Whose Battle Are You Fighting?

It's been a little while since I "preached" at my readers so I thought now was as good a time as any. (I used the term "preached" very loosely and just so no gets unnecessarily offended, please know that I periodically come back to some of these blogs and read them, so maybe this is more for me to read and refer to later than any of you to know.) On a side note, can I just say that I love the fact that God's word is alive? It's not just like reading a novel or magazine, but God uses his word to speak directly to his kids. I read my Bible every night with the expectation that God is going to speak to me, and with very little exception, he does. It is just amazing to me. Have you ever fought a spiritual battle? It could be a struggle over relationships, illness, or God's plan just to name a few. You fight and you fight and you call out to God and you cry and you seek direction and you wear yourself out in the process. Fighting isn't bad and sometimes God calls for us to stand up and fight for the faith as we are his representatives. But often we fight without reason. Yes, there is a struggle and yes there is a purpose you want to see accomplished, but sometimes, we weren't called to fight that fight. I was reading last night in 2 Chronicles 20:15 & 17 and God told King Jehosophat that the battle he wanted to fight wasn't his to fight but God's. Sometimes we want to fight. Not because it is pleasant but because we feel like we are doing our part, like we are contributing, like we are controlling the outcome. (Oh, no not the C word!!) Control. So hard to give up. But often times our job isn't to fight the battle but to "take up your positions, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord will give you." Take up your positions - I think this refers to determining that you will believe what God has promised. For me, this includes finding scriptures that remind me of God's promises and getting some Biblical support for why I believe God is going to provide in a certain way. Ever had to write a paper trying to persuade someone to believe a certain thing? In the same way, our minds, our hearts, need some support, some proof we can cling to. So we get out our swords (the Bible) and write out or formulate our position. Stand firm - This is why you need those verses, so you have something to stand firm on. This means to be convinced, to be unwavering, let nothing move you. The devil's first line of attack against us is doubt. If he can get you to waver even one tiny bit from what God has promised, he will take advantage of the loophole to the greatest extent possible. You have to convince yourself so you can stand firm. See the deliverance God will provide - This is the last step. There isn't a step that says cry every night and always be struggling with this battle. When the battle isn't yours, no struggle is required. Fighting fights we aren't meant to or prepared for only wears us down. In reality, God is the one who always brings the victory. It's never because you struggled enough or some how earned the win. The way we are supposed to fight is by trusting in the one who has the power to win our battles. That is our piece of the puzzle. Yes, God will call you to pray and he expects us to do this, but prayer doesn't mean you always get all emotional and frazzled and struggle. Sometimes, yes but the fact we aren't getting all emotional and don't feel like we are fighting doesn't mean we've given up but rather given in to God and letting him be God. He is the victor and we are his subjects who faithfully serve him and trust him to bring victory as only he can. Did you see that Mav's game last night? Ridiculous! They didn't even start playing until there was about 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter and then they ended up winning in overtime. It was crazy!! Today our cleaning lady started and I already know I am going to love this. She is coming once a month to do general cleaning. I don't have issues keeping everything organized, but honestly, if people aren't coming to my house, things like dusting and vacuuming just doesn't get done. So now, it will all get done once a month and to make it better, the fact that she is coming will make me straighten up stuff once a month as well. It sounds like a win win situation to me. Why did I not do this earlier. I've been at a conference for a few days so it'll be nice to be back in the office and get some work done. Being out of the office should assure that I have plenty to do the rest of the week before my 3 day weekend. Things are really looking up. We are in the process of getting twin beds and mattresses and bedding for both of our spare bedrooms. They've been pretty bare, but this will give us better options in the future for respite care and for whatever kids God gives us. We are doing one boy room and one girl room. I'll post pics after all of that is done. There's a lot going on right now, but vacation is right around the corner and I can feel it...only a month left! Yippee!!