But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
These verses remind me of dieting. You are cruising along, eating all the good healthy foods and then BAM! That one food you struggle with hits you right in the face. You can give in and try eating just a little. What harm could just a little do, right? Before you know it, you have eaten the whole thing and are back at the store loading your cart up with more!
Envy can sneak up on you like that too. It is great to have goals and work hard toward something but beware of that slippery slope. The obsession with that goal can quickly turn your heart to envy of someone who has already reached it. Feast on the fruits and you will reach your goal.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Have you ever seen those movies where the good guy (or sometimes the bad guy) keeps getting shot but still walks on to get his target?
With the shield of faith at our disposal, we can be ‘that guy’ in the movie. We can take ALL fiery flaming arrows and keep walking. Reminds me of the lyrics to a song by Toby Mac:
I know your heart been broke again I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet I know you’re feeling like you got nothing left Well, lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet
No! It’s not over yet. Lift Your Shield and Keep Walking!
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Mark Twain once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.” God never said we would never face fear. He said to use love against it. To fight, we must master fear by building love.
Fear is often brought on by not understanding something or someone. We choose to lead with, “I don’t know therefore I must fear.” Instead, if we let love lead us, we take a moment to step back, see God in the situation or person and realize there is nothing to fear. God has this all under his control.
Before you know it, we are letting God lead us, instead of our fear. Let your love of God lead you into battle and you will fight fear right where it stands.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry
Quick to listen.
Slow to speak.
Slow to become angry.
I know this is the go-to verse for holding your temper. I believe it is much more than that though. It says, slow to speak. How many times do I offer my advice or try to fix things when I should just be there for someone? How many times have I gossiped about someone or something? How many times have I stuck my nose in somewhere where it doesn’t belong? Slow to anger is just part of this verse. Listening and knowing when to speak and when to just listen are also part of this verse.
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
I have read this verse in the past when I was frightened or anxious or in a PTSD moment. In the King James version instead of self-discipline, it says sound mind. That is the verse I always remember.
When I read it today in the NIV and it said self-discipline it reminded me of James 1;12 James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” I can overcome these temptations and trials. I was given a spirit of self-discipline. I do not face these challenges on my own. I have nothing to be anxious about. This warrior has the tools, she just needs to use them!
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
I think too many people look at this verse and see themselves as complete failures. They gave in today and now they are failures. They don’t remember all the times they stood. They don’t think about all the times they will stand again. God never expected us to be tested once and pass or fail. No! Grace picks us up when we stumble so we can try again. Star Athletes are not made over one event. They are honed over years of practice. That is the reason the word persevere is used in verse 12. We will face these trials over and over again. We will stumble from time to time. It is the fact that we persevere or keep trying that matters.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ~Ephesians 6:13
I call myself a suicide survivor. I have planned my death several times, but every time I was thwarted. I continue to deal with the thought from time to time. However, I am a survivor.
I am not a conqueror in this area of my life. I am still fighting. I am a warrior. I will always fight this fight. I will be a conqueror only when I am dead and not by my own hand.
Maybe my tombstone should say: She was a survivor who became a warrior to finish as a conqueror.
Being a warrior means fighting. For me fighting means talking, making my voice heard. I want to shout out loud so others know they are not alone. We are strong, tens of housands strong. If we make ourselves heard, we can fight together.
Fight the shame, judgement, and labels. We are not broken. No one has anything to be ashamed of. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of anymore.
For too long, the Christian religion has held to a similar position as the world. Mental illness means there is something wrong with you and you are not enough. Some religious people have taken it even farther telling us we just have no faith or are simply just being tested by God or even worse it is just Satan attacking.
I am not about to argue that it isn’t a test of your faith or an attack of Satan. It very well may be. I am going to argue one word I used above “just.” When we attach the word “just”, it makes it sound like we are weak and lowly. Perhaps, we are second class citizens or not good enough. We are not Christian enough.
I don’t about you, but to survive my mental episodes takes all my strength and courage. I am anything but weak.
They don’t see the darkness I see. They don’t feel the world’s impending doom. They don’t hear those voices telling me I am not loved. I am not good enough. The world would be a much better place without me. They don’t feel the absolute loneliness or the anger that rages inside me. They have no idea what my battles look like. They only see the scars and have the audacity to call me weak!
I know during these deep dark times, I call living in the pit, you feel weak, helpless and maybe even out of control. Let me tell you something you are not asked to be in control. You are not asked to fight your way out and conqueror this evil that is surrounding you. You are asked to stand. Just stand. Once choice to make -exist!
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13
Stand, exist, be still, choose life, wait, be patient, survive, choose your word or phrase it doesn’t matter, just stand!
It is okay to just go into survival mode. You can just simply stand still and wait upon the Lord to renew your strength (Is 40:31). As a matter of fact, it is our command. Stand Firm!
I don’t need to find a way to crawl out of the pit. No need to strike back at those things crawling and slithering around me. Don’t bother answering those voices telling me their lies. Just stand!
Reminds me of watching movies or TV shows where the hero is tied to the chair. The bad guy is trying to threaten him or torture him to get the information. With each insult or punch, the hero just glares straight ahead. He knows what the enemy always fails to miss. Help is on the way. All our hero has to do is wait. Just sit there and endure the storm. Joy will come in the morning (Psalms 30:5).
Can you imagine for one second how Jesus did it? He too just stood there as they tortured him. He stood there on the cross bleeding, beaten, and feeling all alone. he cried out to God, “Where are you” but he waited. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t try to plan his escape. No, he waited on the Lord. He knew joy would come in the morning.
Growing up, my dad use to tell me it wasn’t the bully that was the strong one, it was the man that stood his ground. People around you tell you things like, “Just get over it.” “Just move on.” “Just quit being a drama queen” or my personal favorite, “Just shake if off.” When this happens, remember you are not the weak one. You are very strong at the moment. I mean, first of all, you haven’t punched them in the face. Please tell me I am not the only one that has thought about doing that?!?
These people have no idea how much strength it took to get out of that bed and take a shower. How much strength, energy and power it took to take your meds, eat some breakfast or even just open your eyes. They have no idea how much faith it took to take a breath and wait to see which emotion was going to bubble up and then rush over you like a tidal wave leaving you breathless once again.
No my friend, they have no idea just how strong you really are! You
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ~Romans 8:37
I was a bit of a tomboy when I was a child. When I would get a scrape and mom would clean it, I would get excited when she said, “Well, that is going to leave a scar.” Then one day some idiot created Neosporin. I mean seriously ever child in the world morned that day. We wore are scars like badges of courage!
I look at my body today and it is still covered with scars of courage, bravery, and survival. If you look deeper you will see internal scars as well. Some run very deep. Few are fresh and raw, while others are tough and old, but can open right back up with the right word.
Like the external scars, I have learned to look at these as badges of courage, bravery, and survival. They make me who I am and have built strength. I am thankful for these scars much like a man who wore scars many years ago.
Jesus bore many scars and yes, even some internal. Betrayal form both Judas and Peter had to hurt. It was these scars that saved the world. These scars give us hope for our scars.
Pain in life is just part of life. We can choose to cry over our scars or wear them as badges of courage, bravery, and strength like Jesus. He is the one who bore his scars so he could empower you to survive yours.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When I was a little kid, I would sometimes walk in my sleep. Most of the time it was OK. I would just end up somewhere in my house, wake up and then go back to bed. However, this time I wasn’t so lucky. I was not at home. I wasn’t even in a house.
I was about eight and my parents took me camping. We were at a campground and our spot was on the other side of the park from the bathrooms. I guess I needed to use the bathroom and so I got up, left the camper and started walking in the middle of the night. When I woke up, I realized where I was and started to panic. I was all alone and now I had to walk all the way back in the dark with lots of scary noises all around me.
There are times in my life now when PTSD, depression or anxiety sets in and I feel alone. The darkness all around me is deafening. The silence is solid. I retreat to my hole away from everyone. I build my walls all around. I find myself in the pit once again.
Much like my night at the campground, I am not alone. As I stepped out into the darkness, I began to pray and talk to God. He was with me in that bathroom and he walked with all the way back to the camper. Deep in the pit he is also waiting for me to call out his name. All I need to do is turn my head towards him and he will swoop in and hold my hand. WE will wait together. WE will walk out together. I will never be alone.
18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Apathy has never gotten anyone, anywhere! Just sitting there feeling all alone and doing nothing about your current situation only keeps you stuck right where you are right now. It doesn’t bring peace. It doesn’t solve problems. It doesn’t find help. Apathy is the enemy.
Apathy is different than rest. Rest is meant. Rest is planned. Rest is needed. Rest brings peace, clarity, refreshment. Rest is needed. Apathy is not.
When apathy sneaks up on you, and it always sneaks, reach out. Let your voice be heard. Cry out for help. There is always someone somewhere to help. You are always a phone call away from someone. You are always a few keystrokes away from someone.
Don’t let apathy tell you that you are all alone in your journey. You are not. I am here and so are lots of other people. We are a team and we are here to help. Most importantly, God is with us all, all of the time. He is leading us.
There is a bible story of a demon named Legion who tries to be all big bad and scary because he has an army of demons with him. Let’s fight back right now. Join with me. We stand and say No! WE are Legion. Together we will stand against apathy. We will fight!
