A princess certainly would not clothe herself in a designer gown with glass slippers, place a jeweled crown on her head and say she was dressed for battle. Nor would a soldier train and learn to use wartime weapons and walk into battle with a smile on his face, saying, “Peace, Brothers.” He certainly wouldn’t survive the military or the battles. We want peace in our hearts and lives, but we worry about our children, job and finances, spouse or lack of one, our health and so much more. We fear the ‘what ifs’ as if they were appointments on our calendars. Once you have asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and life, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and your salvation is guaranteed by the written Word of God (1 John 5:11-13). Since the enemy is unable to take believers out of God’s family, he uses shame, worry and fear to get us down and render us useless for the cause of Jesus Christ…to take us back to the pit God rescued us from. He points us to it and says, “See what you really are…see where you are truly headed.” But he is the father of lies, and as Jesus did during His forty days in the wilderness, we too can fight the good fight with the power of the mighty Word of God! So first reprogram your mind… Romans 12:2 says, “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” You may be saying, “Hey, wait a minute, this doesn’t sound like a battle strategy!” And you’re right. The Christian life is a life of inside out, upside down, backwards living. It is not living according to natural desires or tactics, but rather, it is living in obedience to God’s Word. This means we need to change, or transform, the way we think into the way God thinks. The only way (oh, we cannot be reminded of this enough, me included!) is to spend time with Him in His Word and in His Presence. He is always there, waiting. We choose to take time on the lap of our Heavenly Father and get to know Him. This is where we learn His heartbeat, His desires and His battle strategies to bring them to pass. Second, raise your weapons, stand on His Word and praise His Holy Name! Psalm 63:2-3 says, “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you” (NIV). Think about it…when you were in school, if someone started praising and quoting a teacher you feared, one you did not get along with, would you want to hear it? The enemy does not want to hear us praise the One he fears more than anything, and he will flee from the very presence of your praise! Praise God for His power and His love for you! This is not about feelings, but about acting in faith (in the midst of the battle) regardless of how we feel. When you lift your hands to the GOD of the Universe with words of praise, the burdens will fall off our shoulders onto the One who promised to carry them! And third, fall on your knees… Philippians 4:6-7 says it so beautifully, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language). Doesn’t that just say it all? Our part is to reprogram our mind to the Father’s way of thinking and write His battle strategy on our hearts, then lift our hands in praise to Him for His love and faithfulness, and finally, fall to our knees leaving our worries in His faithful care. He does the rest…Christ transforms our warped old way of thinking, mightily defeats our wicked enemy and graciously displaces our worries with Himself. Bottom line, when we entrust the battle into the hands of our Mighty God and King, we will walk victoriously as His Princesses with the peace that passes all understanding! So raise your weapons, and may your crown sparkle brightly in His glorious light! 🙂