In The Quiet, Go Offensive

I am sitting here in the ER waiting for the doctor to come in with my mother's CT scan. Her stomach is bothering her, and right now we are sitting here in wait mode.

It’s still, and it’s quiet.  The consistent double-quick beeps from the blood pressure machine have faded into the background.  Every now and then, the footsteps of passersby on the other side of the curtain door would break the silence.

There is a lot of time for the mind to go wild with imagination while waiting for the test results.

I don’t know about you but I have spent many years unknowingly training myself to think the worst when it comes to situations that don’t look good.  I have also allowed my mind to take me on a negative imaginary snowball ride that did nothing but build fear and worry in my heart.  I understand and have participated in the rollercoaster ride, especially during the slow, quiet waiting period.

In these moments of quiet waiting, the enemy strikes and tries to take a foothold, an opportunity to hit you where it hurts, in your soul.  As you overthink about the “what could be’s,” the enemy maneuvers to provide you with answers that are false and inaccurate.  This is where he pushes his lies into glimpses of light and sight, so that you focus on a false truth masquerading as truth.  In many cases, it's in these moments of waiting that emotions tend to dominate the mind if you allow them to.

We must be strong in the midst of these mental snowballs, standing on God’s word and His promises.  We must always be aware of the enemy's strategies.  The more aware we are, the better position we are in to be on the offensive instead of the defensive.

If I know there could be an opportunity for my mind to be under fire with negativity, then I should begin thinking and speaking the word over the situation before the negative thoughts creep in. We need to always be on the offensive, quick to think and speak the word of God. Philippians 4:8 gives us a list of things we should always be thinking about.  That’s being on offense.  Check out what the book of Isaiah says.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Before I got to the hospital, I prayed for my mother and lifted her up before the Lord. My belief in God and His eternal power was 100% in action. I trust Him with my mother. My mind stayed on Father, and while I was sitting there in the ER room in that quiet moment waiting, my mind was settled on God’s word, because I went on the offensive on the way to the hospital.

We have the authority and the power to control our thinking.  These are the times you have to get radical. These are the times you have to intentionally talk to yourself and tell yourself what the truth is.  The truth is what God says.

Even if things don’t go the way you would like them to go, don’t give up on God’s word. He knows how to turn every situation around and make lemonade out of lemons.  You trust Him and continue to wait upon the Lord.

As you wait, I want you to know that you are reinforcing your faith deeper in the perfect and solid foundation, the Rock.

Think of faith like a muscle. It gets stronger when used in moments of stress. Father said that we would go through times of trials and testing.  It's those trials and testing that strengthen our resolve in the fact that God is God and He can't lie.

When you are at the gym, your muscles don’t get stronger by standing around.  Your muscles get stronger when you put them through stress and break them down.  Faith is similar.  Faith doesn’t grow when everything is going well.  Faith grows when you go through situations of trials and testing.

Stay strong in those moments when things are still and quiet.  Stay strong in those moments of waiting.  Do not allow the enemy access to your thought life.  Stand on the word of God and trust Him.  He will not fail you ever.