How to Really Do Battle...

If you had more faith, you could conquer this. If you knew more Scripture, you could overcome this. If you only believed more fully, you would defeat this.

Do you hear it too? The whispering lies of the serpent, that fall so subtlety on the ears? And we think it's the God-voice telling us how to overcome. But it's really the prince of this world distracting us from what we really need to do ~ rest in Him.

And when we've been doing heavy battle for years, the muscles begin to ache and the heart grows weary. The future looks gray because that's where our sights stay focused. And sometimes it's just hard to find hope when the world looks gray and weighs heavy on the shoulders.

But the one Who holds the future tells us He's already there. And because He's already there, the mind can rest in His sovereignty because not only does He hold the future, but He holds us too. Right there in His hand, our life is secure.

And when the Spirit really speaks the truth, it feels right. When the Spirit gently whispers into my discouraged, downcast, anxiety-ridden soul, "Amber, just rest in me," I can be sure that it's Him. Because only the serpent encourages the endless, unrelenting striving and discord of the heart that stirs up discontentment and frustration from the murky deep pits that try to suffocate our souls. The serpent desires we battle our way into mind-exhaustion.

But the Creator knows what comes of striving. He knows how the body sags and heaves as each breath is taken when it's taken upon itself to do battle in the flesh.

So my prayer is this: Father, help me to rest in You. And show me my part in this battle I'm in against the enemy. May my feet not budge, until You move them. And may my mind and heart only sojourn where You lead. Help me to lay aside this heavy body of flesh, and snuggle up in Your arms, fully accepting all that You have planned for me.