The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at.
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens won four olympic gold medals in track and field. I suspect that he struggled with some invisible battles as a competitor. His quote speaks wisdom. I haven’t competed against athletes on a world scale but I have certainly fought many “invisible” battles. Haven’t you? Nagging battles.
Who do you think you are? You can’t do that! You are not smart enough. You are not brave enough. You don’t have enough money. You live on the wrong side of town. You are too overweight. Second thought, you are too skinny. You are not pretty enough. You don’t know the “right” people. Your health will hinder you. You are too old. And you dear, are too young. You haven’t got what it takes. Your history proves you don’t have what it takes to stay in the game. You don’t have the willpower to stop spending, stop smoking, stop eating, stop taking drugs, get off pain medication. What you need to happen…Your goal? It will take too long. You don’t have that much time. Those people you will have to work with are too mean, you will not be able to fight for your place. Hey! You just don’t have what it takes!
Wow! There are a lot of cannot “do” voices in our lives. That little evildoer from the garden loves to creep around our territory and tell us all the things that we cannot do. He wants our mind off God and on worldly things. He gives us many reasons why we should just give up. What a loser he is!
~Thought For Today~
We must stop listening to the negative voices in our world. Seek out people around us who speak good things over us. Who care that we are successful. People willing to pray for us to be successful. To ask God to shower us with His favor. Someone who reminds us who we are and tells us who God says we are. Someone who builds up instead of limiting our goals and dreams. Someone who will hold us accountable. Stay clear of those who tear us down and set us up for failure. Those folks are workers for someone other than Jesus. Pray for them while you listen to the voice that matters.
~Scriptures For Today~
Ephesians 6:12
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (NLT)
1 John 4:4-6
4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. (NLT)
Philippians 4:8
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)
~Prayer For Today~
Hello Father! Thank You for Your words. Let us fix our thoughts on what is true about us. What You see in us. We pray for a spirit that resists the world’s viewpoint and ears that hear You singing over us hour after hour, day after day all the way into eternity. We praise Your holy name. Forgive us of our sins and where we fail You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
©2015 Kathy Ledbetter. All Rights Reserved.