Facing Adversary Head On
When I was in high school there was a group of girls who were bullies. They had kids in a state of fear, and everyone stayed out of their way. When they were around the temperature gage was on high alert. One day as I was walking to class, a classmate whispered to me that I was the target to fight one of the bullies after school! My heart skipped a beat, my palms got sweaty, my mouth got dry, and I thought if I leave school early then I would be safe. But I couldn’t leave school because I didn’t have a good excuse.
What was I going to do? I had never been in a fight before because my mother didn’t condone it. I prayed that the clock would stop ticking, but to no avail. When the dismissal bell rang the kids blocked all the exit doors except the one I had to go out of. As we walked off school property, I knew that if I did not fight, I would be a target continually. I even tried talking my way out of it because I had no idea why she wanted me!
They had no reason for combat, yet I had to fight. The other girl felt I was her flavor that day. She wanted to fight just because she could and wanted to show her peers that she was the boss. If you asked me how I beat the bully, I couldn’t tell you if my life depended on it. All I know is that I was fighting like a crazy person. I knew despite my fear I had to take a stand and make the statement that I would never again be her flavor to beat down.
Everyone was shocked that I came out fighting like I was crazy. I guess that underneath the “Praise the Lord!” and “Hallelujah!” there was a fighting warrior I never knew existed. I never approved of fighting, but I had a secret weapon called prayer! I prayed every minute of my last class. I didn’t know what else to do! Everyone in my school knew I didn’t hide my faith in the closet.
The devil wants us to feel like losers, naturally and spiritually, but we can fight those lies with our secret weapon which is the Word of God. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor.10:4-6 NKJV). As Christ-followers, we need those mighty weapons more so in this day of conflict.
Be encouraged by reading about men and women of God. Gideon didn’t run from the enemy (2 Chron. 20). Esther stood up against evil plots (Esther 7). David faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17). The Apostle Paul never ran from adversity and still wrote two-thirds of the New Testament.
And so, we can stand confident that we are well armored to war against the enemy. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph. 8: 13-18 NIV)
What was I going to do? I had never been in a fight before because my mother didn’t condone it. I prayed that the clock would stop ticking, but to no avail. When the dismissal bell rang the kids blocked all the exit doors except the one I had to go out of. As we walked off school property, I knew that if I did not fight, I would be a target continually. I even tried talking my way out of it because I had no idea why she wanted me!
They had no reason for combat, yet I had to fight. The other girl felt I was her flavor that day. She wanted to fight just because she could and wanted to show her peers that she was the boss. If you asked me how I beat the bully, I couldn’t tell you if my life depended on it. All I know is that I was fighting like a crazy person. I knew despite my fear I had to take a stand and make the statement that I would never again be her flavor to beat down.
Everyone was shocked that I came out fighting like I was crazy. I guess that underneath the “Praise the Lord!” and “Hallelujah!” there was a fighting warrior I never knew existed. I never approved of fighting, but I had a secret weapon called prayer! I prayed every minute of my last class. I didn’t know what else to do! Everyone in my school knew I didn’t hide my faith in the closet.
The devil wants us to feel like losers, naturally and spiritually, but we can fight those lies with our secret weapon which is the Word of God. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor.10:4-6 NKJV). As Christ-followers, we need those mighty weapons more so in this day of conflict.
Be encouraged by reading about men and women of God. Gideon didn’t run from the enemy (2 Chron. 20). Esther stood up against evil plots (Esther 7). David faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17). The Apostle Paul never ran from adversity and still wrote two-thirds of the New Testament.
And so, we can stand confident that we are well armored to war against the enemy. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph. 8: 13-18 NIV)