Individual Battles

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Plato

We have no idea the battles people are facing. Some are engaged in internal struggles, some are fighting with the pain of their past, while others are combating physical ailments that can’t always be seen externally. Many of these fights are are on a mental level yet sap spiritual and emotional strength as well. The outward signs of these struggles may not always be noticed, but the effect is real nonetheless.

How do we respond to the people we encounter on our life’s journey? It’s not as if we aren’t dealing with our own individual battles. I would suggest we treat people as we would like to be treated. Don’t diminish the battle they are facing and try to “one-up” them. Show compassion for their journey. Stand strongly with them without demeaning or ridiculing their fight.

There is great love and respect shown when we can acknowledge the journey someone is on without having to compare it to our own. It’s enough to know we are fighting together.

Defining the Competition

Yesterday I wrote about the significance of understanding that I am in competition with my own expectations. Recognizing that truth is key, but I also have to clearly define it so I know what I am up against.

When I’m striving to be a better man, the biggest threats come mostly from inside of me. While outside factors obviously influence me, I react differently based on how I am succeeding in my internal fight. My success in the competition with myself will determine how well I navigate the challenges in front of me.

Often it’s the battle of the weight of my past decisions that hinders my growth. Sometimes it’s the frequent reminders of my own shortcomings and weaknesses that I can’t escape. Frequently it’s the internal conversations that can spin into negativity instead of being positively centered. When I am winning this competition I feel as if I can overcome any obstacle. When I am losing this battle even little things can knock me off course.

To become the man I want to be I have to be aware of this competition and fight diligently to overcome the wrong type of thinking. These are battles I have to win if I’m going to get further down the road.

Time to Fight

We are engaged in a battle every day. There are some times when we might feel as if it is a battle simply for survival. Other times we are fighting to get ahead and improve our circumstances. Even if our daily motivation changes, the battle continues. How do we get prepared for what we will face? How do we anticipate what we will encounter and find success?

Our path is easier to choose when we can determine the answer to two questions:

What are you fighting against? 

What are you fighting for?

The answers to these two questions will set parameters for our daily focus and help us to stay engaged in battling the right things. If we allow ourselves to get distracted from these answers, we won't be successful when it matters most.

Fire At Will

If you're going to go into battle you don't want to enter combat with only one bullet in your gun. Even if you have excellent marksmanship the odds are not necessarily in your favor. It's better to be prepared to fire more than one shot for the greatest success.

The same principle applies to success in our family life. We can't expect one night of attention and focus to develop closeness with our children, but we have to use multiple opportunities and approaches to have the best possible influence. Assuming that Valentine's Day or an anniversary is sufficient to build romance in our marriages will leave our spouses lacking in genuine love and appreciation. Using the church on Sunday morning as the only chance for your family to hear God's truth leaves a gap that widens with each subsequent day of the week.

There are active forces battling against our homes and the health of our families. It only makes sense to take advantage of multiple opportunities to strengthen them instead of taking one shot at it and hoping it works.

In Training

It is easy to become overwhelmed by your current circumstances and the hardships you are struggling through. You can become concerned with what other people are saying & doing and your perception of what that means to you. You can succumb to the emotion of the moment and the tidal wave of details that swamp over you and easily forget the big picture of what God is doing.

With your head down (from weariness or frustration) you won't be able to see where God is leading you in the midst of the trials you endure. We are promised that we will endure tough times here-Scripture tells us that time and time again. The key to surviving those is to know two things: God is firmly in control and that He is using this to shape us into warriors for Him. All of what we endure is training for future endeavors and a shaping of our hearts into Kingdom workers. 

My perspective has changed this morning. I am not down-hearted at the difficulties of the last few weeks, but I am instead encouraged at the work that God is doing in me as He transforms me into what I need to be. I see the glimpses of the future that He has for me and I know that this preparation is necessary. Satan will not dissuade me or cause me to lose my focus. 

I am a warrior with a Kingdom cause and I am in training.

I Forgot

I have learned a difficult truth in ministry. Whenever I return from a mission trip, camp, or other spiritual event, I will encounter intense spiritual resistance and attack the very next week. It happens without fail and yet it would surprise and discourage me each time it occurred. You would think that I would learn that lesson and know that satan would be doing everything he could to negatively affect any positive growth that had taken place.

This year I had myself fully prepared for it. I had prayed and asked for strength and knew that the week after returning from being campus pastor for CIY Move was going to hold spiritual attacks. In reality the week was pretty smooth and ministry just kept thumping along. Then the calendar turned to July.

I forgot again. "He who shall not be named" decided to wait a week to tear it up. I took my eyes off of God and His plan and His providence and allowed the demons of discouragement, despair and futility to settle in and make themselves comfortable. The truth had not changed-the thief has come to steal, kill & destroy (he isn't here to play nice or fair)-but I had forgotten about the confidence that is gained from trusting in God and the abundant life that He promises in spite of our circumstances.

When I forget to keep trusting in God and His ability to work in and through His people then satan has won half the battle. Good thing that the guarantee of God winning the war isn't dependent on my focus. Let's hope I remember that next time.

Get Violent

Too often I forget that we are engaging in a high stakes battle everyday. I attribute difficulties and struggles to the fact that when you work in the public arena that sometimes things just aren't easy (which they aren't). What I should remember more often is that many of the hardships we go through and resistance that we face comes straight from the enemy. He is actively working against us ('The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy..." John 10:10) and won't hesitate to use everything he has to undermine and discourage us.

What we also need to remember is that we too can fight with intensity. God has given us the weapon of prayer-not to use against each other (as some churches & Christians do), but to use as an unstoppable weapon against satan. For us to see true success the way God has it planned we need to ramp up the intensity. We need to start praying with a passionate fervor for the souls of our friends and families. We need to pray hard for God to bring favor to our missionaries. We need to pray to the point of exhaustion for the Holy Spirit to be unleashed on God's church in such a mighty way that the world has no doubt that the King is still on His throne.

When we aggressively seek God and His power we find ourselves propped up by His power and ready to fight for His people and to follow His will.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-13

What Are You Thinking?

As part of the New Testament Challenge here at Northridge, I was reading in Romans yesterday.  Romans is one of my favorite books-very challenging and not necessarily an easy read.  Paul's letter lays some pretty hardcore truths out there for us and certainly hits home in a lot of ways.

In Romans 8 Paul writes about the battle of the Spirit versus the flesh.  He says that if we focus on the things of the Spirit that we find life & if we are emphasizing the flesh that we find death.  I think the parallel is pretty clear in terms of where we place our faith-if your main emphasis is on seeking pleasure and not finding God's will and purpose it will most certainly lead to a less than pleasant end.

I honestly believe that it refers to our mindset as well.  If we were to truly analyze what it was that we were focusing on regularly & where we were putting our energies we would see definitive differences.  When our focus is on the leadings of the Spirit we find ourselves more at peace and able to cope with difficulties.  When our focus is on the leadings of our own desires & other parts of that earthly battle, we struggle in everything-relationships, patience, satisfaction, self-confidence, etc. God was telling us this not to condemn us, but to protect us.  He knows what is best.

So the big question is then-what are you thinking?