On Monday of this week, after a phone call letting me know that my oldest son was having a medical emergency, I threw a few items in a bag and took a road trip to help with care and recovery. When the call first came, I was anxious, but I switched into Mom Mode and gave Type 1 Diabetes emergency protocol instructions over the phone to my own mom, who I’m very grateful was at home with him during the crisis.
It took some time, but the crisis passed, and he stabilized without having to go to the ER. (All praise be to God!) As I drove home and processed all that had happened, I realized that how I respond to crises has changed significantly in recent years due to a strategy I’ve learned from my pastors at Faith Christian Center in Arlington, TX. This strategy has been a game changer in keeping my peace while managing the day-to-day stressors, as well as emergencies.
For years, I struggled with anxiety due to ongoing monthly and weekly medical crises, often requiring emergency medical care. My responsibilities as a wife and a mom went beyond the “typical” as I was caregiver to three people with medical diagnoses, including some special needs. I was in ministry; serving, teaching, speaking, and writing- continuously sharing the strategies I was learning- AND I was battling daily, even hourly attacks due to the chaotic nature of that season. We seemed to be constantly in a state of medical crisis on one front or another- or several all at once! While family members were in and out of hospitals, I blogged and wrote devotionals about going to battle against fear, praying God’s word over my loved ones, and practicing The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale). These were all very helpful strategies. Still, I battled fear ALL the time.
But now, I have been equipped to GO TO WAR against the enemy and WIN. The strategy is changing my “Confession” or the words I speak out loud. Now, mindset is also very powerful. Choosing what thoughts I dwell on is very important. But the way to win the battle of the mind is to change the words I SPEAK because, “Our brains believe what we TELL them”. ~Dr. Caroline Leaf, neuroscientist.
We have an enemy who is real and relentless. Especially when we seek God. Especially when raising children up to follow God. The biblical guide for a blessed, peaceful family life is under attack in our culture, and we need to wield every weapon God gives us. Prayer is powerful, reading scripture is powerful, and a positive mindset is powerful, too; but what affects how much I experience peace the most is the words I am allowing to come out of my mouth.
My pastors call this our “Confession”, or the words we speak out loud about ourselves, our loved ones, our circumstances. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, ”so…
”Choose Life!!” (Proverbs 18:21)
My pastors speak often about what we “rehearse”; not just the thoughts we think but the words we say out loud to ourselves and others. Rehearsing God’s promises gets our minds right while we battle. We cannot expect victory if we go into battle “hoping” to win. We cannot expect victory if we pray in the spirit of a beggar, thinking that God “might possibly someday” help. We can expect victory if we go into battle knowing that God is sending an answer just as soon as we pray. His answer is on its way, and our part is to confess that truth- speaking victory over the enemy’s schemes until our faith becomes sight.
When we change what we say to align with the word of God there is power to defeat every attack of the enemy. The enemy is real, and he is ruthless, but he is already defeated. The enemy wants you to think that you are helpless, but you are not.
Deuteronomy 28:7 declares, The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
Psalms 44:5 reminds us that we are not alone: God is on our side. Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
If our all-powerful God is for us, who can succeed against us? (Romans 8: 31)
Psalms 18:37-40 teaches us how to destroy the enemy:
I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
We can’t just passively wait for our enemy to attack and hope we will win. We have to actively prepare, pursue, and defeat the enemy, not turning back until the enemy is completely destroyed. The way claim victory in advance of the battle is through the truth of God spoken over our lives, our families, and our circumstances. Boldly declaring what we want, not what we fear.
“Fear is a spirit and it must be rebuked”, sent packing in Jesus’ name. ~ (Quote by Dr. Gene Lingerfelt)
When fear comes knocking, when anxious thoughts fill your mind, when you are agitated or alarmed or feel oppressed or depressed, you can command enemy spirits to leave:
“In Jesus name I command every spirit of fear to go. Leave me, leave my house, leave my family. Go now. I forbid fear in Jesus name. “
You can command any spirit to leave in Jesus’ name:
“n the strong and powerful name of Jesus I command that every enemy of my risen savior and Lord must leave right now. In the strong and powerful name of Jesus I command that every enemy of the Lord my God and me as His child must leave right now. Go back to hell where you belong.”
The enemy is a liar, so we have to be very careful to fill our minds with God’s word ahead of time. Then, when the enemy comes, we can speak the truths we have learned from God’s word out loud over ourselves, our loved ones, our circumstances. I will tell you that no matter what is happening in my life, when I employ this strategy, I stay in peace. When I get distracted by the noise of battle, the chaos of an attack, or simply the busy-ness of day-to-day life, I flounder until I get my thoughts and my confession aligned with the truth of God found in His word. When I am intentional about what I am choosing to believe and “rehearse” then I stay in peace.
How do we know if our thoughts are reflecting lies from the enemy? Well, first of all, if a thought is negative, it is from the enemy. If your thoughts are unhappy, fearful, stressful, miserable, or dejected (just to name a few), you are believing a lie from the enemy instead of the truth.
John 10:10 reveals that the enemy is a thief who comes only to steal, kill, or destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life to the full! (NIV) Life in its fullest measure! (CJB) Abundant life! (NKJV) A rich and satisfying life! (NLT)
If your life does not match the description in John 10:10, then you need to change the thoughts you are dwelling on AND you need to change your confession. Get in the word of God, seek out His promises and CLAIM that abundant and satisfying life by changing what you say.
Finally, I need to point out that employing this strategy does not mean you cease being attacked. “Going from victory to victory does not mean we don’t battle. It means we battle and overcome.” ~ LLoyd Zeigler
My husband and I have faced battle after battle since we married, on multiple fronts. Sometimes multiple crises all at once. (We are a blended family of seven, after all.) BUT…
When I change what I say, I change how I pray.
When I pray with power, being ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN God is coming through on my behalf, and when I “speak what I want not what I fear” circumstances change to line up with His promises and blessings. (Quote by Pastor Gene Lingerfelt.)
You are going to be attacked by the enemy. But you get to choose whether to have victory or not. The enemy only has the power over you that you give him. So don’t give the enemy any power! Speak the truth of God out loud and claim your victory! Change your thoughts, and change the words coming out of your mouth, and you will see your life completely and totally transformed. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free!