I Didn’t See That Coming: Living on the Offense
“Living on the Offense”
Throughout this series we have learned how to overcome spiritual warefare using principles from 2 Corinthians 4.
The Challenge: A Constant Battle
We all experience bad news and negativity daily. No matter what the specific circumstances, its easy to feel discouraged, confused, and even sometimes like a war is being waged. Maybe you can relate to some of these examples:
a news article on your phone
post on social media that just makes you feel off
Maybe for you it's at your workplace. You get to work and all you hear is gossip, negativity, anxiety amplified across cubicles.
Anxiety that life is expensive, and you still can’t find a job.
Or your parents' marriage is on the fritz and the image you’ve had of raising your kids in a healthy family now has a new dynamic.
Maybe your situation is a combination of some of the above, or maybe its something totally different. The fact is that we all face troubles and experience trials. From this series we have learned together that a war truly is being waged, a spiritual one. We are living in a Spiritual war every day. A battle for our thoughts, our attention, our worship. But the good news is that we don’t have to let the war and battles we face crush us. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 emphasizes the feeling of being "afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair."
The Solution: Renewing Our Minds
The solution to overcoming this battle lies in "renewing our minds," as stated in 2 Corinthians 4:16. There are three key practices for renewing our minds based on 2 Corinthians 4:
Truth: This involves actively engaging with God's word by reading, memorizing, and sharing it. The more familiar you are with scripture, the better equipped you are to fight negativity with truth.
Often, I find the days I’m most able to “stand against the schemes of the devil” as it’s put in Eph. 6 in talking about the armor of God, are the days I know scripture for my fight!
Anxiety comes but I know the words of both Paul and Jesus “Be anxious for nothing for who is worrying can add a day to their life” (Phil. 4:6 & Matt. 6:27)
Thanksgiving: Expressing gratitude to God strengthens trust in His plan, even during difficult times.
Testimony: Sharing stories of God's work in your life and the lives of others builds faith and reminds you of His power.
The Outcome: A Vision of Hope
By applying these practices, we can build a foundation in God's truth, fostering resilience, trust, and faith. We can withstand challenges and emerge victorious in the spiritual battle.
Truth builds our foundation in God so when we are afflicted, we are not crushed! But we can withstand it!
Thanksgiving voices our trust in God so that we know we will not be forsaken or destroyed in the midst of our persecution.
Testimony stirs our faith in God so that though our circumstances may leave us perplexed they will not leave us in despair.