2 Chronicles 20:17: You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'"

Sometimes, when things are looking a little rough, it can be hard to even drag ourselves out of bed. Over the years, I have been in peaks and valleys in different areas of life. The Lord has brought me to every peak in my life, and when I find that I'm in the valley, I struggle and fight every minute. I swing my fists in the air, looking at something, anything that I can physically overcome to get me back up on that peak and in my comfort zone.

Do you know the feeling?

I find that my response is a lot like others to some degree, but we often try and fight things that don't need fighting, and we avoid things that we need to confront. 

When I struggled with anxiety and panic, it was because I never wanted to really face the fear. I didn't want to engage in anything that I felt was ridiculous or overly difficult and bothersome. I just wanted to hide away from it and hope that it would go away. The problem with that strategy is there is no glory for the Lord. There is no starting point or point of reference in which you know the depth of the forces of the enemy against you.  The Lord always tells me when I face massive enemies in my life, " is my arm too short for this Jeff?"  I always feel absurd after that reminder, but the truth is the enemy can seem insurmountable and overwhelmingly against us.  Fear is a tricky thing in that, what we allow it to become is always much worse than the reality of the situation. We can allow our imaginations to run wild even when it is something small and insignificant. 

What the enemy wants us all to do, is to cower in fear, and obey his tactics. The enemy wants us to hide in our homes afraid to go outside or engage with others. That is why there are so many people who struggle with anxiety, depression, panic and more. Those battles are over how we see ourselves against the foe of fear. The Lord wants me to encourage you today that if you feel like there is an enemy that is much bigger, stronger, and more equipped, then you do not worry! This is his specialty! He loves to rescue us all out of the clutches of the enemy, and regardless of the size of the army against us, the Lord is always stronger.

Today, I want us all to focus on confronting our enemy with standing firm and watching the deliverance the Lord will give us. I want us all to be like Judah and Jerusalem and just show up to the battlefield. We don't have to do the hard work of slugging it out with the enemy, the Lord just wants us to see what He will do for us.  The Lord called me to be an example to His children. He called me to tell of His amazing strengths in long and arduous battles with anxiety, obesity, doubt, fear, addiction, poverty and so many other of life's circumstances.  I have watched numerous times again and again and again, while the Lord has overcome the enemy on my behalf. He will do it for us all.

Today, if you are facing an adversary that if formidable, then good. The Mighty Hand of the Lord will provide you with an amazing testimony of how He took care of You in the middle of huge battle.

Word of the day: Let us all show up to the battlefield of life. When we have the faith to show up and face our adversary, the Lord will do the fighting for us. Scripture proves it over and over again. Let us all with reckless faith stand firm in the midst of our enemy.

Prayer of the day: Father, we thank You for blessing us with Your mighty hand in our lives. We pray for peace and strength in the midst of our enemies. We pray that Your power would overcome our enemy and set us free from all that holds us back from Your best in our lives. Bless us that we may bless others with Your incredible acts on our behalf. In Jesus' name, amen.