Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A fresh new start. A new day to rise up and be refreshed by the Words of Christ.

A new day to soak in His Promises and in His Teachings so that our minds can be renewed, our spirits strengthened, and our resolve refueled.

As we fill up on the Word of God, we are strength training and sharpening our sword for close combat when the enemy strikes.

This post is a continuation of the post titled Close Combat Battle.

What do we do when we’ve been battling and battling and we are getting weary?

What do we do when we are holding tight to Jesus, and still the mountain stands?

How do we continue to stand and battle with full strength when the enemy has you losing hope that you will see the tide turn, the mountain be cast down, or the fog finally lift.

How do we stand firm when the enemy has you wondering when the dawn will breakthrough the utter darkness.

What do you do when you are holding fast to the Lord as your anchor, but you so desperately just need to see that the shoreline is at least close by!

When you’ve been clinging to Jesus for dear life and you just feel like you need to know the breakthrough is close by. Take heart, the shore is near!

I am reading a new book that I received as a Christmas present.

I am in the very beginning of the book, but the author shares a short story that I think is a good read for any follower of Jesus Christ.

Here is an excerpt right from the book:

“In 1952, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, determined to swim to the shore of the mainland of California. She’d already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. The weather was foggy and chilly; she could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still, she swam for 15 hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her she was close and that she could make it. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out. It wasn’t until she was on the boat that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day she said, “All I could see was the fog…. I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

You see she was so close. Sooo close, and if she would have only known how close, her resolve could have fueled that last 1/2 mile.

Friends, as you battle, I think sometimes the enemy causes a fog to roll in that temporarily hides or shields how close we really are to the manifestation of God’s promises.

The enemy distracts us with worry, or he gets us to take our eyes off of God’s power and instead trust in people or ourselves, or sometimes the enemy just makes it hard to see any movement in our faith walk.

We may have been battling and battling, and the shore is right there yet in the confusion of the fog, we feel like we’ve barely taken any ground at all!

What if the whole time we’ve been praying and battling and praying and worshipping and battling, God has been moving us closer and closer to the miracle or breakthrough we so desperately need the whole time!

What if even though the landscape still looks exactly the same,

What if even though the fog has surrounded us in 360 degrees so that whichever way we turn we can’t see land,

What if even though we can’t see a thing has moved,

What if we are actually right there at the shoreline?!

And how do we keep going? How do we battle the enemy in the fog?

Same tactic, close combat of the Word of God, but paired with a mighty weapon to strengthen our blows to the dark: FAITH!

Oooooohhhh faith is the extra power that makes the Word go forth. It confuses and baffles the enemy. He hits us with things that hurt. Things that we can see and touch and feel. And we fight back with the Word of God defying every arrow of the enemy based on what we cannot see.

And as we hold fast to what we CANNOT see as if we already have obtained it in Christ Jesus, the enemy shakes his head in disbelief as our prayers come to pass in full manifest!

We defy all earthly logic again and again as we look past the trauma and heartache and instead right into the eyes of Christ. From this eye locked position, we can walk on water just like Peter.

Despite the fog,

Despite the storm,

Despite the mountain,

Despite the doctor’s report,

Despite the bad news,

Despite the fears,

Despite the struggle,

Despite the loss,

Despite the financial need,

Despite the deep valley,

Despite it all…..

Faith says, “Claim what is yours in Christ Jesus.”

Speak aloud the Promises and Words of the Lord and you will walk in victory.

Here are some Battle Cries to speak aloud while you battle in the fog!

As you speak these and read the accompanying scriptures, I trust that by the power of Jesus who delivers fully on every Word He has spoken, you will feel a new resolve and a new power rising up on the inside of you to give you what you need to keep going!

Declare!

I have a hope that continues even when I cannot see, and my hope in Christ ushers me behind the veil right into the Presence of God!

This means that your faith in Jesus Christ takes you behind the veil that used to separate man from the Presence of God and allows you to be in His Presence! That means that as you battle, you can turn to the Lord and call on Him for strengthening, filling, healing, refueling, wisdom, and anything else you need to keep fighting. He is right there equipping you FULLY for this spiritual battle.

And another Battle Cry!

Declare!

As I keep hoping and waiting on God, I am reminded today that I will NOT be disappointed in the long run. My steadfast faith will unlock doors that have been previously shut and my God will come through.

Another Battle Cry:

Declare!

I have the power inside of me, given to me by Jesus Christ Himself to speak to the mountains in my life and expect them to move. If they don’t move at first, I will keep speaking the truth of God to the things I see until they are cast down. I will NOT lose faith when the mountain doesn’t move. I will not place my faith in the mountain that I can see, but instead I will hold fast to the very Words of Christ spoken until I SEE this mountain get cast into the sea.

And another Battle Cry:

Declare!

I will resist the enemy again and again by holding steady to my faith. I will seek the face of Jesus so that I can be found pure and authentic by Him and He promises that He will establish, strengthen, and settle me with His sweet Presence. I will battle fully and with steadfast confidence in my God even when I cannot see.

And a final declaration/battle cry for you to speak right to your own soul….

Declare!

As I battle, my soul will not find rest or security in other things. My soul will wait and trust in God alone. My expectation of breakthrough is in HIM Alone!

Friends, this is serious war. It is not gentle combat. When you speak the truth of God’s Word, darkness cannot stay! You will gain victory over the strongholds that have previously held you captive. You will break through chains. You will make darkness tremble and flee. Because its God’s Word you are speaking and His Word has the power to strike the enemy powerless. Jesus proved it in the wilderness. Let us follow His example.

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are gooooooooood. So good. So marvelous. So full of power and might! Thank you for equipping us with the full armor of God so that we can resist the enemy and gain victory. Lord, put scriptures on the lips of those who need a fresh victory today. In Jesus’s name, Amen..

Blessings and Victory to you!

Vanessa Lynn