Ten Things I Am Learning

In the midst of a spiritual battle it is very difficult to see the forest for the trees. It is hard when you are stumbling around in the dark to see the very bright hand of God holding fast to you guiding you along a path towards strength, renewal and purpose. But it is real and it is lasting – even if we are tired and weary from the fight.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I am learning during this incredible time of struggle. Grab yourself a coffee, this is a lengthy post:

1) The enemy is not to be taken lightly: Society has done a great job of dulling the effect and seriousness of the enemy. TV shows and movies show the enemy to be little more than a grouchy man, with horns on his head, and a perpetual chip on his shoulder, urging people to just do what they feel like doing. The reality though is far different as 1 Peter 5:8 tells us: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. This is not an enemy of comic books but a living, breathing dragon that wants nothing more than to seek, kill and destroy. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can beat him with your flesh – you can’t. Only the power of Christ can do that and we know that from the Word of God: “So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you. Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, make your thinking pure” (James 4:7-8). Pay attention to that passage: it doesn’t say, give yourselves completely to your own strength. It says GIVE YOURSELVES COMPLETELY TO GOD because that is the ONLY way you will emerge victorious. It doesn’t mean the battle won’t be tough, but it sure does mean that when the enemy goes to jump on you, the Lion of Judah has your back and will gladly rip him to shreds. Don’t fear the enemy, fear God. Know that your power is IN GOD and that you need to lean on Him to defeat this vicious poison. But don’t underestimate the enemy either – he is wily, he is evil and he seeks to destroy. Lean on God. Hard. And remember, you have ALREADY won the victory in Christ – just visualize it and hold tight to His armour.

2) The Body of Christ is a true support: I had never really appreciated how vital the Body of Christ was and is to us as Christians. Frankly, owing to many hurts from my past and my holding onto bitterness and pain, I used to lump the Body of Christ under the subject heading of “Hypocrites”. What a mistake I made. I was part of the problem, judging others as I had been judged, allowing my idea of the Body of Christ to be held to a standard of my own making. But God is right and true when He says in Matthew 7:5: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye”. I had – and still have – a big ol’ plank in my eye, so I am certainly in no place to be judging others. Let me tell you what I have learned: we are ALL flawed. All of us fall short of the glory of God, just like it says in the Word (Romans 3:23). Why is that? Because we are only human. We are flawed. Perfection is and only ever was God and His Son Jesus. If we continually try to view Christians – and by extension God – through the lenses of humanity, they will always fall short. That being said, the Body of Christ is there to support us and uplift us – to hold us up in prayer, to fellowship with us, to love us and to encircle us with support. We can choose to say that it is insincere, or we can choose to look at the Body of Christ the way God views the Body: an extension of himself here on earth, even though sometimes it falls short.

The thing is though is that that is what the Body of Christ is supposed to help each other against: falling short. Try and go it alone, see how long you can make it. Just ask Judas how well he did – you’ll find him hanging in a field, gutted literally and figuratively. Then go ask Thomas – you know, doubting Thomas, who even though he had not seen for himself that Christ had risen, he continued to fellowship with the disciples so that when Christ appeared he had been supported and was in a better position to believe.

You know we can pray all we like, and then isolate ourselves in a room because we are too ashamed to share our thoughts or our needs with others who have been through battles… or we can cry out to God and then open our hearts up to His people – those He has placed in trusted positions in our lives – and allow them to minister to us. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We are all part of the Body – and one part can’t survive without the other parts.

I would not be getting through this time without the Body of Christ – and every person who is praying is one more person that I am coming into relationship with. And one more person in whom I see another example of the goodness and realism of the Lord our God. God says we are all made in His image… and the Body of Christ is a pretty great reflection when it is working in support of you and His glory!

3) God sometimes asks you to do unexpected things: Three things stick out to me right now that are not entirely bizarre, but certainly something that I will always remember.

One cold morning, while praying, I felt the need to cover myself with a blanket. In part because I was cold, but more because I did not feel like I could approach the Throne of God sitting on the corner of my couch. Down on my knees I went, cloaking myself in an old afghan I had received from my grandparents. Instantly the image I had was of a man – I think it was David – covered in an animal skin in a desert. That’s how I pray now… under a prayer shawl that is in actuality an old afghan. I can’t tell you why, except that if I wasn’t covered I would feel as though I would be doing something contrary to God. I can say though that there is something profoundly comforting in that manner of prayer. And it reminds me of this Psalm 51:1 which says “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed”. It’s comfortable under those wings. Trust me. Warm too!

In the first few weeks of this battle, I have been convicted to wash my hands before I touch the Word of God. Whenever I felt the need to pray, I knew I had to wash my hands. Now, I’m a fairly clean chap… outwardly. But as Isaiah 1:15-16 tells us there may be a good reason for that: “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong!” or as Job 17:9 affirms: “Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger”. How could I handle the Word of God with hands that are dirty? Or put more bluntly, I must allow myself to be clean before I approach the Throne of God… and that comes from true repentance.

Building a prayer room – I’m not sure why that has come to me. But my wife and I are building a new house and we feel lead to build a prayer room. I have felt that God wants us to have a room for HIM in our new home. And it will be done. Jesus himself went to places to pray (Luke 5:16) and while the prayer room we are making in our home will not be a lonely place, it will be a place where we can shut out the world and commune with God. Something we all should be doing from time to time.

4) There is power – comforting power – in prayer: This is something that must seem so obvious – it’s comforting to pray. But, it is! I can not tell you how many times I have crawled underneath my prayer blanket in the last few weeks, filled with dread, fear and shame, and emerged sometime later feeling better, stronger and like I could go on. It doesn’t mean that I wasn’t conscious afterwards about what I was going through, but at least the weight felt like it had been lifted for a time. Colossians 4:2 tells us to “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”. How often do we do this? More specifically, how often during the good times do we do this? I can speak as one that has rarely lifted up thanks and praise to God during times when things are going well. Afterall, when things are going well, we just turn inward to ourselves. That’s wrong and puts us at a disadvantage spiritually when we are weak.

We know we must pray but we seldom do it as much as we should. I’ve said the same excuses… I can’t get into it… I get distracted… I don’t know what to say… blah, blah, blah… the reality is that there is ALWAYS someone or something to pray for; you are NOT strong and perfect in Christ if you are not praying, it’s that simple. If you feel you have nothing to pray about, then open your door and look up – if the sight of a bird flying or the intricacy of a snowflake is not enough to make you praise the Lord, then I do not know what is. Give thanks for everything. Pursue God, in prayer, and He will stand with open arms and hold tight to you when you need Him most.

Don’t just take it from me… take it from scripture:

Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING but in EVERYTHING through prayer and petition with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God”

That doesn’t say, forget me in the good times and give me a shout when things get rough. It says: Pray always.

2 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in ALL circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.

Pretty straight forward, I think.

5) God doesn’t speak the way you think He will or should: How often have we got into prayer or just said: “God, I need to hear you… please let me hear you?!”. And then promptly gave up talking to Him because you didn’t think He was listening. Guilty as charged – because I know I have done that… I still do that because I am so limited in my scope in terms of how God is speaking to me.

Over the last three weeks though I HAVE heard Him speak to me – not audibly every time but certainly there have been clear incidence of Him speaking:

a. Hymns and songs in my head – endlessly, while I am in prayer. Speaking and encouraging me through certain lyrics of songs… songs that I had long forgotten just popping into my head or that I would start singing out loud in praise. That isn’t just happening because I love music, my friends. That’s happening because – I think – God is letting me into just a small small sample of what the rejoicing must be like around His Throne. How does the song go again? “He works in ways we can not see, He will make a way for me…” Even if that way is a song. Sing it. Listen to what it is saying. You may be surprised.

b. Visions and pictures: From the picture of David in a desert with animal skin over his body, to a picture of being led through a dark forest with a man holding my hand, to a picture of Daniel in the fire, to one of angels standing around my bed, God has give me fleeting glimpses at what He is not only doing in my life, but also what He is bringing us through. Those visions are gifts and they are meant to warm my heart and to make us stand at attention. They are a visual way for God to say: Fear not, I am with you.

c. Scripture jumping out at me or becoming powerfully more relevant. I can testify that the Psalms have never seemed more pertinent to my life than right now. They have been my comfort and have formed the basis for many prayers during this time of struggle. But other parts of the Bible have come alive as well – parts that I would never have considered relevant, probably because I had never bothered to explore the Word before now. The Bible though, as I was reminded last night in life group, is the LIVING Word of God. It is active. It is ongoing. It is endless. It is pure. Meditate on it. Day and night. (Joshua 1:8). It is the one sure thing in a world and a lifetime of struggle and upheaval.

d. Prophetic Word – It comes when you least expect it. But when given to you, take it back to God, see that it is true, then praise His mighty name for that blessing. During this time, I received a prophectic word. To be blunt, I was happily shocked – because I had never had one before. And I was elated. It not only affirmed things I had prayed for quietly and things I had heard in my soul, but it was the encouragement I needed right at that moment and remains so throughout this time. When I first got it, I kept saying: Can you believe it? God just EMAILED me! And he had… and I’m sure glad He did.

6) It is a joy to struggle for God: Yes, this one is a bit hard to believe – trust me, I have said on more than one occasion (and will likely say it again) that it sucks to be in this. But for every time I say it sucks, I am also acutely aware of how much deeper my relationship with God is growing in this time. Not only that, but as strange as it may sound, every struggle is a chance to not only be blessed but to bless the Lord.

Philippians 1:29 reminds us that “…For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him”.

That’s pretty powerful. We not only have the privilege of believing in Christ and the salvation that comes with it, but as we struggle Christ is GLORIFIED! How? Because every victory is won NOT BY US, but BY HIM. With our mouths, we will praise Him and as He delivers us He sets us up to ensure others here how He has delivered us. We are His ongoing examples. Examples that are used as proof of His strength and the greatness of His Kingdom.

We are not struggling in vain – we are struggling towards a purpose. A deeper relationship with Christ and to be a more perfect, comforting, witness when the time comes when we are released from our struggles and are called upon to help others through a time of difficulty.

2 Corinthians 1:4-6: “He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have”

It might seem you are suffering for no reason – but you aren’t. You suffer to become more perfect in Christ and so you can learn to cling to Him, receive His comfort and offer it to others in their times of need.

It is sustaining. Hard, yes… but also sustaining.

7) When you struggle, pray for others – not just yourself: It is comforting to just pray for ourselves in a time of battle. It is also just so much easier as we are so conscious of OUR needs. But you know what also works, as my Mom reminded me? Praying for other people. Your struggles are just that: your struggles. And you should pray that God delivers you through them (which He will!). But as a follower of Christ, do not under any circumstances forget to hold up the very people in the Body of Christ who are undergoing things as well – at the very least pray blessings on them. Just remember to pray. It is not only what we must be doing but can you imagine how much is hocks the enemy off if, while we are under attack, we are down on our knees praying for someone else?

Philemon 1:6 reminds us of the need to share our faith with others: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ”. Nowhere in that verse does it suggest putting our sharing of our faith on hold while we are struggling. To do that would be contrary to what God wants us to do – be ACTIVE in sharing our faith. Turtle up and inwards if you would like but by doing so you cede the ground Christ has claimed in victory for you – the ground that says the BATTLE IS WON, go out there and fight for HIS Kingdom! So, share that faith – lift others up in prayer, offer encouragement and insight when God gives it – be open to being used by HIM during your struggles to the glory of His Kingdom!

Ephesians 6:18 is pretty clear on the need to keep praying for others in the midst of every battle (including your own): “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”. That doesn’t say… pray when you feel like praying for others. It says “always”. It’s not a request. It’s a command.

So if someone comes up to you on a Sunday and asks for your prayers, don’t fob them off with a “I’ll pray for you” and then forget to do so. Take them aside, then and there, and pray. And then keep praying until they ask you to stop.

8) Fear and shame are not of the Lord: Let me be very clear about this: whenever you are gripped by fear, turn around, point your finger at the enemy and fire off this verse in his direction “God did NOT give you (me) a spirit of fear, but one of POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND!” (2 Timothy 1:7).

A battle is fearful – and yes, sometimes the weariness and the intensity of it can make us shake with worry and anxiety. But remember: God is with you. Period. I have found myself so wrought with fear and anxiety during this time that sometimes my limbs have been in pain, my chest has felt like there was a giant weight on it, and my stomach has been seized with butterflies. (I said to some people that I have never been so regular in my life!). However, that is NOT of God. God does not make us physically sick to the point of shaking in a bed. That is the enemy trying to make us cower. And we sometimes give in, don’t we? We sometimes just lay there and forget the POWER WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY GOD! Seize that power – seize that courage! God and His Son Jesus would NEVER be cowed by the enemy. Christ walked for 40 days and 40 nights in a desert and was tempted every day – was he weary. I bet He was! Was it tough? To borrow a phrase from Sarah Palin: You betcha! Did He prevail? YES! How did He do it though? He confronted the enemy with the thing he hates most: the truth. He slapped him around with Scripture, he prayed, he LOVED the Lord! Fear was not something Jesus gave into – He gave into the power and strength that He already knew He had in His Heavenly Father!

Remember this: “…You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One (God) who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Last time I checked God was not fearful – and as His children we need to remember to seize that courage and power that He has already poured out on us.

9) Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose” – That is a topic in and of itself. The verse, however, is clear. God is working – in all things – to better us. Nothing we are going through, no amount of sifting, no amount of pain, is anything over and above that which He has planned for us. And if we do it right, if we lean on Him, we will emerge victorious. Try, even in the most difficult times, to stay focused on that powerful truth: that God knows how good it will turn out. That the battle is won. That your victory lies in Him!

The old saying “everything happens for a reason” is right – but God’s reasoning sometimes is beyond our comprehension. That’s alright though – it just means we have to lean on Him a little harder.

10) Our time frames are not God’s time frames: I have leaned on the scripture “Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24) as a crutch of sorts – I thought when this all began that I just had to ask God to release me from struggle and – POOF – he would. Guess what? He hasn’t. He will, I know that. But He has not chosen to let it end yet! Why is that, you ask? It could do with his timeframe versus my own… 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us that “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day…” so to Him, my three weeks of battle are pretty much moot. He is watching me. He is guarding me. His angels have charge over me. He is my enduring strength and I am in Him and He is in me. He’ll let it end when HE is confident of my virtue and sincerity, and not before. Great warriors for God are built in struggle – even if that struggle sometimes takes much longer than we wish it would. The time frame is of His choosing and as I lean on Him, the more ground we will cover in this journey together – however long it takes.

So those are my ten things I have learned these past 3 weeks – I am not sure how much longer this battle is going to continue. But I do know one thing: my strength is in Christ. And every single day, I get closer to the moment where He will release me from this… or as I said yesterday, the day the bell will ring and I will stand in the ring with God holding my hands over my head in victory.