By: Kandy Persall
You are not alone. The anxiety, discouragement, and hopelessness you feel aren’t because of your doing. The evil one has unleashed an all-out war against anyone with peace, contentment, and hope. Consistently evil has been called good, and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20).
You pushed through in the beginning months of your discomfort and disorientation, but as the months dragged on, you became increasingly despondent. What always worked for you before wasn’t working this time. Laura van Dernoot Lipsky of the Trauma Stewardship Institute clarifies, “As hard as the initial trauma is, it’s the aftermath that destroys people.”
I repeat: you are not alone. Your situation and millions of others were tailor-made by satan to dishearten and depress. He seeks to fatigue by slandering all that is good and true. Daniel prophesied this would happen by saying, “He (satan) will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints” (Daniel 7:25).
Your adversary conspires to pick at you until you have no fight left. Looking deeper into the Aramaic word used by Daniel, the definition of “wearing down” means to harass the mind continually. Your arch enemy won’t let up even when you are exhausted and overwhelmed.
Twentieth-century author Watchman Nee explains it this way: “The wearing out is almost imperceptible; nevertheless, it is a reducing. The wearing down is scarcely an activity of which one is conscious, yet the end result is that there is nothing left. Hence this principle of satan’s working in the lives of God’s children is to wear them out until they are worn down completely. He will wear you out a little today and then a little more the next day. He will make you suffer a small amount now and a little more later. You may think this to be something insignificant, nevertheless, satan knows that the consequence of such wearing away is to wear the saint out completely.”
Now, we can say: “We are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Knowing this lights a fire to resist within us. We desire to oppose harassment with firm faith and pinpoint our anger against the spirit causing the problem. Praying passionately against this source of hatred is one way we can “be angry and not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). Your prayer might sound something like this:
Father,
Thank You for revealing to me the source of my discouragement and despair. I realize this to be simply another plot of the enemy to steal my hope and joy. I submit myself to You anew, knowing that Your Son will keep me from stumbling back into worry as I faithe Him (James 4:7; Jude 24).
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I turn to stand against the spirits of despair, discouragement, hopelessness, and anxiety. I maintain my warring stance against these dark spirits by wearing the spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6:13). Lifting the shield of faith, I believe wholeheartedly that the victorious Christ lives within me (Ephesians 6:16). Whether I feel His power or not, I know that He is fighting for me and extinguishing melancholy, desperation, and discouragement (Exodus 14:14). Withstanding evil is my portion for doing so causes satan to run (James 4:7).
Peace of God, I ask that You send Your military guard of angels to protect me from the hostile invasion of hopelessness (Philippians 4:7). I resist the evil one, knowing that many other believers are also gaining victory from anxiety as they fight the good fight of faith (1 Peter 5:9; 1 Timothy 6:12). I approach Your throne, asking for the mouth of wisdom which none of these opponents will be able to refute (Luke 21:15; Acts 6:10). Grant me the portion of manna-strength I need for today (Exodus 16:16-18). I sign this request with the Name of Jesus; Amen.