Perhaps you are like me and you seem to fight the same battles over and over. Maybe they are relationship battles you visit regularly. Or maybe it's recurring parenting battles. Maybe you've been hurt and wounded and you continually fight to find a place of healing. Or maybe you struggle against the weight of fear, anxiety, or some other stronghold. God promised us that following Him would NOT free us from battles. In fact, Christ said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," John 16:33. As those striving to obey the Lord, we know we have an enemy and an accuser. And, boy does he work overtime to throw us off the narrow road.

I don't know why I am therefore surprised when I come back to revisit old battlegrounds. Sometimes, I feel as though just when I relax and get my guard down--BOOM. For some reason, this last week, I keep thinking of those lyrics, "I get knocked down, but I get up again...." Ugh. Here we go again. Same old song, next verse. And, my emotional reaction seems to escalate when that old wound gets picked at AGAIN. Discouraged, defeated, frustrated. Can you relate?

This time, I think I set myself up. In book club a week ago Tuesday, I shared a passage about spiritual warfare. Then, my blog post last Thursday was haunting me by dinner time. And, I had to unwind the situation with my own words. What is true here? And what is TRUTH? As I wrestled against this same old thing, I sat down at my bathroom vanity, and there was that weathered index card. I hung onto that verse during the last round of this battle. A million times I've thought I should switch up the card on my magnet board. But, it held such meaning. And, as I looked at it again to really see it, I knew that God was giving me that lifeline--once again.