We shouldn’t be surprised when warfare happens.
Why do we think pushing against the grain should be easy?
I never thought I would say this, but doing the right thing won’t always make you feel good at the time. Sometimes it’s difficult and it feels opposite to what your mind is telling you, even though you know “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
Some days or weeks are exactly like this. We don’t even know why we feel cruddy. We just do. We do the “right thing” and what are we left with? It feels like we’re struggling up a mountain that we can’t quite get to the top of.
Cycling in circles gets frustrating when you are trying to go somewhere and it looks like all you can find is the middle of no where.
Being “healthy” isn’t cutting it, so we’re not.
We have the coke and cheeseburger instead of water and a healthy meal. We’re longing for something to make us feel good and sometimes that happens to be food. Right?
We push through. We determine whatever is happening won’t have the last say.
Even if it’s a struggle.
Even if we’re not seeing results.
Even if we are having to walk to a next door building and go down to the basement to use a restroom that kinda feels like a prison bathroom, everyday at work, because the bathroom a few steps from our desk won’t be in working order for a while.
This is life. Pipes break at our job. Toilets back up in our homes (we have one right now) and life happens. We may not even really understand what’s going on fully, but the war is ranging.
It’s a battle of the mind and it’s on.
Drink the coke, but don’t stop moving forward. You can drink water and have a healthy meal tomorrow. Weird advice, I know. But, some days ya gotta do what ya gotta do!
Scriptures can become cliche if we’re not careful. We can begin to think God will do it for others and not us. We begin to think that no matter what we do, we just can’t get ahead and maybe there is something wrong with us. This is a lie!
“As soon as you give in to the trap of believing those lies, the fear, anxiety and resistance let up. You feel “better” but all that happened was the enemy let up (for a season) because if you’re not releasing what God called you to, you are no longer a threat!” – Tasha Glover
This is a word, Tasha, thank you for confirming what I was sensing.
Spiritual attacks are real.
Satan isn’t happy when we begin to operate according to our purpose (telling others about Him) and calling (doing what He is asking of us in this season). I literally told my husband, I don’t know what’s going on, but I just feel yucky like I’m having to push through an intense barrier.
It’s warfare.
So I’m preaching to myself and maybe you too, if you’re needing it and if not, your day is coming I’m sure.
So here it is.
You are NOT insignificant. God is working in and through you and you are not forgotten! Don’t give up!
Be determined to persevere!
Set your face like flint or stone in the direction God has told you to go. God will honor and multiply your efforts. If you need some additional encouragement do yourself a favor and listen in to the Jennifer Allwood Monday Fire Podcast from this week by clicking here and hear a short Word from the Lord.
“Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame” (Isaiah 50:7).
Take God at His word.
Pray His Word.
Declare His Words.
Believe His Words for yourself.
Ask God how to break free, pivot and break through in whatever area you feel like you are hitting up against a brick wall. Whatever you do, don’t give in. Partner with God, not the enemy. Ask God for the right connections. Ask God for His wisdom that supersedes all other advice. He is your personal “life coach.”
Do not make subtle agreements with your own negative thoughts, that have a way of condemning you at every turn, or those of the enemy. God is at work!
Keep standing firm.
God is no respecter of person’s. If He can do it for others, He can do it for you and I too!
Align your heart with His.
Surrender what you are withholding, even when it doesn’t make sense and when doing it doesn’t make you feel good immediately. Be willing to fight for what God has for you to accomplish.
“For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Philippians 4:13). You can. I can. We can . . . because of His strength at work in us.
If you are feeling the warfare this week, let me know. So many of us are and we are NOT alone. I know this encouraging word was not just for me.
And no, in case you are wondering, not every time we have a bad day or week is it a spiritual attack or warfare. Sometimes it’s just life, or the chemicals in our system, or the food we ate last night. But, sometimes, it’s more than that.
Stick it out!
“ […] it’s impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training.” – Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
You got this friend, even on the most mundane days of them all. Let’s cheer one another on and hold each other accountable to stay the course.
We so much love and grace,
Joelle Povolni
Y’all, for extra measure, here is more FIRE for your soul, Are You Tired of Feeling Defeated?
