Personal victories as memorial stones
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14
More than once I’ve arrived at a point in my life in which everything seemed to be falling apart or spinning out of control. More than a few times I have felt the dull leaden mantle of oppression or defeat clamp down on me like a coffin. And many of those times, I was absolutely on my own or surrounded by those who knew little and cared less about spiritual warfare—or me.
Joyce Meyer has said that at times such as those, you and I have a choice to make—to get bitter or get better. There is no in-between.
Even if you are surrounded by a loving family or friends who care as deeply about you as they do their own kin, when it comes to your own attitudinal choices, as President Harry S Truman said, “The buck stops here”—with you. There’s no getting around it. Whether you grab onto victory or not doesn’t depend upon your pastor, your spouse (or lack thereof), or whoever else you may know. Your victory hinges upon two relationships only—the one you have with the Lord Jesus Christ, and the one you have with yourself.
I had never heard of memorial stones, and I knew very little about encouraging myself in the Lord, so I stumbled upon this quite by accident. It happened sometime in my thirties when I had been under a prolonged assault against my joy. I was getting tired of fighting. Like one preacher said, I had rebuked the devil until my rebuker was sore, but I wasn’t ready to wave the white flag of surrender, either. In my exhaustion, I did something different—something just to get my mind off of the attack.
I started talking out loud to the Lord about how I got saved. I went into detail, telling it to Him as if He didn’t know the story. And then I told Him about my water baptism and how He filled me with the Holy Ghost. I told Him about the various people I’d witnessed to; I told Him some of my tales of miraculous deliverance; I told Him how He led me by His Spirit to find my first apartment, and how He had opened the door for me to my different jobs.
You probably know what happened next. Instead of merely diverting my attention away from the attack momentarily, the last thing I ever expected transpired. I felt strength and life from God pour into my heart, my mind, and my body. The lid blew off of that depression, and when it did, the entire mummifying encasement constricting me flew off with it. I was free!
Joshua commanded, “Let this be a sign among you” (Joshua 3:10a). I am challenging you today—especially if you are under some kind of attack—let your past victories and triumphs be a sign to you. Rehearse them—each and every one of them—aloud before God. Tell Him all about them in vivid detail, and believe me—His strength and life will ooze into you and build you up and overpower the forces of darkness that have been attempting to take you captive.
Your victories are just as significant for you as the twelve stones from the riverbed were for Israel. You just need to haul those personal memorial stones up and out of the river bottom of your memory and memorialize them by retelling them and marveling before God at His wonderful intervention for you.
I believe that as you practice rehearsing and gazing at your own personal triumphs, the effect on your attitude and life will be far more profound than the best anti-depressants money can buy.
Psalm 37:3b states, “…dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (NKJV). What better way to feed on His faithfulness than by recalling His amazing tales of faithfulness to you?
What are you waiting for? Go to that river and pull out your memorial stones!
Dorothy
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:21-22
© 2015 Dorothy Frick