Struggling?  Me too . . .

Do you have a past?  Do you have friends & family?  Are you breathing?  Then you probably have a struggle or two!  Take this one for instance . . .

Words.  Some of us may be on the receiving end of hurtful words and some may be on the other end tossing hurtful words around without even thinking about it.  Words are a powerful weapon when they are used the wrong way.   They can tear people down without even breaking a sweat.   As a child I can remember saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”.   Another saying was “I’m rubber, you’re glue, and whatever you say bounces off me and sticks onto you”.  Oh, if only the words would bounce off.  Unfortunately they can stick to us and get lodged in our memory. 

So, what do we do?  It tells us in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11.  “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  And verse 13:  “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  Remember, we do not struggle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (see Ephesians 6:12)

When we get dressed in the morning, we need to remember to put on the armor of God, especially the shield of faith.  Check out verse 16 which says “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”  How many darts can we quench?  All!

Testimonies are full of words and they can be used to encourage others who may be going through the same thing.  So, the question is, what do you struggle with?  More importantly, how can God use it for His glory?  Something to think about . . .