've held tight for so long we believe it's all we can do.

that it's all we should do.

that if we FALL we've FAILED.

we have this crazy belief that nothing good can ever come from a fall.

but we've forgotten that falling teaches us.

falling helps us.

falling pushes us to stretch. to reach for help. 

to trust that God has something bigger. that God has something better.

we have to remind ourselves of that.

like a baby learning to walk, we were born with an innate desire to get up.

to keep trying.

to keep reaching.

to FALL and to TRY again.

think on that. we were born with a natural inclination to never stop trying. and yet as we grow older, the world and all its obstacles, all its distractions, all its troubles...trick us into believing that it's no use to try.

that it's no use to have faith.

that we're never going to stand.

but that's a lie from the pit of hell. because satan wants nothing more than for us to give up. he wants nothing more than for us to believe that God has forgotten us. 

he wants nothing more than for us to let this world and not God's Word become our focus.

Micah 7:8 tells us "Though I fall, I will rise again."

there's our focus. there's our promise.

there's our WORD.

we don't need to worry about falling. God's already there. 

and He's promised we will rise again.

so today we let go. and we look up. and we reach out.

and we let God's Word...and not this world...be the source of what we're holding on to!!!