Good for you if you actually looked at the title and chose to read this little article! It means that you are willing to push yourself and that’s always a great sign of an overcomer.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith,” (1 John 5:4, New American Standard Bible).
“‘ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God,’” (Revelation 2:7, New American Standard Bible).
God wants us to overcome all the obstacles that keep us from knowing and living for Him. He loves us too much to be OK with the attacks of the enemy and the hurts of the world separating us from Him. He wants to help you through this scary time, but He also wants to empower you with His Spirit so that you can “fight” back.
That ‘s exactly where the challenge comes in! My challenge to you is: What will you do to fight back? What will you do to reject the attacks of the enemy? What will you do when his whispers of fear, guilt and failure waft through your mind? What will you do when stress and worry try to grab hold of your mind and heart? You may not even know what it is that you’re being attacked by. Our emotions can cloud our vision and make the source unclear. Either way, take time to ask God to reveal the lies and half-truths that the enemy uses to keep you stuck and beaten down. Is he telling you that you are a failure? Have you accepted that lie as God’s truth?
Then make a plan to fight back. You can simply reject the attacks by saying, “No,” to them. You can turn on your favorite worship music or arm yourself with Bible verses specific to the means of attack. Battle fear? A great verse to repeat is, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you,” (Deuteronomy 31:6, New American Standard Bible). What else could you do?
Steps for the Challenge:
1. Identify the enemy – know who it is you battle and how they like to attack you
2. Pray – ask God to help you recognize the attacks (the enemy is sneaky) and have the strength to win the battle.
3. Plan your defense and counter attack – how will you fight back when you are attacked (music, Scripture, prayer, etc.)?
4. Prepare your weapons – don’t wait until you’re attacked to get ready for it, put your CD by your player, get your Scripture ready…
5. Be on your toes – be vigilant in watching for the enemy
6. Recognize an attack (even a small one) and fight back!
Who’s with me in this challenge? If you’re ready to step up to the battle, it would be such a gift to have you post below what enemy it is you’re fighting and how you plan to fight it. As I mentioned before, identifying the enemy can be difficult. We can believe that our guilt and fear is justified – even from God. You can help your fellow warrior out by sharing your battle plans 
. Do you have to share? No, of course not! It’s much more important that you just do the battle.
Also, I would really appreciate your feedback on this challenge. What do you think? Is it something you would like to continue? Would you like me to post a brief weekly reminder to help you stay on track in your battle to overcome? It can be so easy to start off with great intentions, get busy, and completely forget! Let me know how I can help you to have victory over the muck that loves to keep you stuck in misery. You can post below or e-mail me at: kimberly@kimberlyehlers.com .
Battle on!
In His Love,
Kimberly
