Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
After speaking at a local convention to a group of men with addiction problems, small groups formed for prayer.
The group I was in was a diverse one with addicts and their family members, including children. As we stood in a circle and shared prayer requests, one of the young men confessed, “The battle is in the mind.”
How young this man was (especially compared to me) and yet how right he was! When I’m feeling a little sick or tired, I have to be extra careful. For that’s when I have to fight the hardest. Temptations to doubt or envy or worry seem to hit me at those times.
Sometimes I have to stop whatever I’m doing and recite those passages that remind me that my ill feelings are due to an ill thought.
Help us, Jesus, in our weakness. Help us not to sugarcoat those areas in which we need the most help.
Faith Step: What areas do you struggle with? How do you protect yourself from letting them take over and consume you? Jot down ways in which you can remain positive and focused on Jesus in a world where temptations to doubt and to become discouraged are rampant.
