3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
I'm in a battle. It's a battle for my children. Not a day goes by I don't see evidence of Satan waging war against my family. The temptation is to fight the worlds' way.
Worry.
Fret.
Become fearful.
Interfere.
But 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 reminds me of the truth. We don't fight our battles like the world does.
When I see one of my kids on a path that I know cannot end in a good place, my temptation as a mom is to interfere, voice my opinions & just flat out get in the way of what God is trying to do in their life. It is hard to resist doing this. And to be completely honest, most often this is my first reponse.
But what is the Lord's way?
Psalm 37 has the perfect recipe for how to fight the battle of motherhood the Lord's way, & not the worlds way.
Psalm 37: 1
Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong.
The best way to fight is by not worrying about the outcome. Know that God is ultimately in control of this & he will win!
Psalm 37:3,4
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Take it to the Lord. This may sound "churchy", but it isn't. It should be the habit of every Christian to take their worries & trials to the Lord before they do anything else. Trust that the Lord cares more for your child than you can. His love is deeper than yours, which I know is very hard to imagine. But when I understand this & rest in it I am better able to trust the Lord with the life of my child.
Psalm 37:5,6
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Commit to do things the Lords way. Once we trust the Lord can fight for the life of our child better than we can, then we are able to commit our ways to him. Every mother wants to stop their child from making stupid mistakes, but often they need to make those mistakes to feel the sting of the consequences. Often I have prayed, "Lord, this is what I want to do, but I want my ways to be your ways so please help me to trust you completely."
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Be still & wait.Oh, I think this is the hardest part. To be still. To do what we feel like is nothing. When we see our children hurting or in trouble our momma bear instincts come alive. But the Lord often calls us to be still. This can make no sense unless you understand who the battle is really against. The enemy wants nothing more than for you to interfere with what is really going on. The enemy wants your child to turn against you and the Lord. And he would like nothing more than you use you to make that happen. But when we are still, and let the Lord fight for us and patiently wait for Him to bring our child back; we disable the enemy.
Psam 37:8
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
Here is another reminder to not worry and don't get angry. It is so easy to get angry at our children or at those who are causing them hurt. When we let our emotions lead our decisions that only leads to more wrong decisions. It only interferes more with what the Lord is trying to do. We have to remember though the enemy fights ugly, our God never loses!
Psalm 37:34
Hope in the Lord and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
Never lose hope! Never stop praying for your children. Never stop trusting the Lord will bring your child back to him. It's so hard. I know that. I have days when I am tempted to believe the lies of the enemy, that my child is gone for good. But the Holy Spirit always comes back to remind me that he loves my child more than I ever could and is at work though I might not can see it.
The enemy will be destroyed. We are promised that many times in Scripture. In fact, that moment Jesus returned on the 3rd day after dying on the cross marked the eternal defeat of Satan.
I encourage you to look to the Lord for the salvation of your child. Let him become your stronghold rather than the world. The victory belongs to the Lord and to you! You can do this! Run to the Lord the cling to his promises.
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