Why is it that when you are down everything seems to get piled on at once? Does that happen in your life? You may start out your day with that small self doubting whisper but by lunch it is a full-on personal assault! What I am fighting right now is learning how to stop my racing mind!! Are you in the same boat with me? I am my own worst critic. Either I’m too fat, or too loud, or too nice, or too silly, or too soft or too hard, or too whatever!!??!! Why is it so easy to beat ourselves up? Why would you say such ugly hateful things to yourself? Can you see you saying these things to your children, or your spouse? NO of course not then why is it ok to say these things to yourself!
I am really starting to see a trend in my life. Satan knows that I am hardest on myself so it will start with a small something. Just something for him to whisper in my ear about. Then comes the next thing and a third or a forth or a fifth. By the time he is done I am in full on panic mode and ready to run screaming into the hills. I am learning how to quiet my mind. We all know the "rules" we place on ourselves. I’m going to read my bible today for 30 minutes and we try to squeeze it in the 5 minutes before we fall asleep. Well I have been reading, praying and contemplating the time when Jesus was in the desert and Satan threw a whole bunch of those small whispers at Him. Instead of letting them pile up Jesus took care of them one at a time. He fought them off with scripture. So I have been trying to do that. The hard part when I have started this is to recognize when it is Satan. I have taken time to be with my boys while I work part time. It hasn’t been great on our budget. That is one thing that Satan has been whispering in my ear about and I am sure with the economy the way that it is he isn’t just whispering in my ear. So on a pay day I sit down to pay all the bills, this is when the whispering starts. That is when I take 30 seconds to combat this thought.
(Deep Breath in), My Father supplies all of my needs according to his riches and glory.
Matthew 6:25-34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
And as that thought or attack wanes or passes someone that I have been working with calls me to say they don’t want to work with me anymore. I wish them all the blessings I can and when they call me a name and hang up on me, I begin to laugh because I know this person doesn’t know me and the name they called me is so off base. Then that whispering comes in. "Are you sure they aren’t right about you?" NO! I KNOW THEY ARE NOT RIGHT ABOUT ME!
Psalm 139:13 I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
As that passes Satan throws Alex’s accident in my face. I knew as soon as that came up that it was from him. Why?? Because I wouldn’t let these other things bother me he had to use my rawest emotion right now. Now when he uses Alex it is one of the hardest things for me to fight. I will catch myself balling my hands into fists. When I see this in myself I have to remind myself of what a true friend said to me. God has every right to change my life in anyway he sees fit to bring him greater glory! I know that the Lord has a plan and I so desperately want to follow the plan he has for my life!!! I want to be who he created me to be so I can shine his glory everywhere! So I do my best to ward off the attacks. I am still my own worst critic but I now can see when it is coming from outside, from those small whispers.
It is now starting to bleed over into my marriage too! The whispers that cause those arguments are when my husband doesn’t understand what I am saying or we hear something completely differently than what the other person said. I am starting to be able to see when those whispers are causing problems between my husband and I. So instead of getting overwhelmed try using those little bible verses you remember or turn on some Christian music or listen to an inspirational CD, or radio station (or better yet Sara Scott’s new CD) and allow God to envelope you in a his love. It’s impossible for those whispers to continue when he is sitting there with you, however, that is one of His greatest promises, that He will always be there with you!
3 comments:
I love your transparency Dee !! I praise God for you and your family. God has great plans for you .... keep satan at bay one whisper at a time !!! You can do it with God's help !!!
As long as we are alive, our minds remain Satan's battlefield! Life is a struggle, and the devil is determined to defeat and destroy us. But it's not just our fight. Jesus is not only with us, but He is for us. He's at our side to strengthen us and to urge us onward. The time between suffering and thanksgiving is when the devil truly attacks our thoughts. Satan cannot defeat us if we keep believing that God is working for our good, and that we are being continually transformed into His image. It is with the mind that we grasp God's truths and hold to them. We must remind ourselves that we have Christ's mind, therefore we have the ability to think loving and caring thoughts. It is Satan who is attacking our minds when negative thoughts; he is fighting us on the only front he has available, our mind. We can defeat Satan's attacks! Satan doesn't attack unless he knows we belong to Jesus. Wrap yourself in the love of Jesus as you let the voice of the Master relax you. Psalm 139:13 I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Know that we who love you are praying for you. You are an inspiration to many.
Dee I am so glad that you are my friend and sister in Christ. You are a strong woman in Christ and for Christ.
I just happened to find this blog on your husband's post in facebook. I am glad that you are finding ways to fight the enemy. Just know this. When you keep your focus on Christ the enemy is always there slinking around to find away in because he is pissed that your not paying attention to him. Christ will fight the battle for you (us) if you (we) can just keep that focus and run the race for him.
I thank God for putting you in my life, what a treasure you are as a friend.
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