2 Corinthians 10:5
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
If you have ever ran track you know that it is more than just running. Some say the mental battle is close to 75% of the running. I say this because yesterday at track practice two of my athletes started crying saying they could not do, what I was asking them to do. These two specific athletes had a bad outing last track meet, and the devil was taking over their thought process. I can’t do this, we will fail, we are not good enough. Does this sound familiar?
Let us go further than surface level though. Have you noticed how the thoughts are getting more often, stronger, and maybe even darker than they ever have? One of my girls the one that will be starting our relay, had a false start last week. And, let me tell you how that plays with your mind. So, what does the devil do? He throws it in your face, and next thing you know you are falling on your face in front of 100’s people.
For me, its darker and harder to fight because he flashes in my head the fun times I had before I was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. The vile and disgusting things that I used to chase, the fleshy desires that we hide in our closets. Those scenarios that he bombardes are minds with over and over, then thoughts of your not saved, you really haven’t changed. If you were saved then why would those thoughts even come into your mind? Or, the rage seems to come into your heart again, you know that rage we would change to feel high because it meant we had power? Or, we walk into a gas station by the beer section and you turn around without thinking and there is a beer in your hand? You start chasing pictures on Facebook and next thing you know you are on some dark vile website.
The bad part and I believe where we fail is at the initial point of the thought process. We allow the simple thought to creep into our minds, and then our own minds take it and run with it. Our own mind is was twists and contorts the thoughts not the devil. The devil only has to plant the seed, and we allow it to ferment, and then the weeds take over our mind. Once the thought takes over our minds we end up in complete darkness, not wanting to get out of bed. The depression at times locks us down so tight and dark we can’t move. Other times we are trying to perform something to the best of our ability. The first time it might not go as we planned, so we shut down and call it a failure, then see us in that failure.
My pastor Chad Geeslin said it this weekend, and it struck me because we never do it. Well at least I don’t ever do it. We do not stay in the victories that God brings us long enough. What happens is we tend to live in our failures but not our victories. That is where the devil can latch onto us and lock us down, but when we bast in God, and realize the victories he has brought us we can see that we have already conquered the failure we are being trapped in. When our anxiety starts to take over it is because of something from our past. We latch onto the failures and see it again and again in the future. This can be based in rejection, bitterness, sadness, or so many other emotions that drive us into that anxiety.
So what we must do is conquer it with the truths and promises of God. Back to my athletes real quick. One of my girls that was crying was saying that she can’t because she isn’t fast enough, when I have clocked her faster than anyone else on our team. She can do it why? Because she has done it. My other girl, the one that is starting the relay is claiming she can’t because of the false start two weeks ago. But she is not taking into account the other 20 starts she had with no issues. We get trapped in the what ifs based on failures, instead of seeing the victories we have already had.
We must stop the bleeding before it gets to bad. We must take every thought captive and ask is this of God? Is this thought producing something from God or attributing to God’s Glory? If not then fight it with a truth or promise from God’s word in order to do this we must slow down our minds. Not matter what we bask in the victories God has brough into are lives and Paul said it best in Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
We all fight this daily battle some harder and darker than others. I know my demons from my past can get dark and loud at times. Let us lean on our brothers and sisters in Christ, and know that you are not alone. Even though the devil tells you that you are I PROMISE you are not alone.
We got this!
Many blessings till next week.
Grace of the King
And if you want more than one a week let me know.