This Is How I Fight My BattlesSýnishorn

Battle-Worn

It was a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon. The kind of weather that beckons for quiet time curled up on the couch to read a book or watch a movie. But my house has two little boys with too much energy, so instead of inviting quiet and calm, this weather makes us all lose our marbles. Our walls were keeping us dry and warm, but they contained us. The unreleased energy in my boys was vibrating, making them ripe for temper tantrums and misbehaviour. What are we going to do? I pleaded a prayer under my breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some cardboard, got an idea, and got to work.

Within minutes, the cardboard along with a few popsicle sticks and strips of masking tape had transformed into a sword and shield for each of my boys. Fashioned after the hardware they'd seen in all those Old Testament Superbook episodes, my boys brandished their new armour with glee. The house wasn't any less noisy, but at least they were occupied. "No headshots!" I called out, as they ran around the house screaming, "Mom, these weapons are amazing!!!"

Watching this scene and hearing my sons exclaim their gratitude, I thought: I am either a great mom or I've just unleashed something terrible and this could all go very very badly. To this day, I still can't quite decide where I landed on that spectrum of motherhood at that moment. But, it did get me thinking about the weapons my Heavenly Father has bestowed on me and how grateful I am for them.

Is it just me, or does life feel like a battle most days for you, too?

As a working mom of two young, spirited kids, there are many days when I look and feel battle worn even before my workday begins. The amount of opposition I overcome to get my boys out of bed, washed up and dressed, fed, and out the door for school on time is exhausting! Throw a little work stress, financial tension, health concern, relational conflict, spiritual conundrum, societal unrest— oh yeah, and a global pandemic—into the mix, and I can be one unstable Wi-Fi connection away from losing it!

Scripture tells us that the battle is the Lord's and He will fight for us. But He also gives us armour and weapons. Why? Why would He arm us if He says the battle is His? Because Scripture also instructs us to not be afraid, to be courageous, and stand firm. I don't know about you, but I need God and His spiritual weapons to stand firm with courage from moment to moment in the daily contentions of my life.

We can make the mistake of thinking that our spiritual weapons are only for spiritual warfare or opposition. I believe the spiritual battles we fight on daily basis are more often practical and tangible—a negative mindset, an irritable attitude, the struggle for self-control when my child gets on my last nerve, the compulsion to complain, the temptation to overspend my budget, or getting caught in the comparison trap. Our Heavenly Father gave us spiritual weapons for these commonplace clashes, too.

Join me over the next five days as we draw insight and revelation from God's Word in the Old Testament about King Jehoshaphat, the spiritual weapons he employed to save a nation, and how they still apply to our lives today.

Let's Pray:

Lord, thank You for all You are doing in my life. Even though there are daily challenges, I know the battle is Yours, and I believe You are for me. I invite You into each one of the areas of my life where I am struggling. Teach me how to stand firm and be courageous in You. Amen.

Take Action:

Identify one area of your life right now that feels like a battle and surrender it to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how you can make progress in this area over the next five days as we learn to use the mighty spiritual weapons He has given us.