Image by: Vecteezy
Everything rides on this—the plans, the relationships, the finances, the future... but no matter how you turn it, it just doesn't look good. The odds are stacked against you.
You're David in the face of Goliath, and Elijah surrounded by Baal-worshipers. You're Rosa Parks, tired of giving in to injustice, and that one business owner who will not pander to the masses. Maybe you're the mom who is highly underestimated, or you simply want to start something new, and you're hitting wall after wall.
God is ABLE, but it just doesn't look like He's showing up. The size of the matter, well, doesn't matter—anxiety doesn't play favorites. So, what do you do?
It's stressful to think about, but how many times are we in this position? From peer pressure to new endeavors, legal battles to social extremes. When you're trying to stand, trying to move forward, and you're surrounded by opposition, how do you deal?
I love the way the Contemporary English Version puts it:
So, what does that mean? It means being willing to fight, but in such a way that even after everything is said and done, regardless of the outcome, you will be found standing in Christ and in His will.
Let's remember the weapons and defenses at our immediate disposal:
The Belt of Truth
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Gospel of Peace
The Shield of Faith
The Helmet of Salvation
The Sword of The Spirit
Christianity Today dives into these much further than we will here, but it's worth remembering that we have a permanent, full arsenal within our reach EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Don't misunderstand: this is not a name-it-and-claim-it doctrine. There will be battles that we lose, even though we win the war. We live in a broken world, with broken systems, but in God's economy, the fights aren't about the immediate outcomes. His battles are about outcomes that feed directly into the overarching bigger picture.
That means that when things don't look good, either one of three things could be happening:
1. He's about to pull a miracle out of His hat and rain down that fire from heaven like He did with Elijah.
2. The outcome may not be what you had imagined, but in the end, you
can have hope that it's going to work out for the best* because you've given it to the only One who can handle it.
3. You're meant to grow through the struggle and come out with a victory
*Note: We all hope for #3, but what about #2? The "best" doesn't always mean we get what we want. It's what HE wants, and what will be for His glory and our ultimate good in the long term.
How does that help when you're surrounded, and the odds are SO not EVER in your favor?
You've been kicked down, and everything in you is crying out to surrender in defeat. It's over. God hasn't shown up. People and situations are against you, and you're left unsuccessful and alone. What do you do?
You breathe.
You breathe... and you pray... and you cry if you need to.
Sleep for a while, rest for a while, take a sabbatical, or just get outside for some air. Validate every emotion you feel and give it its due diligence. When you feel—you heal.
THEN... stand up.
Ignore the pounding arguments in your head that call you names and point their bony fingers. They're all enemies anyway—why give credence to discouragement from spirits that want you dead?
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Eph. 6:12 (NASB)
Realize that we have an enemy, and he outnumbers us, but he does not outPOWER us. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah fights for us, in our corner.
Look at that again:
The enemy might outnumber us, but he can never OUTPOWER us!
People are going to lie about you, misuse you, and abuse their rights. It doesn't matter; never forget the one crucial thing that sets you apart from everything and everyone you may battle:
You have to remember that you have access to a power that the enemy cannot touch. This world is not your home, and you are here to do God's will—no matter what it is. You breathe... you pray... you stand, and you keep fighting.
Every one of us who follow Jesus share in His sufferings. Until the day we die, we will fight, but we can rejoice in those sufferings because they bring us even closer to Christ, who suffered more than we could ever imagine. We may not be happy about it, but we can still rejoice in it. (That's for another post.)
When the odds are stacked against you, remember who defies ALL odds, every time. God is a God that shows up and shows off. We cannot control Him or put Him in a box—trying to make Him behave how we want, but we can believe that He promised He would never abandon us, and He loves us more deeply than we could ever imagine. Regardless of what we face, He already knows the outcome, and He has given us the strength to stand. Even when we've done everything we could possibly do—we stand.
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