More Than…

The enemy won a battle yesterday morning. Not in a manner that affected my interactions with others, but in a manner that affected me. The moment I gave in and exchanged his false truth for reality; I gave him the power and took away from myself the freedom that comes from following Christ. It wasn’t any one particular thought, but a culmination of thoughts and false ideas that I let seep into my being. Slowly, I allowed myself to take on his false truths, which affected my demeanor, affected my attitude, and everything else about my morning.

There was no outward struggle. There wasn’t even an inner struggle. It’s just the simple fact of allowing thoughts to creep in that are negative, self-damaging, hopeless, full of shame or despair, whatever tract the enemy takes that day. We hear them, we give into them, we act as if we believe them and allow them to change us and the trajectory of our day. And though, this particular time it didn’t interfere with my relationships or responsibilities… there are so many times that it can easily do so.

The truth is… you are more than your past mistakes, more than other’s perceptions of you, more than your comparisons of yourself. You are more than words that were spoke to (or about) you. You are certainly more than past addictions, trauma, or actions. You are more than the measure of yourself against some ideal image, or the ability to perform perfectly at any task. You are not subjected to carrying the weight of the past with you, and fighting it each day. The truth is that God is in the here and now, and He’s already in tomorrow also. He is not in the past. He is not there whispering to you a track record of “less than’s”. He’s preparing a place for you and declaring your victory! So you might have mornings where the enemy wins the battle… but you can stand firm that God has won the war.

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new!” Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG