I read a quote today, that said 'The first and best victory is to conquer self.' I have sat and thought about that ever since, wondering how true... or perhaps false it actually is.
Thoughts about how we have so many other challenges and battles in life, with relationship, work, money and family, and they can all be really big and difficult!
And then I thought, no, that quote is not true, cause the biggest thing to overcome is the enemy. He is the one that is set out to kill and destroy us, surely that is the first and best victory we are to win!
But then, where does he attack us?? Where is the battle? 'For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but against the despotisms, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly sphere' (Ephesians 6:12)
The devil attempts to defeat us with strategy and deceit, through well-laid plans and deliberate deception. He is a liar! Jesus calls him the father of all liars!... of all that is false!! He lies to you.. and he lies to me. He tells us things about ourselves, about other people and about circumstances that are just not true!
He begins by bombarding our MINDS with a cleverly devised pattern of nagging thoughts, suspicions, doubts, fears, wonderings, reasonings and theories. He moves slowly and cautiously... (remember his plans are well liad out). But is up to us whether we choose to believe them or not.
This is something that I think God has really been showing me about this week. There was a story on an a current affairs program, that talked about the power of positive thinking. Now this story was more about all the meditation and yoga sorta things, but I could see what they were actually trying to say, and how positive thinking can have such a huge impact on our lives!
And then last night I took some of my youth girls to a combined youth meeting, and they talked about emotion, and how we can get something in our mind and it can lead to us acting in a certain way... (Learnt alot of other very interesting stuff too! )
And just tonight I read this quote!
Its something that God has really been challenging me to do in my own personal life, because its something that I really struggle with. He is wanting me to win that battle over myself, to become disciplined.. not only in the word and prayer, but also in self-discipline in my mind. We will never become successful in life if we aren't disciplined. And one of the biggest areas that we need to take control over in that is within our soul, or our emotional state... Its something that can make or break us.
Something that I learnt last night at youth, which was a real relevation for me, was that having emotions is ok, its normal. God gave them to use for a reason, to express ourselves! However we need to gain control over them and not let them rule us. (that has been said to me many a time!!) And I guess that is where this discipline comes in.. and part of where that quote is ... where the victory can be won!
hmm not sure if this has been too clear, but just want to challenge you all to be disciplined in the area of your mind... over yourselves. To win that first and best challenge.. and then.. wow, the things that can happen after that!