How To Get Your Warrior Back
Written on August 15, 2016 by Pat Sikora in Collide Blog
It had been an overwhelming week. I was facing stress at every level – personal, family, marriage, school, work, caregiving… I wasn’t sleeping well. I never do. So the fatigue was like a shroud covering my soul. I arrived at our small group meeting tense, and by prayer time was in tears. I wasn’t sure I could go on – or if I wanted to. I felt sorry for myself, for all the stuff coming at me, and for how it was affecting not only my life not, but also my future.
I was worried. I don’t sink often, but when I have in the past, it has lasted for a while. I didn’t want that to happen again. It took some effort, but within a few days I could say, “I’ve got my warrior back!” What happened?
Ask for Prayer
I forced myself to swallow my pride. I’m usually the strong one. But I knew I needed the support of my brothers and sisters, so shared how very awful I felt, what I failure I felt I was, and invited my small group to pray for me. One member followed up and encouraged me by email over the next couple of days. When we are willing to share our needs, the prayer of others becomes an effective intervention.
Spend Time with Big-Spirited People
The next day I had a meeting with several of the biggest spirited people I know. We didn’t even mention my issues. That wasn’t the focus of the meeting, but simply being with these men and women who pray big and believe big had a positive impact on my spirit. While our souls were busy with the agenda, I’m sure their spirits were ministering to mine.
Decide
Decide really is the most powerful word in the English language. After being with my big-spirited friends, I was able to DECIDE that I was done. No more depression. No more victim spirit. No more feeling sorry for myself. My God is bigger than that, and I wasn’t going to allow this behavior to continue to insult my God and ruin my life. Deuteronomy 30:19 is a command to choose life, which a decision. I changed my self-talk and my attitude, and my emotions followed.
Change Your Thinking From Victim To Victor
Closely related to deciding was changing my thinking from victim to victor. I implemented a mindset of determination and faith. I refused all temptation to feel sorry for myself. I began to proclaim the power of God. I changed my thinking to the Christus Victor aspect of salvation, which says that because of the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus has already won the victory over sin and death. Therefore, that victory is mine. Changing my thinking isn’t easy, but when I’m consistent, it doesn’t take long to be effective.
Active Praise
Praise always breaks depression. Isaiah 61:3 says the Lord will provide “a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness (KJV). I certainly had a heavy spirit. I found passionate worship music on YouTube and kept it playing all the time. I also took opportunities to actively worship, using my whole body. Singing out loud. Raising my hands. I’ve found that getting my body involved is very important in breaking off depression. The emotions follow the body.
So if you are struggling with feeling totally bowed over, decide it’s time to get your warrior back, and take these simple steps. You’ll be glad you did.