Pray, Release, Defend

To the woman who is weary in battling, I get you. You have cried all the tears, screamed all the questions, and feel like you are fighting a losing war. I have spent many nights wishing sleep would come just so I could escape the battle I was fighting, even just for a moment, only to wake up and find that it was still there. Sore from sobbing, fighting, and worrying, I am writing to the woman who knows the battle she is fighting isn’t an easily won, short endeavor.  These battles are wars. Long and drawn out with the stakes higher than ever. Maybe it’s your health, kids, marriage, job, I don’t know what your battle is but I know that steadfastness in the battle produces a faith that is perfect and complete.

I don’t journal regularly but I find comfort in getting my thoughts on paper and writing down what I feel God is speaking to me. Recently, I was looking back in my journal reading some of my earlier entries hoping that it would have the answer to the woundings of my heart. The year prior I had written of an argument my husband and I had gotten into and at the end were three words I had written down that I felt God was pressing into me: pray, release, defend. Those three words have encouraged me more in this season of battling because they allowed me to take my eyes off the problems that threaten to take over and put them on the One who fights on my behalf.

“Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Prayer allows you to surrender your battle. When you don’t know what to pray, pray that. Talking to God has the ability to transform your thoughts and emotions. When I first started giving my battles to God I prayed for the outcome I desired. I prayed that everything would work out for the good that I wanted. I prayed for others to be changed. However, through giving my battles consistently to God in prayer, He showed me my weaknesses and where my heart needed to trust in Him. I even started to feel inclined to pray for my enemies. Talk about a change of heart! Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle with flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the comic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Releasing my expectations is one of the hardest parts of giving my battles to God. My control is a façade for a deep-rooted mistrust of God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life. By releasing my need for control I am also saying that whatever the outcome is God will be glorified. Surrender steadies my heart because it puts my hope and confidence in what God is able to do. Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”.

Lastly, we must defend our hearts against all anger, worry, deceit, and all else that comes against God. It is going to be easy to let a harsh word or disappointment wreck you. Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Guarding your heart looks like turning off social media when you feel comparison creep in, changing the type of music you listen to when you start to have thoughts that dishonor those in your home and around you, and it looks like not hanging out with people who only have negative things to say about others. You might not do this perfectly, but repent and turn your heart back to Go and you will find that it will produce fruit that helps you to keep trusting and resting in the goodness of God.

My sweet friend, your battle might not be won in a day or a week, but God has not stopped seeing you in the midst of your battle. He is ready to fight for you, all you have to do is pray, release, and defend.

We want to thank Savanna Rodriguez for sharing this post.