I feel like someone should talk about the battle. You know the one. Yes, that one. Oh wait…not that one…..I’m talking about Your Battle!
It seems as though I wake every day in search for beauty; praying, seeking to find the glory of God. However, I don’t always share about the battle. Today it’s time…to talk about the Battle.
Charles Finney said, “If you have the Spirit of God (in you), you must make up your mind to accept experiencing opposition, both in the church and in the world.”
He also said, “You must expect very frequent and agonizing conflicts with Satan.”
I agree sometimes the church can over talk Satan. Maybe give him too much credit. And then we can also not speak of Him at all which makes us dull and unaware of his schemes and motives which leaves us vulnerable to attack and theft. However much we talk about him right or wrong, the Bible is clear. We are to put on the full armor of God because we do not fight against flesh and blood but of the principalities of darkness.
So…the Battle. We are all in one, and we are all in one at all times. The Good news is the war has already been won. We ARE victorious. This gives us the advantage to fight with beauty and grace although it doesn’t always look beautiful and graceful.
More good news… “The Joy of the Lord is our Strength.” I love how He gives us Joy as our strength. …just sit on that for a moment. If you are fighting from a place of ..what’s the opposite of Joy…saddness?..then that’s not giving you the power you need to win.
He does desire Joy for us on this earth. So we can fight with Joy as our strength. We do not have to be sluggards and bitter, tired and beat down. We can fight from place of JOY because we ARE victorious. Those are good words! Hold them close.
A little while back at a Bible study, the leader called me out. She set me apart during the class and spoke a Word over me. Her Words filled a void, answered a longing question and prompted me to embrace the one thing I had been oppressing in myself. (Gotta love it when the Church does what it is suppose to do…speak encouragement, affirmation and edify one another.) That Word she spoke over me, still to this day rings like a sounding board in me when I struggle in the fight of life…. “Ferocity“. I know it’s who I am. I knew it the moment she spoke it. Finally, it was all starting to make sense. I know it’s how God fashioned me. I know it is part of my character for a reason, however it can become a thorn in my day when I need to be gentle and slow to anger…so goes the battle…
n.
c.1600, from French férocité, from Latin ferocitatem (nominative ferocitas)“fierceness,” from ferocis, oblique case of ferox “wild, bold, courageous,warlike, fierce,” literally “wild-looking,” a derivative of ferus “wild” (seefierce ) + -ox, -ocem (genitive -ocis), a suffix meaning “looking or appearing” (cognate with Greek ops “eye, sight”).
…..so it begins….
The battle of wielding the sword (for every woman), fighting for what is hers and for what is…her. Sometimes the biggest battle is figuring out who we are. Why we are the way we are. Is there a purpose in that? In me? And using that very God given drive, strength, dignity and identity that He laid in her foundation, in the dark places, in secret and THEN knowing how to mold that to a little one who is depending on this wild woman to help him learn his ABCs and 123’s.
The tempting voice of the condemner wants to discredit her beauty in battle, her grace in the place of home and battle field. “You don’t belong here…or there!” “You don’t belong.” …and so the lie goes….
However…learning is best observed in teaching and doing….applying that which is being seeded, weeded, crafted and set in motion for the work of the Lord.
God is molding me, teaching me, using me, in two very different worlds. He is letting me practice and fail, practice and succeed, ask for forgiveness, lead while learning and explain the process to little ones who are also becoming sharp to their own identity and calling.
These little ones left to my attention and tending to, to shepherd and care for, they are witnessing first hand the drive and ambition of a woman, a mom, who believes in the things of Heaven, longs for peaceful walks in the park, sits with her God in the morning, sings His praises and prays without ceasing. They also see just as brightly the faults, the sin, the struggle. The voice of doubt when the sun goes down and all Truth seems so far from grasp…but they see her rise, not more than a moment in the shadow does she stay before she comes ablaze reminded of where her Help comes from. She doesn’t care for this world with human eyes, but eyes seen from above with perspective yet again from her true Helper. and because of this….
They will answer the Call. They are being built up and trained along side of me. They are seeing the real fight. They will be warriors. Isn’t that we want for our kids. Strong individuals who will fight for what they believe in? Who will fight for truth and justice..who will look failure in the face and say, thanks, I think I get it now.
More on the daily battle….
I am easily stimulated and highly sensitive to the things around me. I am now realizing that is a strength in the Spirit however can also be a thorn in my side during the day-to-day with four boisterous, strong willed people inside a small house.
My heart and life’s call (at least in this season) is centered on my family. I home school which means I am daily, constantly striving (i know that can be a “bad” word in some Christian circles)to meet the mind and heart needs of those inside these four walls; pouring into the lives of my children and my marriage as I know He is preparing us for deeper walks out in the world. My mission (what I am sowing into) is in guiding and teaching, dwelling on truth and finding content that provides the atmosphere to hear His voice. My intent is for each one of us to position ourselves so deeply in the calling of God that nothing will shake us, nothing will move us, nothing will keep us from boldly stepping foot into the place He has set before us. Heart, mind, body and soul prepared and loved up; fed and saturated; strong and diligent, mighty and vigilant! WOW…that’s a lot. 🙂
This is the battle. Because everything in this world; everything seeing us from the dark side sets out to hinder and oppose the Good fight. Don’t you see?…the enemy wants us on the sidelines, complacent, unaware of our surroundings. He wants us dull and inattentive. Maybe that’s you right now…maybe you’ve given up for a short time or a long time….but it’s never to late to pick up your sword or to lay back claim to your bow and arrow. He will strengthen your aim. It’s ok.. We all need a break…He knows we all fall. It’s the getting back up that makes the real difference.
Personally – DAILY -my ears need a break. Personally – DAILY -my heart needs a break and my body needs a break. It is demanding work, building a home with hearts and minds and bodies that are strong and focused on Good; trained up in the way that goes against the grain, every day. If someone out there is making it look easy…don’t be fooled. It’s hard work. But honestly…there is rest for the weary. There is a due season upon us all. If we do not give up we will reap our harvest. There is a resting season. There is a feasting season. There is joy in every season. Do not fall prey to the lies of the enemy.
IT IS WORTH IT.
There is a fight going on daily in this home. There is opposition daily in this home because there is a movement happening in this home.
My mornings are God’s. My whole day is devoted to God, but I feed on Him in the morning. I seek Him and ask Him what He wants. And then, I get out of my chair and the war begins. He fills me with the fortitude to take my Spiritual strength that is so much a part of me and mold it so it is touchable and tangible for living and growing and serving others.
He built me Ferocious…I just know it. There is a side of me deep down that roars with the Lion of Judah. I feel the passion and the burn deep inside for righteousness, for peace, for justice, for freedom and also for just a moment of QUIET. This is my battle daily.
The enemy knows one of my biggest strengths in the Spirit is actually one of my daily struggles in the natural. I can fight effectively in Prayer , protect and be watchful on the wall over my family, friends, community, country…. with a ferocity that makes the enemy shiver and run. But when that kind of Spiritual warfare is over, I have to realize the opposition on this Earth and in this home is very real too; however with patience and fortitude, I am victorious over the daily grind as I lead little ones to the Well.
Your battle is real. Your God is real. Your calling and strength was set in you for a reason. Let yourself be JOYFUL and strong in Him and fight for what is yours. Don’t settle for the way of the road most traveled. Find your calling in Him and go for it. It will be worth it.