It may be difficult to see past the present moment. If this is a moment where your faith is strong, you feel like it will never end. If this moment is full of fear and doubt as you seek to reinforce your drug and alcohol abuse treatment, you may feel like you’ll never see the sun again.
The truth is no emotion is constant. New circumstances, temptations, challenges, and setbacks will continue to plague us. It’s part of humanity to suffer, just as it’s part of humanity to celebrate. Everything has its season.
When we feel weak, we may think our faith is failing, but that is when we need it the most. On a battlefield, when you feel outnumbered, that’s when it’s time to call in reinforcements. Who better to back you than God? It’s time to call upon the power of God to carry you forward.
In the middle of a trial, finding the right words to pray and scriptures to bolster our faith is sometimes hard. It helps to have them on hand when you need them. Here are some to add to your arsenal. Remember that what God says to one, He says to all. Every promise of strength, protection, and guidance given to others in the scriptures is also yours if you call upon Him regularly, especially in your times of need.
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God’s Promises of Protection
God promises protection to His followers throughout the scriptures. This is just a small sampling.
- After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (JST Gen 15:1)
- Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you. (JST Deut 3:22)
- But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; For the Lord thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. (JST Deut 4:29-31)
- And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (JST Deut 20:4)
- And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. (JST Deut 31:8)
- This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (JST Josh 1:8)
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in history is the battle of the Israelites against the Philistines. The army of Israel trembled in fear before the mighty Philistines. The Philistines challenged these soldiers to send their best fighter, and they would send Goliath, their mightiest warrior. None of the trained soldiers dared face this giant warrior unleashed by their enemies—at least until a boy named David stepped forward.
As a shepherd, he was no stranger to danger. Shepherds protected their flocks from wolves, lions, and thieves who would steal the sheep. They usually had a staff and a sling with stones. No doubt he’d practiced for hours because his life depended on it, but a sling against an army? A sling against a warrior in full armor with a sword and shield? The Philistines laughed as the boy approached without armor or impressive weaponry. Who was he to challenge them?
Goliath said:
- Am I a dog that you come to me with staves (a staff or wooden stick)…Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. (JST 1 Sam 17:43-44)
David said:
- Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.
Then David used his sling and killed Goliath with a single stone.
Conclusion
If God can deliver a nation with one faithful boy, imagine the miracles He can do for you in fighting your battles. He loves you every bit as much as He loved David. Your battles are different but no more difficult for the Lord.
Find a good Christian-based treatment center. Search the scriptures. Find heroes in the pages that will strengthen you when you feel weak. Memorize the promises so they are always with you no matter where you find yourself. When you feel your weakest, recite them, move to higher, safer ground, like a men’s or women’s support group or 12-step meeting. Let God do your fighting.