I never really knew what was meant by the battle and I wonder if others are curious about this as it applies to our daily lives. Prior to the choice that I made to live a life of faith and surrender myself to Jesus; I lived a daily battle not only in dealing with daily living but first and foremost, in my own mind. I am now very aware of this mental battle that plays out in my thoughts and can quickly overcome them through God’s strength and what might surprise you, good ole’ practice. In my days of searching I thought that I would one day “wake up” and be “healed” miraculously in an instant from the torment that I created for myself on a routine basis. Thoughts like “com’on Teresa, you can’t do that!” “who do you think you are?” “you idiot”, etc, etc. I recall constant dramas that would play out in my mind regarding petty things that others might be thinking about me or a situation. I think you all know exactly what I am talking about – this is the real battle! I know that many suffer from this and I’m not claiming that this never happens now but it is far more infrequent and as I grow my strength through God’s words from the bible, this will continue to decrease until my mind is completely in His will. This is the secret although it’s readily available and I’m here to tell you that this is by no means “instant” and it takes commitment, dedication and most importantly obedience to the desire to live in His will instead of our own.
The other battle is the worldly battle. The one that takes our mind that is full of drama and focuses on everything except for God’s will or perhaps only for one hour on Sunday. This is simply our world with TV, sports, running our kids all over town, work and more work. Obviously it’s different for everyone but for those who live in this battle, like I did, they know what I mean. It’s all of this worldly creation (not Godly) that takes our focus from His will into our own will. It seems great for a while but usually at some point this routine starts to feel meaningless and insignificant and we start to search for something else. That is exactly what happened to me. Thankfully, I found my way back to Christ whom I had turned away from at 16 years of age.
Now, you ask…”so now what? So many speak about this but what am I supposed to do about it?” The answer is to make time in the worldly battle for you to spend with God. Yes, this might require hard choices about giving something up to make room in the schedule for this activity. If we’re honest, most of us can find 20 minutes in our day for something that can transform our lives. There truly is no short-cut because if there was a short-cut I would have found it – I’m very resourceful! 🙂 Try to take time every day to be alone with God and get to know Him again or perhaps for the first time by reading His written word. The best time is whatever time is best for your life. I prefer early in the morning because I love to start my day with a focus on Him and I also don’t have children so it’s easy for me. It is like exercise and it does take time to develop this muscle. But reading the Bible and growing your strength in His word will show quick results, I assure you. You will find that the “battle” doesn’t seem like a battle anymore. In fact, it becomes peaceful and you are able to handle life’s true challenges and the petty ones seem to dissipate. Do I miss a day from now and then, of course. And most importantly, I don’t beat myself up for that – that would be my old mind.
If you’re sick of the battle, just try it. I can only speak from my own experiences and how much better my mind and my life is now. There is so much more to share so I’ll wrap this one up…If you want to know more, send me your comment and I will offer you more.
I’ve suffered a great many tragedy in my life. Most of which never occurred.” – Mark Twain (1835-1910)
