Lessons From The Battlefield~

 ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In my early years of growing up~ oh say~ maybe about 7 I fought my first battle. There was a really mean girl in our neighborhood by the name of Billy Jean. Now that just sounds mean~ don't it? She was older than I was and it seemed a whole lot bigger. She would bully me and pick on me. I even remember her pushing and hitting. I was scared to death of Billy Jean.

One day my Grandma was at my house babysitting me and I would not go outside to play for fear of my very own life. My Grandma after probing figured out that I was sure my very own life would come to an end if I ventured out to play.  My grandma only had one arm due to cancer and she was not afraid of anything~ she was my hero and still is to this day.  She was amazing.

So you would think this "hero" of mine would have babied me and took care of my bully. After all she loved me as much as I loved her. Nothing doing~ she said, "Either you go outside and stand up to that bully or you are going to get a spanking."  Really I thought~ now I was just as afraid inside as I was outside.
I was really scared for my life now~ Grandma or Bully. I decided I was even more afraid of Grandma~ so outside I went outside to my pending death.

Billy jean was waiting. I am sure she lived just to tease and push and shove me around. It seemed like she really enjoyed it. This very day I did as grandma said ~ when she went to pushing me I stood my ground. After all I did not have anywhere to run. So I stood my ground and gave her a good ol' blow to her nose. Her nose started bleeding and she ran home crying. Never again did Billy Jean bully me.

Was my Grandma Baker teaching me to be violent? Nope but she knew that life was going to get hard and she was not always going to be here to fight my battles. My Grandma had fought many battles. One being with the dreaded "C" word leaving her with only one arm. She never believed in taking the easy way.  She lost her arm in her early 40's yet never once complained or let it slow her down. She could bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan~ in perfection style. She could even drive a stick shift~ try that with one arm. My Grandma taught me a bigger lesson that day~ she taught me to face my fears. Life is hard but God is good.

I no longer fight bullies but I have learned to face my fears. I no longer have a bully in my life but I do have an enemy~ the accuser~ "devil." The Bible tells us how to fight our spiritual battles. Do you know how to fight your spiritual battles?
Here is the place to start.