We have many enemies. Turn on any news channel and you will hear the latest on terrorists. The political race makes people question whether or not the next leader of the free world will be an enemy to our values or not. That same political race makes enemies of friends. The mirror, the scale, the friend who spoke behind our back: all deemed enemies. The person who got the job promotion instead of us, the addiction, the one who wronged us: enemies.
What I have learned as of late, is that while these things, these people, can seem like enemies in my life, I am my one true enemy. I have an inability to wrestle with myself. Or, maybe I wrestle with myself too much tearing myself to nothing. Either way, I have learned that others really aren’t my enemy. I am.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23
I wrote about this verse recently. I have parked here for a bit. I don’t think the devil likes it. The moment I make one step towards victory, you better believe he is there to tear me down. I keep pressing on, however, because I don’t want enemies anymore; especially the enemy within. I want to train my focus on Jesus wrestling with my issues that war within me.
Like most of us, I desire peace. How can I make peace with others if I cannot make peace with me? One thing a wise friend told me recently was that our flesh, our person, is going to naturally resist, defend, and hide any sort of criticism or issue in our life even when we know or suspect that we are actually sinning. It is 100% against our nature to resist reproofing whether that comes from God, the Word, or a trusted friend or loved one. We don’t like to face or deal with our issues. It hurts. It’s hard. It’s lonely. Yet, it is vital to our spiritual and mental health.
“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.” Lamentations 3:40
The good news is, once we realize we have hidden issues we need to deal with, God is right beside us to journey it out. He wants nothing less than victory in our lives. He desires us to return to him; to open our hearts to freely accept his love and grace. We can’t receive that precious love when we have all this junk blocking the road.
“There is a difference between issues and behaviors. You can’t change your behavior if you don’t deal with your issues. You either attach yourself to your issues or you avoid them. What are you hiding from? Deal with your issues so you can change your behavior.” Pastor Steven Furtick
Love & Blessings,
Meg
What I have learned as of late, is that while these things, these people, can seem like enemies in my life, I am my one true enemy. I have an inability to wrestle with myself. Or, maybe I wrestle with myself too much tearing myself to nothing. Either way, I have learned that others really aren’t my enemy. I am.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23
I wrote about this verse recently. I have parked here for a bit. I don’t think the devil likes it. The moment I make one step towards victory, you better believe he is there to tear me down. I keep pressing on, however, because I don’t want enemies anymore; especially the enemy within. I want to train my focus on Jesus wrestling with my issues that war within me.
Like most of us, I desire peace. How can I make peace with others if I cannot make peace with me? One thing a wise friend told me recently was that our flesh, our person, is going to naturally resist, defend, and hide any sort of criticism or issue in our life even when we know or suspect that we are actually sinning. It is 100% against our nature to resist reproofing whether that comes from God, the Word, or a trusted friend or loved one. We don’t like to face or deal with our issues. It hurts. It’s hard. It’s lonely. Yet, it is vital to our spiritual and mental health.
“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.” Lamentations 3:40
The good news is, once we realize we have hidden issues we need to deal with, God is right beside us to journey it out. He wants nothing less than victory in our lives. He desires us to return to him; to open our hearts to freely accept his love and grace. We can’t receive that precious love when we have all this junk blocking the road.
“There is a difference between issues and behaviors. You can’t change your behavior if you don’t deal with your issues. You either attach yourself to your issues or you avoid them. What are you hiding from? Deal with your issues so you can change your behavior.” Pastor Steven Furtick
Love & Blessings,
Meg
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