One time, I was on a plane with a drunk pilot. It sounds serious - and it was. Yet this wasn't my only problem; he was old. He looked like, today, he'd seen his final flight route. Even worse, all of this ran through my head as I was probably thousands of feet above ground. My life was in his hands.
I was on a collision course. Everything was out of control.
This how battles feel. Suddenly, we're in over our heads. We're about to fall and no one can catch us. We're stuck and some other person is driving our destiny. We're into something too deep to manage. We feel all alone. The swoops and the loops that come in trials make us nauseous, unsure and panicked.
Are you there today? Do you feel that the worst of life is stealing the best of what God has for you? Life? Fullness? Peace? Are you running into issues that are stealing your hopes and purpose?
I've been there. Not only in that plane, but as I faced depression that led me to stop eating, health issues that made me feel I'd be left needing help for the rest of my life, financial turmoil that made me question if God was really there for me and relational problems that wanted to layer me up with guilt.
In days of old, I just tackled traumas when they hit. I tried to act strong. I didn't think much about how I acted. I just tried to tough-it-out.
In retrospect, these weren't always the best tactics. In fact, I've learned a whole host of things NOT to do in the heat of battle. Take it from me, doing these 5 things will keep you in pain, more than they'll release you in peace.
Beware of:
1. Talking to friends first.
A friend once told me, "Kelly, go to the throne, before you go to the phone." She's right. God has my best answer.
2. Complaining in the name of venting.
I like to vent. I like to get things off my chest. Yet, I've noticed the more I do this, the more agitated I get.
What if we prayed about what we were prone to complain about? How might this change our life?
3. Ignoring the issue with the hope it will disappear.
Like a 3-year old cavity left unchecked, the pain of a problem catches up with a person. Just because you avoid the chair, doesn't mean you won't sit in it, eventually. It is far better to approach the problem when it is small than it is to wait for it to grow gargantuan - and painful.
4. Worrying to no end.
This is easier said, than done. I know. Yet, it is not impossible to get rid of worry. In fact, I struggled with anxiety to the nth degree. I don't anymore. Why? Because I've learned to let God's Word and his promises become my shield. I really believe in my heart His truth. I've learned tactics and new habits to help me. This is becoming Battle Ready.
5. Lashing out.
We can easily take out our problems on others. We tell people what to do, how to do it and when it needs to get done by. Why? Because we feel out of control. We feel we have no grip on the life that wants to take us down.
We don't have to do these things any longer. Did you know?
We can stand strong during trials.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Cor. 4:8-10)
As children of God, no matter what we face, we have the unique ability to:
1. Carry the life of Jesus within us.
2. Reveal Jesus.
3. Take heart.
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed (in our mind) day by day...So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 cor. 4:16, 18)
Battle Ready women know it is not what’s around them that matters. It is Christ-in-them that gives matters new light. An eternal-perspective renews our fight.
There are 12 faith-building mindsets that help us to be Battle Ready. One of them is having an eternity mindset. The other 11 are equally important.
Why not, today, prepare for battle? Why not become - Battle Ready?
We no longer have to live in doubt or fear. We can train our mind to conquer challenges, defeat doubt and live victoriously. We can overcome the worst of what faces us through Christ.
Won't you join me in training your mind, renewing your faith and seizing God's love like never before? Won't you join me in becoming Battle Ready?
Battle Ready is a hands-on scriptural plan that teaches you twelve easy-to-implement, confidence-building mind-sets designed to transform your thoughts and, therefore, your life. You'll gain practical wisdom, like how to
· make new habits stick in just five steps
· disarm the seven most common attacks that plague women
· exchange self-limiting thoughts for purpose-driven, love-releasing thoughts
· implement thirty-second mind-lifters that deliver peace
· create boundaries so you live life full of what matters
Visit www.iambattleready.com for a free prayer journal.
Kelly Balarie, an author and national speaker, is on a mission to encourage others not to give up. Through times of extreme testing, Kelly believes there is hope for every woman. She shares this hope on her blog, Purposeful Faith, and on many writing publications such as Relevant, Crosswalk, and Today's Christian Woman. Kelly's work has been featured on The Today Show, 700 Club Interactive, Moody Radio and other television and radio broadcasts.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash/Brooke Cagle