The biggest misconception I think most of us have is we think we're alone in the battles we face. I mean no one who really is right with God has to deal with some of the things I'm going through, right? These thoughts that go through my head can't be going through other peoples minds because they are "tight" with the father that is for sure. Surely they don't have to hear all the thoughts that I have to deal with daily. We convince our self that even if we only listen and agree for a minute we have to be much weaker than everyone else because other people just don't have to battle self-hate like I do.
The truth of the matter is we all have different battles that we face; different circumstances, different situations, different size battles but all in all we all have battles. Some of us battle thoughts of loneliness, grief, hurt from past experiences, feelings of insignificance or we think we're untalented and have nothing to offer, some of us even feel unintelligent and unworthy of anything from time to time. The list could be endless of the battles we face from divorce shame, to lust, financial hardships and so on but nonetheless we all have something that we have to battle in our minds.
All my life I have battled self-hate for one reason or another. I recognize the problem after months of wanting to give up and throw in the towel and I think I've got this, if this happens again I'm going to know how to fight. Than it happens again, and of course the same thing happens all over again. With each failure, I become more defeated in my mind than I was the last time I fought the battle.
What I've discovered is the enemy is well equipped for the game he plays. He comes to the game suited up, he's studied the playbook, he knows what he's up against and he knows just what plays to run so he can get a quick score on each one of us, mostly because we come to the battle exhausted. We're tired, we forget our gear, we haven't studied our playbooks like we should. We've heard some of the plays the opposing team may throw at us because we've studied a few films and made some notes here and there but overall we've come to the game unprepared. Sometimes we even come to the game knowing what plays they're going to go with but honestly we're too exhausted to care. We know how good they are and well we just don't think we stand a chance so we go out on the field but we don't really play to win. Actually, we play to lose, we don't even put up a fight anymore.
Sadly, that's how most of us, myself included come against the enemy. He comes at us fully prepared, knowing exactly what to hit us with. We may begin the battle combating the enemy a couple of times with the word but we don't have much endurance built up so he just has to give us a couple more blows and he can take us out of the game.
With all that in mind, I guess we as Christians need to figure out how to win the game already. How do we claim victory and make a comeback?
1.
Know Who You Are-We must know who we are in Christ and rehearse it OUT LOUD. This is an area for me that I have to rehearse over and over. Knowing your identity in Christ is critical. I have a whole page written in my bible of who I am in Him, I have note cards that I have to get out and read over and over until my mind, mouth and heart can all line up together. We can have all these other things laid out before us but if we don't know who we are in Him, we will fall every time. It's only through Christ that we have the authority to fight the enemy, it's only through him that we can win the battle. The blood of the lamb wins every time.
2. Know Your Opponent- Know who you're up against and know him well. The enemies tactics are many and diverse but one thing is clear, he's out to destroy us. Recognize your opponent and his plays.
Ephesians 6:12 says, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
1 Peter 5:8 to STAY ALERT! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
John 10:10 The thiefs purpose is to kill steal and destroy.
3.
Study the Playbook- Read the bible. Know what God tells us to do. There are so many examples I could give here. Jesus taking authority over demonic entities, Jesus speaking the word directly back to Satan when he was being tempted by him. Over and over in the word we are told fear not, be not discouraged, trust...trust...trust....God in every situation but how easy it is for us to forget that or feel forsaken when things don't go as we think they should. (Blog post coming on finding joy in reading the word soon)
4.
Have the Proper Gear- We have to go to the game with the proper attire on. If we go into the game without our armor on, you can guarantee you're going to get hurt, bruised, injured and may even be taken out of the game for awhile. We have to get the armor of God on daily.
Ephesians 6:11 says, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Read Ephesians 6:10-18 where it talks about your armor and what it is. To paraphrase the word tells us to take on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit, belt of truth, and shod your feet with the gospel of peace.
5.
Stay Focused- and Get Your Head In The Game -We have to recognize the thoughts that come into our mind and take them captive immediately. This is the hardest thing for me because a lot of times I recognize but I don't take them captive. I just give the enemy full reign to run around in my thoughts for days, sometimes weeks which than quickly turns into a demonic oppression or depression whatever you prefer to call it. However, I know and I'm sure you know that that is not the way to win the game and it's definitely not what God intended on us doing. The word says this in the Passion Translation which is one of my favorite translations out there.
"Although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign with natural weapons; using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture as prisoners of war every thought and insist that it bows in obedience to the Anointed One. And armed with such dynamic weaponry we stand ready to punish any trace of rebellion, as soon as you choose complete obedience. "
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 The Passion Translation
I hope this has helped you recognize the battle we're in and know that you're not alone. The enemy is fighting all of us, in all different ways and we have to be prepared for what he is going to throw at us. Like Joyce Meyer says, the mind is the battlefield. The battle starts and ends in our minds. We as Christians have a lot of garbage floating around in there, old battle scars that we like to show off and some pretty intense injuries that need healing.
I encourage you to make a game plan and be ready for the game. It's coming to each of us daily whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we all have a battle to face. Find what game plan works for you to win and claim the victory in Jesus Christ Name. The word says Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the father interceding for you right now. We have a cloud of witnesses in heaven rooting us on to win the race, so let's win!
“
1The Lord is my Fierce Protector
and my Pastor.
I always have more than
enough.
2He offers a resting place for me in
his luxurious love.
His tracks take me to an oasis
of peace, the quiet brook of
bliss.
3That’s where he restores and
revives my life.
He opens before me pathways
to God’s pleasure,
and leads me along in his footsteps
of righteousness
so that I can bring honor to his
name.
4“Lord, even when your path takes
me through
the valley of deepest darkness,
fear will never conquer me, for
you already have!
You remain close to me and
lead me through it all the way.
Your authority is my strength
and my peace.
The comfort of your love takes
away my fear.
I’ll never be lonely, for you are
near.
5You become my delicious feast
even when my enemies dare to
fight.
You anoint me with the fragrance
of your Holy Spirit;
You give me all I can drink of
you until my heart overflows.
6 “So why would I fear the future?
For I’m being pursued only by
your goodness and unfailing
love.
Then afterwards—when my life
is through,
I’ll return to your glorious presence
to be forever with you!”
Psalms 23 The Passion Translation