Have you ever noticed the Bible talks a lot about battle with your enemies? I used to skim over these preparations for battle verses because, let’s face it, ain’t none of us in that kind of battle today. I’m not facing an enemy with plans to overtake me. I’m not facing an attack from enemy forces. I’m not seeking to battle for land and conquer an army.

Or am I?

Are you?

What if every time your Bible talks about battling an enemy attack, you think about the things that try to hold you back. The things that serve as distractions from your purpose. The things that defeat you mentally and steal your confidence. The things you never feel good enough to overcome, so you’re perpetually stuck. This is your battle. And it’s real.

But God is offering you supernatural strength for this fight and victory for your battle. Yes, you can overcome this. Yes, you can break through. Yes, you can change. Yes, you can successfully do the things you’ve continually struggled to do in the past.

Today we will look at the writings of David in the book of Psalm for our battle prep. Girl, you are walking into a battle today … you are facing an enemy force that wants to hold you back … but you NEVER have to settle for defeat!

David writes in Psalm 18:29, “In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.” You can hear his confidence and his energy, can’t you? But did you know he wrote this after 20 years of running and hiding from King Saul? He had been barely surviving, always surrounded by threats. Shouldn’t he be exhausted? Shouldn’t he be discouraged? Shouldn’t he be frustrated? Yet here he is talking about strength to crush an army. Courage to scale any wall that stands in his way.

Even after 20 years of struggle, David was not exhausted, he was empowered.

My friend, I don’t know how long you’ve been struggling with this same thing, starting strong and fizzling fast, getting your hopes up and being let down, trying to change and the change not lasting … but I know this much … you can trade that exhaustion for empowerment! God can give you the strength you need!

Right now, lay down that exhaustion and pick up empowerment. You’ve carried around that exhaustion for far too long. You’ve been confessing your exhaustion entirely too much. That’s enough. If you want empowerment, it’s here for you.

This same verse in the Passion Translation says this, “God, with you as my strength, I can advance through every stronghold that stands in front of me.” THERE IT IS, THAT’S WHAT YOU NEED! This is your prayer. This belongs on your mirror. This is your anthem, your battle cry, your affirmation.

God, with you as my strength, I CAN ADVANCE through every stronghold that stands in front of me.

What stronghold are you facing? There’s something that has a strong hold on you. It’s been holding you back. Holding you back from that next step. Holding you back from advancing. Holding you back in doubt and fear. Holding you back in a life that is far less than you were created for.

You’ve tried to break free and change before, but it’s hold on you was too strong. You went back. You fell in defeat. You felt overwhelmed. You grew discouraged. So, you quit. But that doesn’t have to be your story. No, not with the strength God is offering you. With his strength, you CAN ADVANCE here.

You can take the next step. You can make the next right choice. You can change. You can … will you?

God is here offering you the strength today, will you accept it? Will you use it? Will you advance with it?

Vs 35 TPT, “Your power within makes me strong.”

I know you feel overwhelmed by the daily battle required to win this war against the things that have taken a strong hold on you, but never forget you have the power of God within you. The same power that created the entire Universe lives within you. The same power that parted the sea, broke the chains, tore down the walls, sealed the mouths of the lions, gave sight to the blind, made the lame to walk, and raised the dead, is all inside of you.

Girl, you are strong.

Stronger than you ever imagined. Strong enough to advance through every strong hold in front of you.

When you read your Bible, replace the word “enemies” with this phrase: “The things that hold me back”. You have some of those enemies don’t you? You know you’re constantly being held back. You feel the struggle against your next step, your progress, and your change. This is your enemy … the things that hold you back.

Now, read Psalm 18:37-40, “I pursue the things that hold me back and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet. You have clothed me with strength for battle, you subdue my adversaries beneath me. You have made the things that hold me back retreat before me, I annihilate those who hate me.”

It’s about darn time God’s girls realize THEY CAN ADVANCE. We don’t have to stay stuck here. We don’t have to settle for defeat in our health, in our finances, in our relationships, in our thoughts, in our emotions, in our dreams or our passions.

Stop settling for the struggle and pursue the problem and overtake it! What’s the problem here? Is it what you’re eating? Is it what you say you’ll do, but can’t seem to make yourself actually do? Is it what you’re drinking? Is it who you’re talking to? Is it your attitude, your mood, your bad habits, your laziness, your impulses, your thoughts? Don’t ignore it and don’t excuse it. PURSUE IT. Go after it. “I pursue the things that hold me back and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. I crush them!”

God has given you strength for this battle. When you stand up to the things that have been holding you back, God makes those things retreat. He breaks strongholds.

You may have lacked the strength to make these changes in the past, or stick with these changes, but today God is clearly saying, “My girl, you can advance. My power is inside of you and I will make you strong. Go after the things that have held you back and defeat them. Annihilate them. Tear them down. No more excuses. No more settling. I have so much more for you.”

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