"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

Our world is full of fear and anxiety these days, and if we are to be the light of the world, they must see in us that we are beyond such things because of our relationship with God.

One of the things you can do to overcome the chattering of the devil in your ear when he's trying to bring you down is to remember that every day you hold out against him is another day of victory for you and another defeat for him. Keep a record of it. Fighter pilots used to put stickers on their planes for every enemy shot down. Gunfighters put notches on their guns. Start some form of tally marks to keep track of your victorious days.

This can work for anyone. If a person has cancer, these marks can be for the number of days they've fought it off and refused to submit. Those recovering from addiction can use it to keep track of the number of times they were tempted and did not yield. It doesn't matter how many times a person is tempted or if they wavered. It only matters that they didn't give in. If you stumble, don't throw away the previous tally; hang on to it with an eye toward beating your last record and then beating the devil over the head with it.

In a world beset by virus fears, there is a lot of general stress. "I have to stay distant." "I have to wear this stupid mask." "I don't get to see my friends." "The world is falling apart." Etc. Keeping score of the times you have failed to give in to depression, fear, or anxiety can leave you with pages and pages of evidence that you are the conqueror God made you to be.

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." - Romans 8:37

By the power of God Almighty, we shall resist the troubles the devil throws at us, and afterwards, we'll not only be still standing, but standing firm.

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." - Ephesians 6:11-13

The devil is afraid of you. He fears what you may become. It is time Christians became the warriors the devil dreads. Wake up each morning and ask God to help you do something great today to frustrate the devil and advance the cause of Heaven. Make the devil terrified when you get out of bed for he shall know another defeat is coming - for you are alive and ready to bring it down upon him!

There is a warrior who exists outside of the frame of time, allowing him to move around and do things, entering in either the past, the future, or back where he started without anyone the wiser. Another of his powers is that he commands all molecular bonds, allowing him to assemble, disassemble, or reshape anything simply by focusing his mind on the object in question. Combined with his powers of time, he could remake the world, vanish an army, lay waste to great fortresses, or make and deploy an army of his own in the span of a single second. How could anyone or anything defeat such a warrior?

In case you haven't guessed, the warrior is God. When you have someone like Him fighting for you, is there anything to be afraid of? It's probably a lot like Peter when he walked on the water. It's easy to get distracted by the waves you can see and hear. Peter remembered who commanded the waves and called to Jesus to save him rather than asking the guys in the boat to throw him a lifeline.

The winds of this world are kicking up, but like Peter, we know who commands the wind and waves. It may be an exciting time, but the fear is only in your mind, not your spirit. "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 The devil wants you to fear so you won't go forth boldly and do great things for the Lord. Don't let that fiend interfere with your destiny.

Fear is something I've had to deal with. God's been working on me about it. One time, I was driving the car to the shop because of something not working right, and the devil was chattering in my ear saying how the car was going to be broken, and how it was going to cost hundreds of dollars (which I didn't have) to repair. God helped me overcome by dropping the thought in my head that the car, my bank account, and everything else in my possession was from Him. If the car was broken, God would provide the way for it to be fixed if He wanted it fixed because it's His car and His responsibility, not mine.  I'm only the caretaker.  The car turned out fine and didn't even need a repair, so it cost nothing. The devil will try to scare you to death, even with things that won't happen.

Trust God and to Hell with the devil!

In the time around my Dad's funeral, I was feeling a lot of pressure. There were back bills beyond my ability to pay, funeral costs more than everything I had, I was moving back in with my mom and trying to consolidate my stuff back into a house that was already full, and everyone was looking to me to take care of things. I was stressed out of my mind, but God got me through it, provided for everything, and showed me His merciful hand.

God is the unstoppable warrior fighting for us, giving us the ability to face what is beyond our ability to face, and even more - to vanquish it. God does not send His servants to fail.

As God said in Joshua 1:6-9 -

6"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

7"Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

8"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

9"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."