The Lord Fights our Battles

Hey, friends! Welcome back to Turning Heads Blog... I have a powerful message for y'all today. It's something that, especially lately, has resonated so deeply in my heart. I want to share this with you, and I truly hope that you take this with you throughout your day, your week, your month... that you meditate and pray over it, that you bury it into your heart and carry it in your soul - these words are the words of a lifetime.

Let's be real (real enough to begin with a cleche): the world is a crazy place. In the midst of everything going on, from the recent COVID-19 pandemic lockdown debates to an alarming economic recession, the key is... trust.

Honestly, I am currently in a season of my life where I am being faced with the fact that I need to let go and trust God to fight my battles. In a world of sickness and pain, a world forever changing, I am in a place where it seems that all I can manage is to hold on to my Rock, to my Fortress. Everything around me is falling apart. The future, once a remote place that now seems to be marked on the calendar, is racing towards me, and I am doing everything I can to run as far away from it as I can. Yet, the future is inevitable - but I am choosing to trust that God's got my back. "Though the mountains may be moved into the sea, though the ground beneath might crumble and give way, I can hear my Father singing over me, 'it's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay'". These words, from Tasha Layton's "Into the Sea (It's Gonna Be Ok)" bring me back to the Lord's truth: even when the sky seems like it is falling, the God of angel armies is on our side.

As Psalm 46:1 reads, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble." We need to let go of the things of this world. There are some battles that we cannot fight on our own... but we have an unfailing, unstoppable force on our side, and that is the power of the Lord.

Someone once said these words to me: "With every single thing in your life, have an open hand - but there is one thing that you should not have an open hand for but a closed fist, gripping and never letting go, and that is your relationship with God." Friends, this is absolutely important. In our daily life, we all have things we just need to let go. Maybe its a grudge with an old friend, or a chip on your shoulder over a promise that wasn't kept. Perhaps its a fear over the future, a constant worry that keeps you up at night, nibbling away at your sanity until you feel that you might just burst. It all comes down to this: let it go. Let it fall through your hands like water, falling to a puddle to become water under a bridge. Yet through it all, keep your eyes on Jesus. He is your Rock. He is your Shield, your Fortress. He will set you up on a high place,

Trust God. Know that He will comfort you and navigate your way. Don't let fear rule your heart, but instead know that God is with you and that He will never let go. Let God navigate your course. He is your Redeemer. He is with you and He is for you. Don't give up.

To skip back to my quiet time... prior to entering this season of my life, I found myself spending my quiet time with God in the book of Leviticus. Following the devotional, I was placed into Leviticus 26, and it was these words that spoke to my heart at I time when I didn't even know I needed it:

“I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make way for new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.” - Leviticus 26:9-13

God put this into my heart for a reason. He knew a rocky road was up ahead, and He knew I would need these words stamped into my soul. He reminded me of this simple truth: the Lord is our God, and we are his people. His message to us is one of love, faith and promises - covenants that he has and will continue to keep. God is FOR you; he promises success and fruitfulness. To the women praying for that job promotion, for that family, for that opportunity to blossom and grow - God is FOR you. As the Lord promises, “If God is for you, who could ever be against you?” The Lord says He will fight our battles if we only stay still. He promises love and care, for he is always with us. Just as for the Israelites, he will continue to break barriers and allow for us to be humble in his name. He works out all things for our good.

I'd like to take a moment and pray over this message. Lord, thank you for all that You have done and all that you will continue to do... You have made so many covenants with us that I know You will continue to keep. I trust You. I trust that You will fight these battles I am facing in my life... for You are my Navigator, my Rock and my Fortress in times of trouble. Jesus, I give it all up to you. I also want to pray for everyone reading this blog... Lord, bless them. Whatever they may be facing, help them to give it up to You, to trust You and understand that You will fight for them - they need only to be still. Thank you, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.