My Greatest Enemy

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-23

Identifying the enemy is paramount to any successful battle plan. If you can’t clearly isolate the threat and pinpoint exactly where the assault is coming from, you run the risk of being caught off guard and falling into enemy hands. Vulnerability comes when your adversary causes chaos and confusion. Carefully crafted division makes it easy to conquer those caught in the fray. Our enemy is often an outside force that presses in, intent on distraction and destruction. The greatest enemy you will ever face lurks within your own mind. Its name is Self-Talk. How you think, react, or respond inside your own head has the potential to break you down, stifle the Spirit and leave you helpless in the hands of your tormentors. Our minds can become a place of solitary isolation where unseen battles leave us wounded and bleeding. To conquer the powerful self-talk within your own mind, be aware of a few enemies you may encounter. 1) The Word Slinger: This self-talk enemy does just that; talks and talks and talks, accusing you of both real and fabricated offences. He uses words like “loser,” “unlovable,” “good-for-nothing.” He works to break down the core of who you are, attempting to bring you to a place of self-abashing behavior and a defeatist attitude. Resist the temptation to listen to The Word Slinger. Memorize Philippians 4:8  2) The Eeyore Complex: Eeyore is a Winnie-The-Pooh character whose life is riddled with pessimism, gloom and a “woe is me” attitude. The Eeyore self-talker is often bothered by everything and a fan of nothing. When you are tempted to retreat into that dark crevice of despair, remember Romans 12:12  3) The Past Preserver: This self-talk enemy loves to continually push your past indiscretions, failures and mess-ups to the forefront of your mind, persuading you to believe that God’s forgiveness is incomplete and has strings attached. Casting doubt on the kindness and mercy of God, the temptation is to feel tethered to your past, fearful of your present and doubtful of your future. Scripture has a promise that circumvents this lie, Psalm 103:8-9. In this world there will always be clear and present danger, but there is no enemy as powerful as the enemy that resides in your mind.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I have identified my greatest enemy… and it’s me. Please be with me, so I may always see who I really am in Your eyes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.