We face many challenges within a one-week timeframe – let alone a life covering decades. Each of us must fight our own battles. We have found it helpful to connect with the Father in His generous lovingkindness, Jesus in His friendship, and the Holy Spirit as our comforter and the internal voice of God living inside of us. Each person of the triunity is special to us in their own way, and all three stand ready to amplify the things we need for our lives.
Here are some things we recently heard from God over a period of months during some weighty testing of our faith. We do our best to inquire of God and listen to His responses, for each of our battles is unique. And we rarely are involved in one fight at a time.
Add to this that prayer can be challenging. It can often boil down to a one-way conversation because we are self-absorbed. We can also be presumptuous in what we ask for, and also impatient as we wait upon God for His response. At the core, all effective prayer is connecting with our Great God – resulting in His presence and guidance in our part of the fight.
Each of the following phrases can be found one or more places in the Word of God, and for us, were worth waiting to hear from God. As we listened to the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit we found ourselves instructed, held up, and encouraged. You can use these same categories to note your own words from God, through His Word and prayer.
Words we are hearing from God’s specific responses to us as we brought our hearts to Him: what words do You have for me? Here is how He spoke to us:
√ Be kind and tender-hearted – just as I am being with you
√ Bless your enemies and do not curse others. If our enemies are released, we are set free as well
√ Perfect love & fear cannot co-exist in the same space (one will overcome the other)
√ Compassion is God’s way and it is to be our way
√ Surrender to God and personal humility are best tools in winning battles
√ Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (anxiety and agitation are so powerful)
√ If you share in the sufferings of Christ you are blessed (this includes His rejection)
Promises we are holding reveal where we are choosing to place our confidence. What promises are anchoring your soul right now?
√ God will relent of our current adversity and trouble – because He loves us
√ We can engage the battle and allow God to disarm any dread we are feeling
√ Like Jesus, we are and will be blessed – even rewarded for our suffering
√ The Father will restore what has been stolen from us
√ The Father has provided armor to protect us as we fight (helmet, shoes, breastplate, belt, etc)
√ We were born into a world at war and Father has gas given us weapons for each hand
√ God will rebuild what has been torn down
√ God will bring comfort to our souls
Direction for our prayers – how is God shaping your requests and hopes?
√ We began to pray for something better than the things we had seen in the past
√ The Spirit kept reminding us there were bigger things going on (perspective)
√ We began to hear of and find new ways to engage our battles
√ Jesus is making us a house of prayer for ourselves and others
√ That the Father, Son, and Spirit would disarm our adversary (and break his carefully woven curses – some of which cover generations)
√ That the Father would expose lies of individuals as well as the adversary
√ That though we felt boxed in, the Holy Spirit was expanding our vision
Outcomes for which you are hoping – what is in your heart?
√ Please expand my dreams of You Lord God
√ Please give me a sound mind over my fogginess
√ Help me to trust you in my troubles and find deeper confidence in You
√ Please deliver me from my personal bondage and snares
√ Please dissipate the power of lies (and wood on the fire)
√ Please bring forgiveness and reconciliation
√ Please bring Your justice to me and those I love
√ Please draw me together with other allies in prayer
√ Please give us relief from personal stubbornness
√ Please bring about something better than what we have seen in the past
We are recounting things learned and heard over many months, so don’t let this be daunting. Ask God to meet you within your personal battles and give you His wisdom and victory – and help you identify your own personal battles!
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” – 1 John 5:4
Fighting alongside you!
Dave and Burnadette