Good morning dear friends,

I have a story to share today that is heavy on my heart this morning. I woke up early thinking about the words “Armor of God.” So I quickly opened up my bible app and searched for a devotional about the armor of God. Of course in Morgan fashion I have my radar up scanning all the words I read. Making sure they aren’t fearful or condemning. I always make sure they are gospel and Jesus focused. It’s important to be aware that not everyone understands the true gospel. The gospel of Jesus, freedom, relationship and right standing with God.

I am going to share the devotional I read with you (read it here) AND write my own right now! I think so many believers go through this same struggle daily and it needs to be talked about. I am going to call this struggle “brain battles.”

If you’re a believer than you know how God is always trying to help us renew our minds to His truth. Sometimes it takes a few times of going through the same bad habit to learn what he is trying to teach us or maybe you’ve been stuck in bondage for a long time. He wants us to break free from chains that hold us down and it’s always mental chains in our minds that are hindering us from living a life of true freedom. The battle is in the mind.

So yesterday was one of those days. Sunday. We usually don’t have much of a plan for Sundays. Through the week we have a schedule, we have meals prepped (this is life changing with three always hungry boys), and we have goals and rewards throughout the day set before us after we tackle school and our daily to-do list. There is structure and order (with a little grace because — KIDS). There is less time in the kitchen, more play and time with mommy. There is expectancy of work and play. Things to look forward to.

This Sunday in particular Cody wasn’t home with us either. He was at the airbnb remodel working. So I was alone, no routine and the kids were playing all day, making messes and in and out of the kitchen. My youngest was clingy, fussy and wanted to play with mommy all day. I know boo hoo me. It really wasn’t a bad day but it was a hay day of negativity in my mind. From the moment I woke up. I skipped my workout, I went on my phone, I didn’t get ready… This is a recipe for disaster let me tell you.

Thoughts said “If you would have just done what you planned to do you would of had a better day” “You already messed up your day” “You’re such a bad mom to be getting ready late when your kids need your attention right now” “You never have help, no one cares about you” “If everything was done perfectly your kids would be happier and happier with you” “You never have time to do what you want to do” “You’ll never get ahead, life will always be hard” “You’re not good enough and your work isn’t important”

Yes these thoughts come to my mind at times and if I believe one, more come and then its a spiral of thoughts. I have dug myself into a hole that is very hard to get out of. Then you’re in such a low state of emotion which produces negative attitudes and actions. Then you’re irritable and feel even worse about yourself because you’re speaking the negative thoughts out loud. “I can never do anything right” “My kids think I’m terrible” “I never have help”

It all starts with a thought.

My mom always taught me that our words have power. The bible talks about this and brain science now states that your body is listening to you. Your thoughts and words have the power to make your body sick or healthy. Your immune system can literally shut down and your nervous system can go into fight or flight like there is a major threat. The bible says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Not that we have to “work” to keep our salvation but we should wake up and prime our brains for the day (as Tony Robbins explains — a well known life coach). Dr. Amen, a brain doctor who has studied and scanned thousands of brains, says to wake up and say out loud “Today is going to be a great day!” and other brain enthusiasts say to blurt out “Unexpected blessings are coming my way today!” This is not a coincidence that brain experts and life coaches all say the same things. Think good thoughts and say them out loud. This is brain science!

Let’s see what God says about this:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:11, 14-17

Have you ever studied each word found in this scripture that you are told to put on? Truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Yesterday morning I let every negative thought fill my mind. Some days this doesn’t happen as much and other days they come at me all day long. By the middle of the day my peace is shot. I pretty much hold up my white flag and want to hide in my room. All the while in reality nothing is even that bad. The story in my mind has been painted like a picture and I am no longer a victor but a victim. THIS IS NOT THE LIFE GOD WANTS FOR YOU.

Whether it’s the devil putting thoughts into your mind or its your own brain, like Dr. Amen talks about in all of his books, you have to kill the ants — acronym ANTs means automatic negative thoughts! When one enters you’ve got to get rid of it with truth. If you don’t your brain will be infested with ants. Most of which are all not even true thoughts. At this point I end up having a mental break down… and where did I have this break down? In the pit.

Hypothetically and in real life.

We now live in a tiny home on a few acres next to my parents. The way we get rid of our trash is different than in the city. We share something called a burn pit. It’s a big hole in the ground where my step-dad mostly burns debris from fallen trees, branches or yard work on the property. Sometimes we burn cardboard from boxes too.

One day Cody decided to not think about it and throw a bunch of empty boxes plus a few garbage bags full of our every day trash (they were sitting in the boxes) into the burn pit. This is unusual for him to do I have to say. He’s very type A and orderly. Not knowing this would turn into a big problem.. One morning I was walking the property the to get my steps in, sunshine and fresh air… and I start to see random trash everywhere. As I got closer to the burn pit I saw more and more of our trash scattered all over the place.

This was not a little bit of garbage this was a lot. A mix of empty chicken and beef packages, cat poop bags, milk cartons, paper towels.. I then realized an animal got into our trash and had a party. So the boys and I went out and picked it all up and threw it back into the burn pit. Once we got it all done I thought, “Is this even supposed to be in the pit?”

We usually dispose of our every day trash a different way. So I spoke with my step-dad and he said, “no it can’t go in the burn pit. The pesky ravens (big annoying birds) will find anything that smells like food and they will make a huge mess of it.” The main garbage we dispose of is not supposed to go in the burn pit because animals will find it.

So just imagine this huge deep pit with garbage everywhere AND soaking wet. The next day the stinking birds flung everything all over the place AGAIN. Clear out in the trees and all over our property. I was not happy. I decided Sunday (yesterday) I would take one for the team. Since Cody was working extra hours and I would clean up the mess. Not only on our property but in the burn pit. It needed to be done asap. If we didn’t get the trash out of the pit the birds would keep coming back and dragging it out everywhere.

Not only was this day all out of sorts, I was out of sorts. It was raining off and on and cloudy which doesn’t happen a lot where we live now. Straight gloom, wet garbage and cat poop everywhere. In the garbage bags we had little bags of cat poop from our precious new kittens. The ravens had scattered them all over, ripped them open and left poo EVERYWHERE.

So here I am. Morgan. In a pit.

Standing in garbage and poop. With crappy thoughts about myself.

I started sobbing.

Tears just flowed from my eyes to the point where I couldn’t even see.

This felt like the lowest of lows!

I literally run around the house daily picking up this exact trash and throwing it in the garbage.. I clean the litter box daily (which isn’t fun)… and now I am cleaning up the same mess again. Might I add I cleaned it up two times after the ravens made a mess of it.

Moral of the story:

This morning God showed me something. It had to take me, in a pit, picking up crap to see this and FINALLY learn it.

YOU DO NOT BELONG IN THE PIT.

The mental pit. The pit you keep allowing yourself to go in.

I had a moment when I was physically in it and thought “I don’t belong here.”

That’s just it! God made you apart of his family. You’ve been adopted. You don’t belong in that pit anymore. You are royalty. Victorious. God’s beloved child. A child of the KING.

WOW. I’m still in awe over this lesson.

God has given us the tools to fight the bad thoughts that try to torment us and keep us in bondage. Keep us afraid. Keep us feeling defeated. That is not the life he has planned for you! You can be a believer and still live defeated. IF you let your mind be passive. It’s your job as a believer to stand firm in Christ to win the war on your mind. You ARE firm in Christ (this will never change as a believer) and you are VICTORIOUS (that won’t change either because of Jesus’ work on the cross) but your mind has to take action and choose to BELIEVE these truths. Truth will remove the lies. Think of it as an antidote.

So let’s go over these important words:

TRUTH

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..”

I did the research and the belt held everything together for a Roman soldier. Truth stabilizes and anchors us. Truth guards us from deception. Lies about who God is, who we are, and what matters. When truth is compromised, confusion, fear and anxiety follow.

John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

RIGHTEOUSNESS

“with the breastplate of righteousness in place..”

The breastplate protected vital organs, especially the heart. Righteousness means right standing with God through Christ. We must not live through shame or striving.

The enemy will attack with condemnation, guilt and accusations. He is referred to as the “accuser of the brethren” in the bible (Revelation 12:10).

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart..”

Isaiah 61:10 “He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”

You are the righteousness of God. A holy saint. Hallelujah!

GOSPEL OF PEACE

“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

Roman soldiers wore sturdy shoes for long marches and battles. Spiritually the gospel gives us steadiness and direction. Peace is not the absence of trouble but confidence in Christ no matter how rough the terrain is. When we know where we stand, we don’t panic when life shakes us. Peace keeps us from reacting in fear.

Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news..”

Romans 5:1 “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God.”

Peace makes us steady parents, calm leaders and grounded in chaotic seasons and situations.

SHEILD OF FAITH

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Roman shields were very large. Faith is active trust in God.

The “flaming arrows” are lies, fear, doubt, temptation and accusations. Faith blocks these.

Proverbs 30:5 “He is a shield to those who take refuge in him”

1 Peter 5:9 “Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

Faith isn’t pretending things are fine. It’s choosing to trust God when they aren’t!

HELMET OF SALVATION

“Take the helmet of salvation..”

The helmet protects the mind. Salvation is renewed identity and hope. This guards our thoughts from dispair, fear and hopelessness. If our minds are unprotected we become vulnerable.

Romans 12:2 “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast..”

Knowing your identity in Christ keeps your thoughts anchored in truth instead of anxiety.

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

This is our weapon! The word of God is alive, active and powerful. Jesus himself used Scripture to resist temptation. You must speak his work out loud.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active”

Matthew 4:4 “It is written..”

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A FINAL ENCOUREGEMENT

As I am writing this the sun is shining this morning and I see the ravens hopping around making their terrible squawking noises they make. I know from now on though whenever I see them I will be reminded of this important lesson I needed to learn. Ravens are like the ants Dr. Amen talks about that invade our minds and make messes. If you let them they will wreak havoc and you will end up in the pit. You don’t belong there.

Stay rooted in Christ! Truth shapes us, righteousness guards us, peace steadies us, faith protects us, salvation renews our minds, God’s word equips us. We don’t put on the armor to hide, we put it on to stand firm and live boldly.

Stand in victory, your identity in Christ, and you will live a victorious life!