The War Within
“Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him…” (Psalms 42:5)
The enemy will stop at nothing to lure you back into your old ways. Many of you have allowed your past experiences to shape how you see your present and your future. As we progress in time, it seems as if we keep entering into new levels of warfare, which means that we have got to go into deeper levels of prayer and faith. The warfare that you are constantly engaged in is not about your past. No, it’s about your destiny! The enemy is just using your past to try to abort your future in God. Being rooted in God’s Word is a major key to overcoming. You’ve got to have some mental toughness to walk through this furnace. Whatever you do, don’t quit.
What is another issue many of you are facing right now? For some, getting faith is not a problem. Getting the word is not a problem. Getting a breakthrough is not a problem. The problem, however, is keeping what you have already received by faith. People who can’t retain faith and encouragement are leaking on the inside. The Bible talks about how the enemy comes to steal the Word planted in your heart through situations that rise up (Mark 4:15). If you have become adapted to trouble, negativity, hurtful experiences, pain, you have already set your mind in a wrong direction, which ultimately will keep you from attaining the promises of God like you should. Why are you constantly losing the battle? It’s not because you’re not a good person; it’s because your greatest battles are fought within. Everything fighting you on the outside may not be the issue. Everyone coming against you may not be the underlying issue. Most of what you think is coming against you is most likely a battle going on within you.
The big question - How do I win? You win by not focusing all of your energy trying to fight battles on the outside – trying to convince people of who you are and where you’re going. Today is your day to silence the voice of your inner critic. It’s not what others say to you that matters most; it’s what you are saying to yourself. Deal with every issue in your life God’s way. Deal with every leak in your heart first. Declare over your life what God has spoken in His Word. Meditate upon it until you are fully convinced, and you’ll walk in victory every time.
- Pastor John Barton