“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.”
It’s crazy out here. You can get saved or you’re already saved and just got swayed off of your path or discouraged. You make up your mind to get back right with the Lord and you’re moving. You’ve met some challenges and you’ve overcome them. The enemy tried to get in your way, but it didn’t work. You stood firm in your faith and didn’t waver. The seed of the word in your heart is definitely planted and growing. You’re in that space where walking with God is great.
Then you get hit with a test that leveled up on you. Like the last one came in at 3. This one came in at a 7. This isn’t the enemy. It’s the inner me. Yeah it’s you. This fight is internal and the opponent is yourself. You’re on the path God has for you and you find yourself unmotivated to keep going. Like is this Christian thing really worth it. Why go to church and these ministry meetings, read your Bible or any of that? Why not just step out the door of walking with Christ, go for a long walk and never come back?
If it sounds like I’ve been there it’s because I have. I’ve asked myself these questions and strongly considered having my response be, “Yeah. I’m out. Peace!”✌🏽 Real talk. I’m going to church, serving in ministries, writing for Trackstarz and all of that and have had these questions buried in my heart. That’s why it’s good to know that this walk with God is not just a one time experience that you try to live off the excitement of one moment forever. It starts with a moment of coming to Christ and being made alive. It continues with our constant effort of keeping this thing alive in our hearts.
We all have our ups and downs. We all have our struggles. To me, the worst ones don’t always come from the devil. It comes from the internal struggles you have with yourself to keep fighting. To keep pushing forward and be who God has called you to be. I’m a big pro wrestling fan. One of my favorite wrestlers growing up as a kid was Hulk Hogan. He would do what was called hulking out. His opponent would do his finishing move and pin Hulk Hogan. The ref counts 1-2… and then Hogan kicks out with this burst of adrenaline. His opponent hits him a few times and Hulk would get up and start shaking. This was him hulking out. He goes on to defeat his opponent.
Life beats us down so bad sometimes. Bad circumstances cause us to feel defeated on the inside. The path of least resistance is to just give up. I like a couple of quotes by the great Denzel Washington. The first one is, “If you haven’t failed then you’re not even trying.” The second one is, “Fall down 7 times and get up 8.” Christ is our rock and built into our salvation is resolve and perseverance. Christ has measured out all of the grace you will need to go through whatever challenges you face. My pastor always says, “If you don’t quit you will win.” Go to God in prayer. Take all of the things you are going through to Him. Even the doubts you have about this walk with Christ. He is there and He is faithful to comfort you and to strengthen you for the walk ahead.
That leads us to our Throwback Song of the Week. This is from our brother out of Houston – Lecrae. This is from his 2006 release, “After The Music Stops”. The featured track is called “Praying For You”. It speaks of his own struggles in having faith in Christ. Tune into the Trackstarz radio show this week to hear DJ Jeremaya spin this for the Throwback Song of the Day. Also, if you’re in need of prayer don’t be afraid to drop us a line so the Trackstarz team can pray for you. Until next time…
Peace and blessings,
Damo
