Your Best You Blog Series (part 2 of 4)
Welcome back! Today is part 2 of my Your Best You blog series. I concluded my last post, Caring for Your Physical Health to Improve Overall Well-Being, by stating, “if we suffer in one part of our being, the other parts suffer. So, we also need to care for our minds, hearts, and spirits.” Today I am exploring the spiritual aspect of our being and how being anchored in truth helps us fight against the lies of the enemy. Having a foundational relationship with Christ is crucial for the spiritual warfare we will all face at some point.
I never expected a phone call could send me to a place of spiritual darkness. A friend called me to let me know she was hurt by something I failed to do. Something I had thought about doing and should have done, but I still didn’t do it. She spoke to me with gentleness and love, so no fault goes to her. But I messed up, and I felt horrible. When we got off the phone, I started analyzing other aspects of my life where I felt like I was failing—as a mother, as a wife, as a friend, as a teammate, as a writer—tallying all the mistakes I’ve made since giving my life to Christ.
- Why am I still struggling with the same things after all these years?
- Why am I still so far from being who God created me to be?
- Why do I still have negative thoughts about who I am in Christ?
This thought pattern sent me spiraling down into darkness. It gave the enemy a foothold to attack my very existence and made me believe that I was wasting space and should not be here anymore, that everyone would be better off if I weren’t. I believed all the negative things the enemy said about me because he was using my very real struggles against me. That’s what the enemy does. He’s not clever, just manipulative.
Then there were things the enemy tried to make me believe and say about God—that He wasn’t good, He wasn’t there for me, and that He wouldn’t help me—but I knew those things weren’t true, so I clung to what I knew about God. It felt like two different people were fighting inside my spirit. One part sank lower with the negativity about myself, and the other tried to grab onto something, anything, to pull me up, grasping for the truth.
When the enemy started saying negative things about God, some part of me began to fight harder to get free. Say what you want about me, but don’t you dare badmouth my God! That part of me knew the truth about God, and now that truth was sinking in for the other side of me. I knew I couldn’t believe anything the enemy was saying—including the stuff he said about me.
The spiritual battle is real, and the enemy will exploit our weaknesses. However, having our hearts rooted in Christ and establishing a solid relationship with God over time is like an anchor tethering us to the truth when the enemy tries to pull us into the undercurrent of darkness. God is our hope when things seem lost. He is the light when things seem dark. We can cling to His truth to battle the enemy’s lies.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-25, ESV
The foundation I have built with God over the years kept me grounded in His truth in an hour of desperation when the enemy had a firm hold on me. My husband arrived home shortly after this battle began, and he prayed over me, spoke truth over me, and encouraged me through God’s Word. Having others who will pray for me is a gift from God.
If you have been in a similar situation as mine, my heart aches for you. I pray that you will continue to anchor yourself in the truth of God’s word and establish a firm foundation of faith. Remember that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and He died on the cross to bring us back into relationship with Him. I pray for you to find a counselor, trusted friends, and prayer warriors to help build you up, who will be there to pull you through these dark moments. Even if you haven’t had them, preparing for the spiritual battles you will face is a good idea.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”
Ephesians 6:10-18, ESV
What about you?
What do you need to do today to keep yourself grounded in the truth of God’s word?
Join me next time as I dive into mental health, followed by emotional health. I hope you’ll follow along on this journey.
I loosely adapted today’s blog post from my book Living Uprooted: Encouragement for the Missionary Wife. The chapter in the book discusses physical, nutritional, emotional, and mental health, while spiritual warfare is discussed in a separate chapter. However, I thought it important to include spiritual health in the series on being your best you.
If you want to purchase my book, you can find it at Amazon, Redemption Press, or Barnes and Noble.
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***If you are in a dark place and are having suicidal thoughts, please seek help. If you need immediate help, dial 988 in the US to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Beautifully written Mari!
Thank you, Nancy. 🙂