How do you fight your battles that you face?  How do you gear up to go to war against the voice inside your head that tells you that you are not enough.  That voice that tells you that you should just give up before you start because…

Someone has already done that…

Someone could do it better…

Someone already thought of that idea…

Or maybe your battle is trying to find the patience to handle your entire family being home during this season.  Or your battle is how to handle the loneliness and isolation you are feeling, or you are struggling with fear, doubts, or lack of faith.

One battle in my life that I faced was whether or not I should follow God’s call on my life to be a Worship Pastor.  I did not feel that I was enough.  I was not a good enough singer(I never got a solo in choir and was not confident), I was not a good enough musician(I could only play drums at that time), and I didn’t think I was a good enough Christian.  Why would God want to choose me?  

Whatever your battle is in this season here are three things that you can utilize to fight your battles:

Fight Your Battles With Scripture

God’s word is a constant.  It is never changing.  The Bible might not cover every situation that you will face, but you can use it’s truth to speak against anything you are facing.  In its pages you can find hope, joy, peace, love, grace, forgiveness, lament, anger, and many other themes that apply to every emotion we face.    

2 Corinthians 12:10 was speaking the loudest when I was doubting myself.  It says  “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  I took my weakness and my unqualified self before God.  I acknowledged the fact that I didn’t have the skills, the talent, the knowledge, or the background to make this work.  I knew I was missing a lot of what I would need, and I gave all of that to God.  I knew that when I surrendered it all before Him He would somehow give me the strength to push through the uncertainty, the pain, the stress, and the nay-sayers.

May you find a passage that speaks to you right now.  A message of hope.  A theme of encouragement.  A passage of love.  Latch onto that Truth, repeat it over and over, and know that God is surrounding you with His presence.

Fight Your Battles With Worship

You can fight your battle with worship.  You can fight it on your knees in your prayer closet, you can fight by praying during your 20 second hand washing.  You can fight your battles by praising God when you get out of your house and walk around the block.  You can also fight your battles with singing songs that speak God’s truth.   When we sing these Truths we speak against the lies of the enemy.  The lyrics and melodies of songs can replace the negativity in our thoughts and allow us to focus on characteristics and attributes of God instead.

The song “You Are Good” by Israel Houghton was speaking to me the loudest during my battle.  The lyrics that stuck out to me were “Lord, You are good and your mercy endure forever.  We worship you for who you are.  You are good.”  No matter what I was doing, what direction I was heading, or what decisions had to be made one thought was constantly going through my head: God was good. 

Find your song.  It could be a hymn.  It could be a song on the radio.  It could be a song you sing at church.  Whatever song you choose may it’s Truth echo so loudly in your head that the voice of the enemy is drowned out and no longer has influence in your life.

Fight Your Battles With One Another

Even in this time of Physical Distancing from one another we can still come together.  The amount of social interaction has sky-rocketed during this crazy time.  From Zoom to FaceTime, from Facebook to Instagram, from text messages to phone calls people are reaching out and showing love to one another from a distance.  When I am facing trials, difficult decisions, loneliness, or I am in need of prayer I turn to my friends, co-workers, family, church, and mentors for advice, counsel, and a listening ear.

We are not meant to live or do life alone.  We need each other.  And when we gather together, in whatever way that looks, we can rest in the promise that Jesus Himself is with us(Matthew 18:20). 

So this is how we can fight our battles.  We can fight them with the Word of God, with songs that are soaked in biblical truth, and with our closest friends and mentors.   So if you find yourself surrounded.  If you find yourself being overwhelmed by the voice of the enemy shouting into your ears – find strength in God’s word.  

Bring your worship before God.  your worship is a weapon that the enemy cannot defeat.  So drop to your knees, lift your head, let your voice ring out, and know that you are not surrounded by the enemy.  You are surrounded by the presence of a God who loves you more than you could ever imagine.  

This is how we fight our battles.

-Ethan