Jerard & Jovaun: Faith to Faithናሙና

 “Doubt is a luxury we can't afford…” -Helen Parr (aka Elastigirl)

I spent the last stretch of my childhood and well into my early adulthood fighting doubts about myself. I doubted my intelligence. I doubted whether or not I was pretty enough or talented enough.  I couldn’t pinpoint it, but somewhere along the way there had been an erosion of my self-esteem. It affected everything I attempted to do.  Deep down inside I felt as though God had given me something good for the world to see, but it wasn't translating into my everyday life. Through a lot of prayer and study I began to see that there were patterns of thinking that needed to be corrected. This is a very practical thing that any trained psychologist could tell you. But there was another element…I realized I had an enemy who had declared war on my life in order to stop me. I had to learn how to fight.

Did you know that God teaches us how to fight? Psalm 18:34 says, “He trains my hands for battle; He strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow” and Psalm 144:1 also says, “Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.” Although David was referring to an actual physical battle, I believe the same principle applies in the spirit realm. It’s true that some battles are God’s and God's alone. But there are other battles in which you must, along with God, be engaged and ready to attack. We must put on the whole armor of God! Satan is relentless and uses bullying tactics (negative thoughts and suggestions, the inciting of fear, etc.) to wear us down. Of course, there are various practical reasons why we struggle with doubt or fear. Perhaps we experienced a traumatic event that altered our thinking patterns. Maybe we grew up in a spiritually and/or mentally toxic environment. Those experiences are not to be discounted; however, it should not be overlooked that regardless of Madonna's assertions, we are not living in a material world! We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and so on. In those moments of doubt and vulnerability, I had to learn to go on the offense and begin fighting in the spirit. So, how do you “fight in the spirit” you may ask? Here are a few suggestions that have helped me over the years:

1. Pray! (If you have your prayer language, all the better!)

2. Have your own time of praise and worship! Put on some music if you can (acapella works too) and sing to the Lord! I have my alarm set for my time everyday. 

3. Confess scripture over your life and your day. No need to approach this legalistically, just a few scriptures will do. Also, if God has spoken something specific over your life, confess that too. 

4. Encourage yourself in the Lord. You can say things like “Someone needs what I have” or “what God has given me is beautiful” or whatever would be encouraging to you.

These suggestions will help you along your journey. You may add your own to this list. My prayer for you is that you are strengthened and ready for battle as needed. If you find yourself in a season of despair where fighting is not an option, my prayer is that God would set you upon a rock out of reach of your enemies (Ps. 27:5). I’m a witness that He's able to do just that.