Battle-Worn Hearts: A Prescription of Grace (Part 2 of 2)

“And the God of all Grace, who called you to His eternal Glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10

In my last post, Battle-Worn Hearts: Faithful God in Seasons of Doubt and Unbelief (Part 1 of 2), we saw how the amazing grace of God meets us in our seasons of doubt and unbelief—when our journey seems to be too much—strengthening our hearts and minds to persevere. When we are fearful to build hope upon hope, we truly need to see the glory of God revealed. The Lord longs to meet us in and use these times of doubts and unbelief to strengthen our faith, whereas the enemy desires to weaken and threaten our faith.

SEASON OF ALLURING DOUBT FOLLOWING A SEASON OF BLESSING

A tactic of the enemy is to come right behind a time of refreshment, blessing, encouragement, and affirmation from the Lord whereby the adversary attempts to eliminate and steal our joy.

So often, a season of doubt can follow on the heels of a season of blessing, answered prayers, and deliverance.

The Heavens opened and voiced His Father’s beautiful words, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Similar to Elijah, Jesus experienced the temptation of alluring doubt from the enemy following a season of blessing. After experiencing His glorious baptism with the Holy Spirit freshly upon Him, the Heavens opened and voiced His Father’s beautiful words, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Immediately after, Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted by the enemy. Despite the assailing and accusing doubts from the enemy, Jesus remained sinless.

Like Jesus, we as His children, after experiencing an intimate time of fellowship, closeness, and answered prayer with the Lord, will be tempted by the enemy who wants to steal our joy, causing us to doubt the goodness and grace of God working in our lives.

The enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy everything good in our lives. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

The adversary wants to remove our joy and take back the growth and ground we have gained. In these moments, however, we must stand firm in our faith, sticking to our convictions about Who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives. Remembering His past faithfulness gifts our hearts with hope in these times of doubt.

Amidst the feelings of hopelessness and discouragement, our confidence is that God is faithful, and His promises are true! He answers our prayers, and He receives all the glory. He knows us so intimately and lavishly loves us. He always works on our behalf in countless ways that we cannot see or know. He lives to intercede for us moment by moment and stays with us always.

Look to Jesus, and keep your eyes and thoughts on Him. “Fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1). “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Be encouraged! Jesus is with you, living inside of you. He who is in you is greater than the one in the world assailing the doubts and uncertainties your way. “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Praise Him for all He has done and will continue to do for you. He did it in the past, is doing it presently, and will do it again. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

The enemy baits us with the lie that God can’t and won’t show up again in our time of need. This lie attempts to convince us that He is not powerful enough or that He doesn’t care enough to meet our needs. Discouragement, fear, and doubt are always from the enemy.

Recognize these tactics—discouragement, fear, and doubt.
Replace the lies with the Truth from God’s Word—His Promises.
Remember that You are not alone.
Remind yourself that you will not stay in this season forever—You will get through this.

LEARN THE BATTLE-WORN SIGNS

As your battle-worn heart draws near to Jesus, He meets you in your time of need.

In seasons of doubt, we must learn the signs of getting battle-worn. As you get exhausted and need rest, as you get discouraged and need encouragement, as your body gets depleted and needs strength and nourishment, do the practical things first before you allow yourself to go into a downward spiral of fear, doubt, discouragement, and despondency.

The Lord will meet you in your time of need and will provide exactly what you need to lift you out of this pit of doubt and discouragement. We must not believe the lies of the enemy, but instead run to Jesus as we wait expectantly for His gentle whisper.

Like Elijah, we can become DEAF to the gentle whisper of God’s voice in our lives. Using the acrostic DEAF, we can recognize and remember these tactics of the enemy.

THE DIAGNOSIS—DEAF to God’s gentle voice

D—Discouraged
E—Exhausted (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually)
A—Afraid
F—Forgetful of God’s past faithfulness

Now that we see the symptoms of being battle-worn, what’s the prescription?

OUR PRESCRIPTION of GRACE—EARS to hear

When we are DEAF, we need EARS to hear. Only the Lord can give us a heart that turns back to Him with spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear His Truth.

E—Encouragement
A—Assurance
R—Rest to renew our strength physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
S—Spiritual nourishment and refreshment from God’s Word and His Presence

GOD’S GENTLE WHISPER

Elijah learned of his need for spiritually ears to hear the gentle voice of Almighty God. After resting, Elijah heard the voice of the Lord, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). In other words, what is your need for coming here to Me? What has led you down this road of discouragement, weariness of heart, and hopelessness? Why have you grown weary of doing good and walking in obedience to your appointed calling? How did you end up here, Elijah? Our All-knowing, Sovereign Lord knew Elijah’s greatest need—His Presence.

A whisper from His heart longs for and waits for your heart to listen.

Then the Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by” (1 Kings 19:11).

This time, the Presence of the Lord came, not in the powerful displays of His judgement—tornado winds, earthquake, or fire—but in a gentle whisper, indicating a closeness and intimacy.

The glory of the Lord was on display in the life of Elijah again. Previously, Elijah had received the hospitality of ravens, a widow, and an angel to meet his physical hunger, but now God Himself would meet his spiritual hunger. Elijah longed for the very presence of God Himself—His comfort, His assurance, His encouragement, and His words of hope.

After displaying His glorious Presence, the Lord poses the same question again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13). This time, the Lord’s question paints a broader stroke across the canvas of Elijah’s life. In other words, what is your purpose here, for being on this earth? Have you forgotten? You are My prophet—chosen, anointed, and called! Don’t forget why you are here! Don’t forget your true purpose—to bring Me glory in all you do. Now, go!

Just as the Lord encouraged and strengthened Elijah’s heart, we also long to hear His gentle whisper. The Lord desires to surround each of us with His Presence, comforting us with His assurance, encouragement, and whispers of hope. A whisper from His heart longs for and waits for your heart to listen.

I know you are battle-worn, but get back in the battle. Remember why you are here and what your purpose is. A soldier doesn’t run away from a battle or a fight. You may become discouraged, but then you must regroup. Don’t forget Who your Commander and Master is. I will show you My Presence to give you assurance and hope. You don’t need to be afraid, for I am with you. Do not fear man, but instead, fear not believing Me and My promises. Exercise your faith, and trust Me.

The Lord reminded Elijah Who He is as Almighty God. He reminded Elijah who he was as His chosen prophet and warrior as He gave him orders to go back the way he came, back into the desert—in the battle. The Lord gave Elijah assurance of His Presence, encouragement, and His orders and instructions for the next season and battle. Seeing the glorious Presence of the Lord reminded Elijah of His faithfulness, giving him the strength to persevere and heal his battle-scarred heart. The Lord had prepared to use him again in a profound way before Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind back to Heaven, in the Lord’s eternal Presence.

GOD’S WARRIORS

In seasons of doubt and unbelief, we must go back to the Authority in our life and ask Him for assurance, encouragement, and wisdom for the next battle. True assurance can only come from the Authority in our life, the One who is in complete control of our circumstances.

As we turn our hearts to the Lord, He longs to reveal His Heart to you and make His thoughts known to you. (see Proverbs 1:23)

As Christians, we come under the Authority of Almighty God—our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. His Word is our marching orders and instructions. We need reminded of our mission, purpose, calling, and voice as His ambassadors. We need to be reminded of Who He is, who we are, and what our purpose is. As we remember this Truth, then, we are prepared and ready for anything, with our hearts strengthened to head back into the battle.

Even seasoned veterans, like Elijah, endure seasons of doubt and unbelief. However, in both Elijah’s desert and mountaintop seasons, the Lord was faithful to hear his cry to the Lord and answered every time.

As we, too, run to Jesus—our Savior and Deliverer—in our seasons of doubt and unbelief, He faithfully shows up and reveals Himself as our Hope, ultimately bringing glory to His Name. This is the purpose of our seasons of doubt and unbelief—the Glory of God.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

In your own life, can your remember a season of doubts and unbelief which threatened to weaken your faith in which the Lord met you there and used that season to actually strengthen your faith?
Have you seen in your life that a season of doubt can follow on the heels of a season of blessing, answered prayers, and deliverance?
Learning the battle-worn signs of our heart is important in our faith journey. Which of the tactics that cause us to be DEAF to God’s gentle voice do you see in your own heart? (Discouraged, Exhausted, Afraid, Forgetful of God’s past faithfulness)
God’s amazing Grace enables our hearts to turn back to Him in seasons of doubt and unbelief. What detail of the Prescription of Grace (Encouragement, Assurance, Rest, and Spiritual Nourishment and Refreshment from God’s Word and His Presence) does your heart need most in your present circumstances?
Have you, like Elijah, found yourself in a place of discouragement and weariness of heart? What a comfort to know with confidence that God’s love and grace always outweigh our doubts and weakness.
As we daily go to the Authority in our life and His Word, we are prepared to walk in faith and obedience to our calling and get back into the battle. Presently, what is He calling you to do in the small corner of your world as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, or friend to encourage or speak Truth into the lives of others?