{"id":1070,"date":"2010-09-02T02:30:22","date_gmt":"2010-09-02T02:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jolene-test.com.bishopcompsol.com\/?p=1070"},"modified":"2010-09-02T02:30:22","modified_gmt":"2010-09-02T02:30:22","slug":"the-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jolenephilo.com\/staging\/the-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking,<\/em>
\n\u201cThey will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.\u201d<\/em>
\nBut now, O God, strengthen my hands.<\/em>
\nNehemiah 6:9<\/em><\/p>\n

These days, I don\u2019t have much to complain about. The kids are married and doing well. Mom\u2019s settled comfortably into life at my brother\u2019s house, as has our nervous, yippy old dog. Hiram loves his job. My book is selling reasonably well, and I\u2019m making steady progress on the next one. Our new church building is nearing completion, thanks to the help of many volunteers. The weather is absolutely gorgeous.<\/p>\n

With all those blessings, you\u2019d think I\u2019d be competing with Pollyanna in the sweetness and light department. Instead, I\u2019ve been walking around in a cloud of discouragement that makes Eeyore look like an optimist.<\/p>\n

One step into the new church, and I\u2019m paralyzed by the amount of work yet to be done. One look at the day\u2019s to do list, and I\u2019m overwhelmed by what won\u2019t be accomplished. One favor requested by a friend or colleague, and I\u2019m resentful about the demands on my time. One mention of a problem, and I\u2019m instantly casting blame instead of seeking solutions.<\/p>\n

One recent morning I was on such a downer, the nasty voice in my head so persistent, even I didn\u2019t want to be with me. I ordered myself to snap out of it. Nothing happened. I prayed for God to change my heart. Nothing happened. I quoted II Timothy 10:5. Lord, take my every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Nothing happened. I confessed my sin. Nothing happened. So I gave up and told God I was a hopeless mess.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the battle scenes in The Chronicles of Narnia came to mind and a thought formed. You\u2019re fighting a spiritual battle. Someone wants to stop you. As quickly as the thought came, it vanished.<\/p>\n

Puzzled, I started on my to do list. The first item was a phone call to a stranger. To a a stranger who\u2019s an expert. To a stranger who\u2019s an expert and very busy. I dialed, trying to ignore the nasty voice in my head. What do you think you\u2019re doing thinking calling her and imposing on her time?<\/p>\n

She answered the phone, and before I could say hello she spoke.\u201cI love your book. Keep writing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nasty voice inside my head choked. A few minutes into the phone conversation, it died completely. The battle was won. The peace was exquisite. The hope was sufficient.<\/p>\n

When the phone conversation ended, I hung up and breathed a prayer. Oh God, strengthen my hands for the next battle to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, \u201cThey will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.\u201d But now, O God, strengthen my hands. Nehemiah 6:9 These days, I don\u2019t have much to complain about. The kids are married and doing well. Mom\u2019s settled comfortably into life at my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24,864],"class_list":["post-1070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-newsletter-column","tag-2-timothy-105","tag-nehemiah-69"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Battle - Jolene Philo Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Battle - Jolene Philo Staging\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, \u201cThey will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.\u201d But now, O God, strengthen my hands. 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