“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 ESV
We are in a war.
And my battle cry this week has been thanksgiving.
When your enemy is invisible and throws darts at you that look more like medical bills, busy schedules, a diagnosis, or family drama, it’s easy to forget who is behind it all. The truth is we have an enemy. He just doesn’t want to hurt us, but his mission is to destroy us. And so often we forget that we aren’t just fighting what we see in the natural. In reality, we are fighting what is happening in the spiritual realm.
Selah walked up to me one day this week, with a sparkle in her eyes, and the cutest grin, she said, “Thank you, Mommy, so much.” And it wrecked me to the deepest parts. I clean and cook and wash clothes and give baths and play in the floor not because I have to. But because I love her. Most days I never hear a thank you, but it doesn’t matter, because I give her gifts and provision because of my love. When she thanked me, it moved my heart and made me want to give her the world.
I think it’s the same with the Father.
I think our “thank you’s” move His heart. I think He wants to give us the world when our hearts are thankful, not for what He’s given, but for who He is. And I think our gratitude activates a supernatural weapon that fights off the enemy’s fiery darts and thwarts his schemes.
I found myself watching an orange leaf fall from a tree and before it hit the ground whispered my thanks. Because He doesn’t change like the seasons, He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet His faithfulness is steady and sure as those leaves falling every Autumn. I rocked my sleeping babies and thankful tears rolled down my cheeks. It was a long road becoming their mommy, and He was there every step of the way. I laughed at my husband chasing our kids around the house this morning, so thankful I have a Father whose love for me is greater than any earthly love.
Photo by Rachel Ackerman Photography