The Winning Team

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

As I was driving in my car last night, just thinking through all that is happening (or not happening) in my life right now, I became overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy. "Oh no, Lord ... Not this again." For a very short period of time, I became discouraged and started to fret. Dreadful thoughts cluttered my mind - thoughts such as: You're not good enough; You're not smart enough; You're not gifted enough; You're crazy if you believe that; God will never use you that way; It's going to take more than a miracle for that to happen; It's all in your head; Your circumstances are not going to change; You're undeserving. (Yeah, tell me about it - Yuck!) For literally about 30-45 seconds, I began tail spinning into believing this garbage. 30-45 seconds does not sound like a very long time - However, consider the fact that it took me several YEARS (yeah, the 365-day kind) to overcome the lie/stronghold of inadequacy in my life. So, 30-45 seconds to be "back in that awful place," was like ... hmm, 30-45 seconds too long! I panicked, y'all. "No, Lord! No! I'm not going back there! I will NOT do it! HELP!"

I am pleased to announce that the Holy Spirit Himself came to save the day. He once again, successfully saved me from myself. Fact is, He showed up. Right when I needed Him. As soon as I cried out, I had a revelation that I know hands-down, was straight from Him. I immediately knew I had to begin speaking Scripture - Words of Truth needed to start flowing from my mouth - Out loud. So, I began quoting every Scripture that came to my mind - whole verses, passages of verses, fragments of verses here and there, Names of God ... whatever! Just Scripture. I just knew I was in a battle, and I knew who had to win - Yes, very much for the sake of His Name ... but also girls, selfishly, for my own sanity. I was not about to let the enemy have a grip on my soul! Nope, wasn't happening ...

When I got home last night, I fell on my bed and opened my Bible to a familiar Scripture in Psalm 108. I just praised the Lord for fighting my battles for me - and for winning them! Psalm 108:13 says, "With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies." Amen to that! There's just something about being on the winning team, girls. It gets us all riled up and ready for more. Because our God truly is invincible. What a glorious thing it is, that He takes delight in you and I being on His winning team!

So, this whole episode got me thinking about 2 things:

#1) As God's women, we must practice the apostle Paul's admonishment to the church at Philippi, in the verse listed above (Phil. 4:6). I read a wonderful commentary on this specific verse. Listen to this: Fret and worry indicate a lack of trust in God's wisdom, sovereignty, or power. Delighting in the Lord and meditating on His Word are a great antidote to anxiety (MacArthur). It's not about just "brushing it off" - It's about investing in prayer, which will then lead to a lessening and eventually an absence of anxiety. Spending time reading the Word and praying, is the antidote to anxiety!

#2) As God's women, we must meditate on (and memorize) Scripture. Psalm 1:2 says, "But (her) delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law (she) meditates day and night." Joshua 1:8 similarly urges us to know and speak Scripture: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you will be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful wherever you go."

One of my goals for 2009, is to memorize more Scripture. I bought this cute little index card book in July, but am just now really taking full advantage of the idea. Good timing, huh? (Considering my 'bout with doubt' last night!) Oh, and if you're wondering about the teeth marks - No, they are not from me. (Although, it could have been a possibility had I purchased the chocolate brown/white index card book. I refrained, as to me it very much resembled an ice-cream sandwich, which would have made me hungry each time I went to work on my memory verse!) In actuality, it was my 1-year old golden retriever, Chloe, who decided she would gnaw on it the other day. My mother's response was that Chloe wanted to 'feast on the Word of God'! I laughed. (Not a bad idea though, huh?!) I purchased this little index card book at Target. It's the 'Real Simple' brand. It's perfect and will fit right in your purse or glove compartment in your car.

Let's be prepared for the battles. Those everyday battles that grip us when we're least expecting it. When we take time to invest in God - meditating on and speaking His Word- It sets up to be victorious in the Lord. God will gain the victory. Now ... Go purchase you a cute little index card book. And let's get to memorizing!

I want to be on the Winning Team ... Don't you?