Your Worst Enemy

"You are your own worst enemy..."

~Author Unknown

I heard a story on one of my favorite Christian radio stations this morning. The DJ explained that his young son was having an off day before he went to play one of his basketball games. His parents watched him make several mistakes during the game but his team still managed to stay neck and neck with their opponents. Near the very end of the game, their son had a chance to score a win for the team by standing at the free throw line, but they knew their son's mind was somewhere else completely. 

He missed the opportunity and their son's team lost the game. After consoling him on the way home, it finally caught up with him that he should have focused on what he was doing instead of where he had messed up prior. 

I know this story all too well! My oldest son plays baseball and when he strikes out, he is very upset! Anytime he makes a mistake or his teammates, it really seems to throw him off for a while. I try and his dad, (who is one of the coaches), tries to get him to quickly shift gears from the slip up to the opportunity to do better next time. 

There is a lesson to be learned here for sure. Sometimes our own worst enemy...is ourselves. We can get in the way of our own progress when we choose to dwell on our failures rather than looking to the future. Whenever we mess up, Satan likes to throw those mishaps in our face all the time and we either choose to blow them off or dwell on it. The devil knows that all he has to do is mention a certain moment in our past and we will take that so much further than it needed to go with our OWN thoughts. 

We need to stop feeding into the lies that keep us from picking ourselves off the floor, shaking the dust off and moving forward. Do not allow the past to have so much permission to invade your present life! (Arm Yourself)

I just finished reading an amazing book called Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, if you have never read it, click here to purchase it! I don't know if I have read a book more life altering and thought provoking than the Bible itself! It is a fictional retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea. If you remember in the Bible, God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute. This marriage is suppose to be a model of God's love for the people of Israel. Even when they mess up and turn to idols, or in Gomer's case, back to prostitution, He still welcomes them back with open arms ready to redeem them. 

In the book, Gomer is called Angel. You see in her deepest, darkest thoughts are the lies she has believed for so many years. She refuses to believe that she is any better than her past. These thoughts she has of herself while married to Michael (which portrays Hosea), keeps her from enjoying God's greatest gift- love. She leaves him multiple times and is torn up about whether she did the right thing or was she only dreaming.

I am not telling you about this book, because Family Christian Store told me too. (Sometimes I do a music or book review for them occasionally). This blog is purely from my heart and recommended reading, I believe, for every woman. 

Beyond that, it is recommended thinking! We need to stop listening to that little voice inside that tells us We aren't good enough! That we will never amount to anything! What makes you think you are worthy? or Remember when...? 

Begin focusing on what is right in front of you. What does God have you doing or working on right now? What doors is He opening? Begin to open your heart to the tremendous future and opportunities He has lined up for you and begin to silences the voices of your mistakes that are yelling too loudly. Stop and pray and ask for the Lord's help to focus on the here and now and your future with Him!

Listen to this beautiful song by Bethel Music called "No Longer Slaves"....Awesome!