A Fake Fight

  Friends, I want to share something with you tonight that is still fresh and raw for me. I am hoping though that by sharing it you will be blessed and encouraged to persevere.   I want you to understand that the enemy we face is very real, and he walks about “as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  (1 Peter 5:8)  But what I also want to remind you is that, if God is for us, Nothing can win against us! (Romans 8:31)
   Now, what I want to share with you is this; often times when we try to make important, life altering changes, we run up against opposition. We are in a war, and our success is the enemy’s worst nightmare, and he will try every trick to make sure we do not succeed.   I’ve found that the process of change looks something like this...
  First, we get an inkling that change is needed. Perhaps we read about a new habit or feel the Spirit tugging on us to move in a new direction. It is often at this point that we begin wrestling with doubt. We face questions such as, “Do I really NEED to make that change?”  “What if I can’t do it?” “How will I find the time?”  And we let ourselves off the hook with excuses like, “It’s too hard.”  “I’m too tired.”  Or, “I’ll do it later.”  A lot of us get sidetracked right here. We wander away and put off or give up entirely on what we know deep down we should do.  If, however, you push past the doubt and make a decision to move forward, you are often confronted with the second road block on your way too change. For lack of a better label, we could call this obstacle, “circumstances.”
  Here’s where the rubber meets the road and you’ve decided to take the first steps.  But suddenly, as if out of no where, detours start to appear.  You start your diet and a friend brings in cookies for lunch. You decide to walk outside and it rains.  You vow to get up earlier, but your baby keeps you up half the night. It is here that you can choose to let your feelings win, or you can push forward. If you do so now though, know that you are playing for keeps. When your success means that others will benefit and God’s glory will be displayed, you can rest assured the devil will show up in full force to try to stop what you’ve got going.
  It’s at this point that you might receive a curveball, something so unexpected you decide maybe it’s not worth it to go on. Friend, dig in because if you’re facing this right now you need to know that your victory is only a few short steps of faith away. The enemy attacks hardest when you are nearest to your breakthrough.  Do not fall for the lies. Do not lay down and give up. Hold your chin up high and declare as Jesus did, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)  Warrior, your enemy has already been defeated. Don’t let him trick you into thinking he’s got a chance. Persevere, for you are being cheered on by a great cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 12:1) Whatever you are being called to today, don’t give up. Others are counting on you to win. I can’t wait to see you come out on the other side successful.

~K.W.

Fake Faces

  Hello friends,  I have been thinking tonight about being who we want to be.  All of us have a person we want to be.  There is a version of ourselves that we would like to portray to the world and to convince ourselves is the person who we truly are.  There is nothing wrong with this.  In fact, we should all always be striving to be all that we can be, and if you see yourself as being happy, successful, healthy, fulfilled, financially independent, or whatever your goals might be, then you are much more likely to act in a manner as if you already are all of those things.
  What can be discouraging though is when we start to take a look in the mirror and realize just how far away we are from who we think we should be.  We all, myself included, have a tendency to try to keep our flaws or our shortcomings to ourselves.  Sometimes though, we have a bad day, week, month, or season of our lives, and we begin to look at ourselves and wonder just who it is that we have become.  The person other people see us as is not perhaps as flattering as we hoped.  We may have allowed circumstances or people around us to mold us into a version of ourselves that is far from where we desire to be.  We lose our peace as we begin wrestling in our spirits with the choices we have made and where we are verses where we want to be.
  The Scripture speaks specifically about this when it says, "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength."  (Proverbs 24:10)  Ouch!  If that stings a little to read, I am right there with you.  You see, it's very easy to put on a nice face when things are all going well.  It's not so easy though when  you are under pressure, when something in your life is painful, when you have to make hard choices, or when being who you know you should be might cause you to look foolish to those you care about.  It's at these times though that we have real opportunities to grow.  If you can walk the talk when it's hard, then you really are making progress.  You aren't just faking it til you're making it, you have actually arrived at the next level.  If you are in that boat, I want to congratulate you.  You have grit, and great things are coming your way because of your self-discipline and perseverance.
  The people I really want to talk to tonight though are the ones who maybe are still faking it and looking in the mirror at night and feeling defeated.  I want to tell you, that if you are disappointed with your choices, or maybe a reputation you've created or who you feel you've become, you don't have to stay that way.  The enemy has this funny habit of trying to make us feel as though once we've fallen down that we won't ever be able to get back up, that we are stuck this way for ever.  That is so far from the truth.  There is a time and a season for EVERYTHING. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Maybe you've been in a challenging season and you don't like what it has brought out of you.  Stop seeing yourself as failed, broken, sick, washed up, useless or unworthy.  God doesn't see you that way, not even close.  He sees you as your true self, the one He died for you to become:  whole, healthy, thriving, and filled with joy and peace.  You are all these things and more, and if you don't feel it yet, that's ok.  You can claim these things by faith and then start to walk them out.  The Bible says that God, "calls things that are not as though they were," and you have that privilege too. (Romans 4:17)
   Stop letting the enemy tell you who you are.  Stop letting other people's perceptions of you trick you into seeing yourself in the wrong light.  Start claiming your true identity today.  Silence the inner war.  Take your joy and peace back.  You are a warrior, and this is your life.  It's time to come up to the next level, take new ground, and claim victory in your life again.  Hold your head high.  You are a child of the King.  I challenge you not give in to the lies this week, but instead, start walking out who you truly are.  Make the right decisions, and step by step you will see yourself come into the truest version of yourself.
I can't wait to see you succeed.

~K.W.