“But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.” Psalm 31:14

Battles are tough. Sometimes, the hardest part of a battle is understanding who your enemy truly is. Often, I forget where the real battle is happening. You know what I mean? Those times when:

• I’m angry at my spouse
• My kids are bickering with one another and me
• I hear the whispers – you’re not qualified, you’ll never have a strong ministry, you’ll never convince that person to believe in Jesus

Oh yes, those are real battles. But, I have to step back and remember who the real enemy is. It isn’t my kids or my spouse. It’s not silence or rejection in ministry. It’s not an unreceptive heart.

 

It’s Satan. The enemy of all. Especially the enemy of those in Christ. His greatest accomplishment would be to render us useless. He can’t take away our salvation, but he can sure try to muck up our time here on Earth.

 

Every time he traps me in a pit or causes me to respond harshly, he wins. When I wallow in pity, fear or a lack of confidence, he wins again. Those are battles I must fully be aware of and learn to fight back.

 

How?

 

With the truth of God’s Word. The only true and proven way to defeat the enemy is through the power of Christ. His death and resurrection defeated Satan once and for all and we must claim and cling to that power every single day.

 

In a raging battle, we need to open God’s Word and seek out truth statements to speak out loud. When we do that, the enemy slinks back, defeated and demoted.

 

I am in a battle now that seems to be coming from all sides. The attacks are subtle, but effective, because the enemy knows more about me than I do myself. He knows my weaknesses and plays on them to try and trip me up.

 

I have written this passage from the Psalms on a piece of paper that I am keeping nearby all the time. By speaking it out loud, I unleash the power of Christ in me to fend off the attacks of the day. The Message version of the passage has a great interpretation.

 

Desperate, I throw myself on you:

 

you are my God!

 

Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,

 

safe from the hands out to get me.

 

Warm me, your servant, with a smile;

 

save me because you love me.

 

Don't embarrass me by not showing up;

 

I've given you plenty of notice.

 

Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,

 

leave them stupidly shaking their heads

 

as they drift down to hell.

 

Gag those loudmouthed liars

 

who heckle me, your follower,

 

with jeers and catcalls.

 

Psalm 31:14-18, The Message

 

Yes, Lord, gag that loudmouthed liar. I love how he says, “hour by hour I place my days in your hand.” We desperately need Christ every hour, every minute. The battles are too big to face alone.