The other week I was off work for 3 days due to a sickness bug, nothing serious just one of those bugs that seem to knock the stuffing out of you completely and leave you rolling about the floor wishing your mum was around to nurse you better.
I had to cancel meetings and miss a 2 day conference that I was due to attend. As I started to feel better and didn’t have to remain within 10 feet of the toilet, I started to feel sorry for myself in the way that only us blokes do. I was wishing that I had a little bell that would alert my wife to come running with the chicken soup and a cloth to mop my brow…
My mind began to wander to the missed opportunities due to cancelled meetings and I began to follow the conference on Twitter, realising that fantastic Kingdom business was taking place and I was missing it!
As these negative thoughts started to go round in my mind one thought kept on coming back: “God doesn’t really care about you”. Now of course this statement is totally rubbish and untrue, God loves us so much that he sent His Son to die for us, even when we were his enemy. But it made me realise how easy it is for negative thoughts to start in our minds. The enemy of course loves this kind of thinking and is actively engaged in trying to convince us that God is against us.
The danger comes when we start to focus on and believe the negativity that can often sneak into our thinking. We start believing the lies that the enemy is subtly telling us, often placing these thoughts over the truth of scripture. After allowing these thoughts to affect my thinking for a few hours while I was feeling sorry for myself, I was quickly brought back to what the Bible says about the matter. I really love the weapons that God has given us in our daily battles with the enemy and the reminder to put on our armour every day.
Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armour now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. Ephesians 6:11-3
As we face new challenges each and every day let’s remember to put on our armour, resist the enemy’s plans and focus on the truth contained within scripture and not the negative thoughts that can often plague our thinking.
Photo Credit: Henry Hustava
