Ready for Battle
Every day in the life of a Christ follower is a battle. Some days, it is very obvious. Stuff is breaking. Relationships are faltering. Stress is mounting. Other days, it is more subtle. A lethargic sense toward Jesus and His presence.
In my time with Him this morning, I was reminded of two parts to being ready for that daily battle. “Let the praise of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands.” Psalm 149:6 My mother taught me early in my walk that the way to defeat the enemy and see God move was to praise him. Psalm 22:3 tells us that He inhabits the praises of Israel or His people. When we praise, His presence is there; it brings power to the situation. Personally, it brings a whole new mindset and attitude to myself. It is nearly impossible to praise the Lord and worry, complain or be angry at the same time!
The second piece described in Psalm 149:6 is a sharp sword. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that this sword is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The time to know the word; to study it and “sharpen” our sword is when we are not in the middle of distress. When life is going smoothly, we can be preparing, knowing that there will always be a new battle, a new season of growth just around the corner.
Today, when circumstances get you rattled, try praising and proclaiming who He is and just see what your God will do!
Update: An hour after writing this, my son came to me and said he accidentally pulled the curtain out of the wall. While we were pulling out anchors and making new holes, my youngest called upstairs, “Mom, can you come and help me?” “Not right now I am fixing a problem” “Well, I just passed out and fell off the treadmill!” I ran downstairs to find burn marks and hot sweat all over her precious body. Two hours later, I was once again singing “You’re More Than Enough!”
Great post, Lynn! Your mom was so right with her words of wisdom!What a legacy!
Hugs!
Susan
I came across Proverbs 31 'randomly' while searching the web on my phone.. which is how I've found you. Loved this post.. totally agree.. AMEN! And thank you 🙂
Praising and proclaiming! I like that!
How's your youngest doing? Felt so bad when I read of her mishap. Trust she is OK.
Hugs,
Joy