Warfare

In my bible study today (we are studying Esther by Beth Moore) I ran across a statement that has stayed with me all day. "Because Satan has a limited leash where believers are concerned, his most powerful tactics are psychological. Though he can't possess our minds, he profoundly and destructively influences our thoughts." I had just finished talking with a good friend about this very thing when I read these words.

I have had a tough few months. After having surgery in October for a torn tendon in my ankle, I thought I had dealt with adversity. But when my doctor told me in mid-December that he'd have to go in and do it again because the tendon had re-torn, my spirit was broken. It's bad enough to be on crutches for 6 weeks and then endure 6 more weeks of rehab with the hope of recovering fully and getting back to normal life. But then to find out that I had to do it all over again was a blow that I was not ready for. Now it's 6 weeks into the second recovery and I am still in a bit of a funk. Life just seems harder when you are physically hurt.

What I didn't see until today, and I'm thankful for my friend's words of encouragement and discernment into the issue, is how much room I've given the enemy to play with my mind. For those of you who don't know me, I am a perfectionist and I can get down on myself when things don't go right. I am also very analytical and I try to figure things out and find answers for life's toughest questions. The problem is that there are some questions that don't have answers...or at least the answers require understanding past what we as humans have. And what God asks is that we just trust Him even when times are the toughest.

God has given us strategies to combat negative thoughts. He tells us that we should take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). He tells us not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). And He assures us that when we bring our junk to Him in prayer with thanksgiving that His peace, the peace that passes understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7).

Now those are promises that I can hold on to. Those are promises that make me feel like I will make it through this or any other trial that comes my way. I am thankful that I have a friend willing to speak truth to me and walk with me through some difficult times. And I am thankful that I have a God who is so particular and involved with my every day that He would reinforce a specific truth spoken by a friend with perfectly placed words from a bible study for me to read today.