“If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.” – Philippians 2:1-2
In my last blog, I shared what satan looks like in my life lately. If you read that blog, and you understand where I was when I wrote it, this one will not only likely make more sense, but the power I’m going to try to convey will mean a lot more.
This blog is a battle update, and hopefully it will speak to what God looks like in one area of my life lately.
Here’s some background information: My squad has not met, yet. We communicate primarily through facebook and skype. A few of us can recognize each other’s voices, but we haven’t spent time together, and most of us wouldn’t recognize each other if we saw each other. We are spread out from California to England, Texas to Canada, and scattered in between.
Last week, I wrote that I was feeling discouraged. I was hearing all kinds of lies from the enemy and it was making me anxious, I was losing sleep, and feeling increasingly more stressed.
One of my squad-mates heard the Lord tell her that she should be praying for our squad, so she asked us for individual prayer requests.
Within 24 hours, more than 14 of my squad members had come forward with some prayer requests…
They all said they were feeling:
discouraged,
stressed,
anxious,
they’d been losing sleep
…and many added that it was unlike them to be feeling any of that. It hasn't presented itself in exactly the same ways for all of us, and hasn't directly corelated to race prep like most of mine did, but the discouragement produced similar effects in our lives and demeanor.
Personally, I felt like I was in this dark cloud that was keeping me from feeling like me, and I hated it.
It’s a miserable place to be when you don’t feel like you.
But then it was in the light.
More of my squad-mates have come forward and said, “yeah, I’m being attacked in weird areas.”
I believe satan attacks us to try to isolate us. In isolation, it’s a lot easier to distract us from our purpose in Christ.
God wasn’t going to let that happen to my squad. We were struggling, we are struggling, and while the enemy’s purpose is to separate us, the Lord is unifying us in beautiful, encouraging, exciting, and amazing ways.
My heart is so encouraged by the common struggle among my squad…what?
Encouraged by struggle. Encouraged by discouragement. God can do that, He does, He is.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
All glory and all power belongs to the Lord, and He displays and exercises it!
Moral of the story: when you’re feeling unlike yourself, or maybe like yourself but just discouraged – start telling people (as you feel lead), ask for prayer and pray with others! We are called to live in the light, that means living in the light in our struggles as well!!
Praise the Lord! I'm so excited for what the Lord is going to do with my squad, and He's just getting started!
