”For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.“
Ephesians 6:12 NLT
I struggle with this scripture. Not that I don't believe Gods Word is truth! I have a hard time seeing past the person and realizing it's a spiritual warfare that I'm fighting. That we're all fighting.
Not the annoying co-worker, the ranting neighbor or the "so-called" friend who really isn't a friend at all. It's the devil and his evil spirits seeking to kill, steal and destroy us.
I'm gonna get real honest with y'all. The past two weekends I've been dealing with mind battles. Battles of feeling like I'm not good enough, I don't belong, I'm too different, and so on. That first weekend I fought with all my weapons I could. I prayed, I praised and I read scriptures. I wasn't going to let the devil win, but the second weekend, I fumbled.
I blew up, stormed out of the house and took off in my car. I was done. I was tired of all the pressure, the fear, the "what my eyes see in reality my mind (or the devil) is twisting it into lies."
I needed to get away.
I didn't know where I was going at first. I just drove with tears falling down my face and my hands shaking. All my thoughts ceased because I repeatedly told myself, "you've disappointed God." That may not mean much to you, but it did to me. I always told God I don't want to disappoint you and well I just did.
A thought came to mind and I decided to go to my spot...my spot away from everyone and everything. It's just me and my thoughts. My spot over looks the city and continues its view to the horizon.
I love it.
I sat in my car, hoping to be alone but everyone too loved my spot. They loved the scene it displayed. I guess it's not so much my spot, but I still claim it.
As I sat there I cried, I prayed and then sat in silence. I looked over to my left and spotted a tree growing through this rocky side of the mountain. It looked as though it went through the fire. It had no leaves, no branches, nothing but its roots and a stump.
I felt like that tree. Surrounded by flourished trees, stuck in a rock and hard place, and not producing anything. But a thought came to mind. The roots. The stump. The roots to the tree were hidden but telling by the thickness of that tree, the roots were deep. The stump of the tree showed its lifespan; how long that tree went through terrible times but still came up on top.
I titled this post Bullies because we all have bullies in life. Bills, "friends" (or shall I say frienemies), bosses and so on. We all come to a point where we have been beaten up, used, talked about, stared at, judged, pressured that we lost our flourishment. We no longer blossom or produce because we've been fighting the wrong enemy. The bully of all is the devil. We have to see the pattern of his wicked ways. We can no longer give in to his wicked schemes. We can no longer allow him to use people to attack us. Rather we return a response in love to those who do not know and fight the good fight of faith with the weapons we were given.
1. Prayer
2. Praise
3. Scripture
It may sound repetitive but I'm telling you, this is the key to overcoming those (spiritual) battles and getting the victory!
God clearly states multiple times in His word about hating (bullying):
”If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.“
1 John 2:9 NLT
”Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.“
1 John 3:15 NLT
”Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.“
1 John 3:18-19 NLT
As my pastor quoted from a devotional recently, "Weekly, examine yourself." That's what we all ought to do. Examine ourselves. Are we the bully? Are we causing someone to stumble? Do we have hidden hatred in our hearts? Are we focused on others flourishments or focused on staying rooted?
Pray for your enemies, rebuke the devil and fight. You will overcome your bully because Jesus has.
Scripture of the Day:
"Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you" (Matthew 7:12).
Song of the Day:
In Jesus Name by Darlene Zchesch
Surrounded (Fight My Battles) by Michael W. Smith
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