Stinkin Thinkin

When all else fails, this I know: God is good. He is always good.

As I've been beginning to walk through recurring health stuff lately, I have been holding on to this phrase more than ever. Looking from the outside, I know it may be difficult to understand my situation completely but, it really has been a bit of a rough road for years now. Most of the time I just deal with it because hey, it's my life and I'm thankful to have it but at times it does begin to wear on me. Dealing with ulcerative colitis and May-Thurner syndrome is an all day every day ordeal. It affects me as soon as I wake up, determines what I eat, when I eat, what I wear, the activities I do, when I go places, how I feel, how I talk, my energy, how I interact with people, my mood... and yeah, you get the idea. It's kind of sad really but I can tell you where at least one bathroom is any place I have ever been as well as the fastest route to each. In fact, I have become so in tune with the little girls room in general that I can even walk into a new place and usually instinctively know where the bathroom is. A true talent, I know :) but I say all this to emphasize the point that my health and things of that nature consume a LOT of my thought life.

As such, does it not make perfect sense that the enemy's first plan of attack would be to go through my mind? Of course! And that's exactly what he's been trying to do lately. To plant seeds of discouragement and weariness into the place that often goes unchallenged by those in my life who help keep me accountable. You see, it's in that isolation that satan finds compensation. The fact that we often blindly accept all thoughts to be 'our own' means that he can throw whatever ridiculous kinds of lies he wants at us and we may or may not recognize them for what they truly are. And if he can get us to accept the lies as truth in our heads. he can then cause more damage by moving their influence into our words and actions. Pretty sneaky huh? And absolutely lethal.

SO, I have learned that the best way to deal with stinkin thinkin is to call it out for what it is. I have to bring the enemy to the light (and by the way, isn't it amazing how puny and pathetic he seems when you call him out!) and immediately remind myself of what God says is truth. Now sometimes I recognize the lies of the enemy right away and sometimes it takes me a while but either way, God is always faithful to come through with a holy slap to the face when my defense is slacking :) and this past week it was through my devotion time. This is what it read and have been reminding myself of: (please note how incredibly applicable every part is!)

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble.

The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. O my soul, march on in strength!"

Wow right?! Those were the exact words of truth I was needing to hear to come against the lies of the enemy and once again, God was faithful to remind me of who He is even in the midst of hard times.

When all else fails, this I know. God is good.