The Art of War

"Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." -Ps 144:1

 
"I am just so fed up!" said my friend. "I don't understand why all this negative stuff keeps happening to me. I am so tired of things working out for others and not working out for me. What am I doing wrong?!?" I thought for a moment, giving the question some space.
 
"You know what I think?" I said.
 
"What?" she said.
 
"I think He's training your hands for war."
 
Sometimes we run around in circles, hoping for a different answer to our problems. We try to move forward in our lives only to discover we have come up against the same wall, the same unfulfilled dream, the same obstacle in our lives. What now? Do we blame God for our inability to get past our obstacle? No. Do we blame ourselves? Not necessarily. We need to discover God's process in preparing our hands for battle.
 
When there are giants, obstacles, or enemies in front of us, we need to treat the situation strategically. Doesn't an army come up with a battle plan? Likewise, we need to sit before God to find out what it is we should do to get past our obstacle, much like the Israelites did when they were about to enter the Promised Land. Is it time to wait, or is it time to move forward? Is it time to fast and pray, or is it time to take action? When we aren't certain some sort of movement is usually helpful.
 
But, the most important part of this strategic process is how to fight in the spiritual realm. Is there negativity we're listening to in our minds? Are we speaking negative words aloud? Are we living with discouragement? We need to deal with those things first before we can be effective in conquering our giants. Then and only then can God give us a battle plan. Our spiritual enemies need to be bound.
 

If you find yourself running in circles, it could be that God is training your hands for war. Spend time with Him to hear His perspective on the situation. We will come away with a much different perspective when we view our lives through His eyes.

We Are What We Think

"As a man thinks... so is he." -Proverbs 23:7

Have you ever had a hard time with the way you think about yourself? I know I have. Fat, ugly, stupid, never good enough - it seems I've "subconsciously" called myself everything. Of course, those things couldn't be further from the truth!

 
In reality, most of us think things that are not true about ourselves, resulting in insecurities, fears, and doubts - doubts about how others see us, about our own lives, and about our futures in God. But do you know what this does? It reinforces the lies the enemy tries to make us believe. We can't expect to ask other people to value our worth if we already think we are not worth anything. They will most likely come to that same conclusion as we have. Why? "As a man thinks, so is he."
 
How have you thought about yourself lately? How have you thought of other people? More often than not, these two are related. If we tend to have a negative perspective about ourselves, then this will manifest itself in our lives. We are a mirror for the world around us. Weird, huh. Don't believe it? Ask a jealous person how they feel on the inside. More than likely, (and I've been there), the majority of the time, they will feel as though they have no worth. 


 
The truth of the matter is, we have so much to offer. We don't need to continue to believe the lies about ourselves that we are without value. What do you have to offer? If you can't think of anything, begin with the fact that you are first a child of God.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father... So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31
 
Don't let the enemy steal your destiny from you. Own your worth in Him today. You'll feel much better seeing yourself through God's eyes.