Skip to main content

Your Struggle and God's Role in It

I’m finally reading a book that’s been sitting by my bedside for a few weeks, Battlefield of the Mind, by Joyce Meyer – because I so desperately need it. As human beings, our weaknesses vary so massively. There’s a very useful analogy my sister gave to illustrate this point: ‘I could sit, sleep and eat for a week in the alcohol aisle of a supermarket, and not feel the slightest urge to touch a single bottle.’ Because alcohol is not her weakness. Now, something else like going for weeks without watching one episode of Greys Anatomy would be much more of a challenge for her.

And the devil knows this well. He knows exactly where you’re most fallible. And every single day, he’s looking for a way to cause you to trip up, using the things that affect you most deeply.

For me, that thing is my thinking. My mind can be a total warzone. I struggle with all sorts of emotions, overthinking, worry and feelings of security. One day, my major battle could be feeling like a crappy Christian who isn’t ‘up to scratch’; another, I could spend the entire day exasperatedly trying to let go of something tiny someone did that offended me. It’s my struggle. It’s where the devil knows he can get to me most.

But I read two things last week in Battlefield of the Mind, which changed the way I think about my struggle.

1.     I have to actively counteract my negative thinking with positive ones. Unpleasant thoughts about myself, my life or others will always come, but it’s MY choice to entertain them or REPLACE them with God-centred thinking. E.g. I may be feeling lost right now, but God has my back, has always had everything under control, and has never needed my help anyway to bring forth great things.

2.     Freedom from my thinking patterns will not happen overnight, so there’s no need to burden myself with negative thoughts about my negative thinking! I WILL overcome it with God’s help and a bucket load of persistence, but it’s going to be one small victory after another. And that’s fine.


What’s your struggle? Is it seeking satisfaction from other people? Drugs? Constantly comparing yourself to others? Casual sex? Feeling like you’ll never be good enough? Do you feel like there’s no point even trying to overcome it because you’ve been at it for so long, and nothing has changed? I want you to know firstly that you really can’t do it on your own. Attempting to change yourself will only leave you frustrated. God wants you to realise that – and let Him get involved! Only He can make alterations to His own creation.

Secondly, and most importantly, you have never gone too far, too deep or too long for God to step in and transform you. You have to trust that He has the ability – and the desire – to help you. God doesn’t want to see you in bondage, or enjoy watching you suffer; that’s why He sent Jesus to free you – not just from death, but from whatever the devil wants to use to defeat you.

God loves you.


Kunmi x

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Simple, Practical Solution To Reading More of Your Bible

At the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted to read the entire Bible - for the second time - in a year. (I also started using these amazing reading plans on my even more amazing Bible app, YouVersion. It's awesome; check it out! )  My aim is to get more of God's word into my head, mind and heart, and as a result, get to know Him better, as... "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was  God." (John 1:1) Simple, yeah? If God and His Word are one, then by getting to know one more, I get to know the other, right? But to achieve my goal, I obviously had to carve out more time to read God's Word.  Now, truth be told, I often find reading the Bible a little bit tedious (I'll have you know God appreciates my honesty), ESPECIALLY when it gets to certain, not-so-Jesus-loves-you-you-can-do-no-wrong-everything-is-all-GOOD chapters like Numbers, Leviticus and a few others (let's cut them some slack, shall we?). But I rea...
2 comments
Read more

Let's Talk About Time: Where is Yours Going?

I've come to a stage in my life where one of the top 3 things I am most passionate about is how I'm spending my time. Why? It's one of the greatest gift God has given us - and a lot of the time, truth be told, we squander it. How you spend your time is a reflection of what you really care about. When you find that hours on hours are lost on online shopping, scrolling through Instagram, watching your favourite series, complaining about everything that's wrong in your life, it shows that's where you're truly most invested. It's where your heart and your mind are. Aside from chasing our passions and 'living our best life', how often do we remember that we are called to much more? That our lives are not just for chasing pleasures and being comfy? That we were created neither to just pay the bills or make loads of money? What are you doing with your time? It's a question I now ask myself everyday. It's so important to me not to go thro...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Does it Really Mean to Have an 'Anointing'?

Isn't 'anointing' just one of those Christian words that tends to be used a lot but we generally don't really understand? I listened to a fantastic podcast by Joyce Meyer (Ministries) today, Don't Be Led By Your Head . Along with several amazing lessons I picked up from JM (who I looove ), she said something I believe everyone should know: an anointing is simply God's power and enablement in your life to do something. We all heard this word so much from our pastors, preachers and reverends growing up and it just seemed so fancy, no?! You think of 'the anointing' as this precious, fragile thing that only 'God's special people' (like those mentioned above) have access to... something so far from your reach. But do you know every Christian has the anointing of God in different ways and different things? Let me just clear something up: this doesn't have to be singing in church or being a home fellowship leader . You could have an anoint...
Post a Comment
Read more