The Battle is Real
Have you ever struggled with something over and over again until it just felt like you’d never be free from it? Yeah, me too. I found myself in that all so familiar place again in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up, and for the life of me could not go back to sleep. I couldn’t go back to sleep because my mind was racing with thoughts that brought me riddling with fear. There’s that word again. That word that I thought I had conquered. F.E.A.R. I prayed over all the things that seemed to cause this monster to raise its ugly head and laugh at me. Still, it laughed. At one point, it appeared that its laughter was louder than my prayers. Louder than the still voice saying, “I’ve got this.” I finally was able to dose off to sleep right before my alarm clock went off, screaming for me to get up.
I know, I know, you might be saying how could you have such fear? Do you not believe in God? Do you not believe that He will take care of you? I know! Those were the same things that satan yelled as I made my way to the coffee pot. He also used the old, all too often familiar phrase, “What is wrong with you? I have you right where I want you. You don’t really believe, do you?” When I say, a battle was raging this morning, trust me, it was raging.
I make my coffee all the while listening to Satan’s accusations. I make my way to my quiet place and open the Word. My verse for today wasPsalm 118:5-6: “I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” Take that, Satan!
But of course, he wasn’t finished with me just yet. He continued to condemn me for my unbelief. He told me, “Something’s wrong with you. You really don’t believe God will take care of you, or you wouldn’t have these bouts with being so fearful of things happening to you and your family. Now mind you, I’m sitting here reading God’s Word, and Satan is still trying to be louder than those Words screaming off the page at me. So I thought, “ok, let’s look up unbelief.” What I found touched me and has changed me without a doubt! I ran across Matthew 13:58 – “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” WHOA! What? So I looked the same verse up in the ESV… same thing… “And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Because the people of Nazareth did not believe the teachings that Jesus was teaching He did not do many mighty works there. That brought tears to my eyes as I read those words. But, then, I also remembered the verse Mark 9:24 – “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” That’s it! I cried out immediately, LORD, I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF! Guys, I’m not kidding. Satan fled!
I’ve told you this very personal battle time because our battles are real. Satan is real! He will stop at nothing to stop you dead in your tracks. He will try to shut your praise down and prevent you from living a life that God intended for you to live. Will he leave me alone for good? Not on my life! But the key to shutting him down is God’s Word. I know next time I awaken with fearful thoughts that hinder my sleep and my peace, I’ll get up and go straight for the weapon that’s more powerful than the fear. And I will cry out once again for God to help me. Satan can’t stand up to that. God promises in James 4 verse 7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That’s a promise that I’m going to stand firm on, and I pray that you will also.