I’m over a month into my journey and I must admit that I feel more oppressed than normal. I believe the more of God’s work I’m trying to do via surrendering, the more attacks from the enemy will likely occur. We all have our weaknesses, some even bondages. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul writes of Jesus saying: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” All I can say is Thank God! I don’t believe this gives us an excuse to knowingly give into areas of weakness by any means. I do however realize that the enemy knows our weaknesses, and those are the areas we need to surrender and PLEA with The Holy Spirit to help us. Perhaps His glory is best displayed in our weaknesses, in our humanness, and in our struggles in life. That’s how I read that verse.

Oppressed, and yeah I mean it! I sometimes will actually speak and write of spiritual warfare, as in angels and demons. So when I say oppressed, I mean it. I believe many are walking around with a not so still/small voice telling us everything possible to separate us from God’s glory. The enemy wants to destroy any positive impact we can have on this world. I must give credit where credit is due, I learned much of this through a worship series introduced to me by a friend. The series was from Gateway Church out of Texas by pastor Robert Morris. The series is called Free Indeed from 2013, which explains this topic of spiritual warfare and bondage in great detail. I recommend it whole heartedly for anyone. BTW- if you ever feel like there is an area of your life you simply cannot get a handle on, no matter how hard you try, I especially recommend visiting this sermon series!!!!

One of my biggest areas of weakness is fear. I’ve written about my intense bouts with hypochondria and will continue to be vulnerable regarding this topic if me doing so helps anyone else who struggles. You see- fear of some ailment or illness is a trademark spiritual battlefield for me. That’s where the enemy knows to go to stop me in my spiritual tracks, or at least attempt to. Lately this has crept back in as I’ve gone on this journey. I’m not surprised by this, as my biggest motivator and commitment to life at this time is surrendering to God. The old trick that works the most on me by the enemy is fear, in particular in the area of health concerns. What’s your go-to spiritual wound, addiction or hang-up that the enemy uses most frequently to derail your spiritual path and steal your joy? I’m sure we all have a struggle or two that really gets us back to thinking worldly instead of spiritually. Gambling, obsession over money or possessions, drinking, drugs, lust, insecurities, past hurts, just to name a few possibilities. You name it, if it hurts he’ll continue to try to use it against us! Fear can even creep in just because things are going well. Have you ever reflected on how good things are, then all the sudden you’re stricken with fear waiting for some “other shoe to drop?” What thievery of our joy!

I figure God can work best in my weaknesses, so I figure perhaps my recent fears are something I should write about. I want to share because God can also work best in your weaknesses, literally Jesus said so! I felt like the past couple of weeks have been tough so I want to be real with all of you. I also wanted to share my top antidotes to combat fear when these unexpected bouts of oppression pop up:

1. Pray for clarity. Pray for strength. Pray continuously if needed. Ask God to illuminate any lies being told by the enemy so you can combat those lies with faith and The Word!
2. Repent- like maybe do a 180 in some area!? Odds are something in life hasn’t been going well and there could be an open door/wound that the enemy is using as a gateway to attack. I would say even go through deliverance if necessary (watch or listen to Free Indeed as noted above to learn more). Regardless, acknowledging our weakness and wrongdoings to Him can be healing, and allows God to work through these weaknesses. We’re human and we make mistakes. He already knows this about us, so why not talk to Him about our struggles instead of thinking we can hide them?
3. Quote Scripture. The Good Book baby! What verses resonate with you? Jesus quoted scriptures all throughout The Gospel, even at the enemy himself. Find a verse (or ten) that resonate and start speaking them aloud. Shout them if needed. The enemy doesn’t want to hear your scripture, especially in his direction, so sing it if needed! Here’s one, 2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Now doesn’t that oppose so much of what is used against us regarding fear or worry? The Holy Spirit within us is one of power, love and a sound mind… AMEN!
4. Let Jesus heal your brokenness. We’re all broken in different ways, that’s okay. Do you ever wonder why sometimes we gain understanding through wisdom, therapy, reading, etc., yet the underlying pains, tendencies or issues continue to arise? The more understanding brought to the situation doesn’t necessarily correlate with REAL healing. Awareness doesn’t heal, it’s just a step. We need to bring LIGHT to the subject and ask for His healing. Isaiah 61:1 is a great verse to remember- The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound”
5. Give no speaking power to the area. I’m not saying don’t confide in a loved one, professional, or spiritual leader. What I’m saying is that making whatever is being used against you a discussion point throughout your day gives too much of attention to the matter. When I struggle with hypochondria I often swear off saying certain words, and deliberately don’t speak of the struggle often. I feel like focus gives power, so I try to focus on more powerful things, like positive affirmations and faith. I believe this works for anything negative for anyone in this world. Diminish the power of negativity and evil by not overly speaking of such things.

I know it’s not easy. I know we all have struggles. I hope you all know that you’re not alone, in spirit or with other human beings fighting similar battles. We are together in this fight, despite our differences. We all have a spiritual war to win! I hope this helps put someone’s mind at ease. Whatever area of your mind most under attack, maybe try some of these steps. Whatever bridge you’re crossing, we are here with you!

Much love from Savannah, Georgia!

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