Powerful thoughts are faithful thoughts

With my recent set back with anxiety over the Bahamas vacation, I have really tried to tap into fear and what it really means.  I don’t mean I dwelled on fear itself, but studied how the enemy uses it to destroy us.  Fear comes in so many forms like; anxiety, guilt, and insecurities, just to name a few.  We all experience fear in some way.  I believe it’s the enemy’s greatest attempt to bring us down.  In 2 Timothy 1:7 God says “he did not give us the spirit of fear” so what does that really mean?  If God did not give us that…then it must come from his adversary…right?  Instead it says “he gives us the spirit of power, love and sound mind”.  I don’t know about you but I feel farthest from a sound mind when I’m fearful and anxious.  It wasn’t till recently, God had me learn more about the enemy’s tactics.  The bible does say that the enemy prowls around like a lion waiting to destroy us.  YUCK!!! BUT, the good news is now that we know we can equip ourselves to fight and be more than conquers through Christ, we can settle fear once and for all. I do believe God allowed my last set back but he was with me every step of the way, I came out of that trial stronger and wiser then I was before.  I learned that the enemy is real, that he uses our mind against us and like Joyce Meyer says in her best seller book it truly is a “battlefield of the mind”. 

Your mind is where it all takes place.  It's where the throw down happens, the true boxing match begins.  Seriously, that is what comes to mind when I think about the enemy trying to take me down. I see him throwing a punch and me dogging and weaving out of the way.  Here is a punch he has been throwing at me lately “Too much good is happening to you, your luck will run out and you will get a bad disease”.  So, I dodge and weave around that punch by halfheartedly wondering if that is really true?  Is my luck out, is God done blessing me and my family?  OF COURSE NOT!!!!  He is so far from being done in his blessings.  His word says our greatest days are still ahead of us.  We are the head and not the tail.  His blessing are for a lifetime and NOT a season!!! So all I really need to do is throw one mighty punch back his way with the WORD of God.  Do you know that is our sword, the word of God?  I didn’t till recently.  God’s word, the bible is our punch of defense when the enemy attacks us.   So, I finally wised up and with all my strength and might I got down on my knees and said “I WILL NOT be fearful anymore, the lord is my strong tower who protects me always, I have nothing to FEAR because my God is always with me, what the enemy meant for my harm, God will turn to good”.  Then I gave it over to the Lord and prayed for continual strength in this area.   Now, please note, the enemy is a PEST!!! He comes back and lingers, he is ANNOYING!!! Go with me here on this illustration.  Imagine flies on a cow’s nose, eyes and body.

Have you ever noticed how annoying that looks for a cow, they are all up in the cow’s business. I have often watched that (my husband’s family lives on a farm, just in case you’re wondering why I watch thatJ) and thought man that is sucky for the cow, but then it dawned on me that that is exactly how the enemy is.  He is all up in our business trying to annoy and break us down.  If he can get us fearful instead of faithful then we won’t have a reason to trust God.  But, if we trust God and tell the enemy to flee like an annoying fly on a cows nose then we have just won the battle.  The word says the enemy must flee at the mention of Jesus name!! So exercise that right to swing that punch and give the enemy a final knock out once and for all. 

My prayer for this post is that I can help people not live in fear, including myself and that we can learn to trust God in ALL aspects of our life. That we are not defined by our circumstances, that we are only defined by how big and powerful our God is that we serve.  

***My amazing proof reader (husband) is in a deer stand, so please have grace with my grammatical errors :)