Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Where the Battle Rages

Some days I find myself anxious to do battle with the enemy of our souls. Other days not so much. In thinking about this, it seemed puzzling that the same person in basically the same situation could have completely different reactions and responses to life. What is it that causes us to one day be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith and the next to be in fear? One answer could be to determine where the battle largely takes place. The primary battleground seems to be the mind.

Our mind is just that – ours. The tough challenge is it seems to always be “running”. For me if I am awake there is a fairly constant stream of thoughts running through my mind. So what can I do to win the battle in the mind? We know from the example of Moses that we can lift up our hands and offer thanksgiving to God (Exodus 17:11). In so doing, He turns to us and fights on our side. Paul and Moses both encouraged us to speak the things of God as a method of power in our lives, even unto salvation (Deuteronomy 30:14; Romans 10:8) . Paul also frequently encouraged us to speak and sing to ourselves the positive things of God (Ephesians 5:19). As we do this, we begin to turn the battle in our mind, and we release God’s power in the earth. We become the warriors we were created to be, fighting against evil with God at our side.

Prayer
Father, we lift our hands and hearts to You. Deliver us and those around us from the wicked. Let the evil one fall. You alone are God and worthy of every praise. You alone defend the poor, the afflicted and the fatherless from the evil one. We stand with You in these things, praising You and speaking Your words. We will do what we see You doing, to Your glory and honor forever. In Jesus name. Amen.