Be encouraged that God knows, He sees and He is fighting on your behalf.
I thought I would share a bit about the battle I was faced with recently as I have a strong sense that many of you reading this blog are facing some battles of your own. There are many different battles that we find ourselves faced with, namely: health, financial, marriage, emotional, career, ministry etc and please feel free to insert your battle in there as well. No matter what you are facing, be encouraged that God knows, He sees and He is fighting on your behalf.
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.
2 Corinthians 12:9
While walking through this battle, one morning I awoke with the above bible verse resounding in my head. Looking back, it was so apt and I can tell you that the Holy Spirit knows exactly what we need before we know that we need it. He is fully aware of our battles and He wants to give us His peace amid the storm that is raging.
To put it bluntly, have you ever walked through a season where you just felt…blah? Well, this is exactly how I was feeling, completely overwhelmed by the enemy bombarding me with deception and lies. It has been a season where I have been struggling along this faith journey as I have been battling doubt, weariness and discouragement. There are so many promises and prophetic words that I am holding fast to, that I am still waiting for to come to pass, and it felt as if everything was moving in opposition to these promises and words over my life.
The following words kept resounding in my head – “You may as well quit as nothing is going to change”. I initially found myself agreeing with the lies of the enemy and saying: “I actually can’t continue on this journey as it is way too difficult and maybe I just need to lay it all down”. The enemy often comes against our destinies and attempts to derail us by convincing us that turning back is way easier than the path God has us on. You can read more about this in a previous blog post – Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the way.
Even though it felt as if I was on an emotional rollercoaster, battling thoughts and feelings of throwing in the towel, in my heart, I waged war with the enemy standing on the truth of the word, that God is good and that He will never mislead me. The feelings and emotions that are experienced during a battle are real and they can so easily entangle and trip us up, causing us to short-circuit that which the Holy Spirit wants to unfold in our lives. I held onto the bible verse that was dropped in my spirit earlier that day, declaring the truth of the word of God as God’s grace is more than sufficient in our times of weakness.
I thought that I would share a few keys that have helped me when fighting battles –
Run into the secret place
During times, when I find myself battling, the only thing that brings peace to my soul is running straight into the arms of Jesus and pouring out all my concerns and worries at His feet. Getting into the secret place and offloading all of these pent-up emotions brings a fresh measure of freedom and release. The lies and deceptions that I partnered with begin to melt away under the weight of the presence of God.
The story of Elijah was highlighted when He was running for His life from Jezebel –
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.
1 Kings 19:3-5
Just like Elijah, I sense that many are feeling battle-weary, and you are feeling like you have just had enough! The battle has been raging and it feels as if there has been one battle after another and one test after the next and you may be asking the Lord if the end is in sight as you cannot continue this way. In the same way that He sent an angel to refresh Elijah, He is able to bring refreshment to you no matter what battle you are faced with this day.
If you are struggling and facing a battle of some kind, I also want to encourage you to get with Jesus today! Sit at His feet and allow His words to wash over you afresh. As we fix our eyes on Him, we can get His perspective on things in our lives and He helps us to recognise the lies and deceptions that we have partnered with so clearly so that we can repent and partner with His truths. Just like the song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Something transformative happens when we gaze upon Jesus, we can see things rightly!
Worship is a weapon
Be in awe before his majesty. Be in awe before such power and might! Come worship wonderful YAHWEH, arrayed in all his splendor, bowing in worship as he appears in the beauty of holiness. Give him the honor due his name. Worship him wearing the glory-garments of your holy, priestly calling!
Psalm 29:2
Another great weapon that is key to fighting off the heaviness and weariness in a battle is Worship! Amid our battles, if we take some time out to worship the Lord, we find that something beautiful happens, the yolk of heaviness begins to dissolve and it is replaced with a greater measure of freedom and peace. Worship completely changes the atmosphere and we are then able to hear, see and perceive God rightly. In my personal experience, during my times of worship, I find that God brings order to the chaos that I am experiencing. I am reminded of the biblical account of Saul and David, when an evil spirit came upon Saul, David would play the harp and Saul would feel relief and begin to feel better and the evil spirit would depart from him (1 Samuel 16:23). Worship has the power to break chains of heaviness and bring healing and deliverance amid the battles that we are faced with.
Worship is a lifestyle that we need to walk out daily. We need to worship the Lord at all times irrespective of what may be transpiring in our lives. If the battle is raging worship the Lord all the more.
I thought I would include some worship sets that have been a great blessing to me. Legacy Nashville Prayer Room / Upperroom Worship / Presence Driven Worship.
Feeding on the word of God
Reading our bible is integral in our walk as believers but it is also such a powerful weapon to fight off the enemy when we find ourselves in a battle. We need to feed on the word daily because the word of God is life to us and it sustains us through our daily lives. In the same way that food brings nourishment to the body, the word of God brings nourishment to our spirit man (body, soul and spirit). The word of God is living and transformative, changing us from the inside out. There is something so powerful and beautiful when we allow the Holy Spirit to wash over us with the truth of His word as it comes to fill every void area and dry place within us and causes fresh life and hope to arise.
We read about the temptation of Jesus in the book of (Matthew 4:1-11), where Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit.
During Jesus’ time there, the enemy came to tempt Him, but Jesus stood His ground by using the word of God to fight the enemy. Each time the enemy came, Jesus said, “IT IS WRITTEN” and then quoted scripture accordingly and at the end of the passage of scripture we read that the devil left. This provides a key strategy for how we need to fight the enemy through the battles that we are faced with, by using the word as a weapon. There are times that I need the Holy Spirit to speak, then I will randomly open my bible and read and it is pretty profound how the passage of scripture that I am reading will minister to me at my point of need. I encourage you to give it a try as well.
There is safety in numbers
I love the saying: “No Man Is An Island” as I believe this to be true. I believe that we have not been created to do life on our own, we need community and people around us. My mom often told us as a family, that a burden shared is a burden halved, and we do not have to fight battles alone. A biblical representation of this is Jesus and the twelve disciples. Jesus could have done life alone as He walked the earth but He chose to do it with others. Another great representation of this is wildlife (lions, zebras, elephants). If you know me, you will know that I adore wildlife, but I often admire how they will stick together in the wild because there is truly safety in numbers.
If you are walking through a battle, I encourage you to share it with someone or a community you are a part of because they can listen and pray for you and with you. They may not have all the answers that you need but they can be a support to you through the battle.
In closing
I want to encourage you, that if you are facing a battle of some kind, to stay the course and keep going. God can see you through this battle and bring you out on the other side of it victoriously. Stand firm on the word and promises of a faithful God who never leaves nor forsakes you. As a friend said to me recently, I say to you: If you do not quit, you will win!
Salvation prayer
If you find yourself reading this blog and don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, but would love to encounter this living God, then you can pray the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and in need of your forgiveness. I have lived my life according to my own will but today I come to ask for your forgiveness and surrender my life into your hands. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, that you rose from the dead and that through you, I now have eternal life. I ask you Jesus to come and live inside of me and be Lord of my life. I believe by faith that I am now a child of God. Amen
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”
Romans 10:9
Prayer for strength through the battle
If you find yourself reading this blog and facing a battle of some kind, then let me pray for you:
Lord Jesus, I lift every person who is facing a battle of some kind right now. Lord, please release your comfort and the shalom peace of heaven into their situation. I ask you to bring forth a course correction, that changes the trajectory of the situation that they are currently facing. I pray that you will send forth your refreshing that causes a fresh strength to arise within them and that they will have the assurance that if they do not quit they will win. You are oh so faithful Holy God and I pray that as they look to you, you will see them through to the other side of this battle. I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen
