Have you ever noticed how fleeting a good mood can be? You wake up with a smile on your face, you only had to microwave your coffee once, and no one spilled juice on the floor during breakfast. You're in a great mood! Then...bam! It's gone. Someone calls and gives you bad news. One of your kids smacks you in the face with a toy "by accident". There goes that juice in the floor. Whatever happens to kill that wonderful mood you started out with happens quickly and is such a bummer.
My mood killer today was insecurity. I work with family, and it's easy to take things to heart when you work closely with those you love. Instead of taking criticism or instructions like a big girl, I have a tendency to assume the person giving them isn't treating me as they should. As a result, I go from "best day ever" to "no one loves me and everything is terrible" in 3.7 seconds.
Now, I'm not one to blame Satan for everything. Yes, he loves to wreak havoc, but he is not the sole reason for every bad thing that happens to us. Today, however, I am calling him out. Not only did I wake up in a good mood this morning. I woke up feeling the Spirit. I was ready to go out into the world like I had just had breakfast with Jesus. I was ready to be a light for others around me. He knew this, and was determined to throw as many of his flaming arrows at me as possible. After multiple phone calls, employees with bad attitudes, and a headache that just won't quit, he broke through. The good mood was gone, and I felt so defeated.
In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he warns us who the enemy really is and how he tries to wriggle his way out of the dark into the light. Our struggle, my struggle, is not against flesh and blood. It is not against employees or family members. No, my struggle is against the devil and everything he uses to bring me down. Thankfully, I believe in a God that saves me over and over again on a daily basis. He equips us with the armor we need to deflect the enemy. All we need to do is remember to put it on.
As my demeanor continued to deflate, I stopped to pick up what God gave me -- the helmet of salvation and the shield of faith. In her study Armor of God, Priscilla Shirer points out that "our head can be stuck on an idea or a pattern of thinking that is detrimental to us, or rationalizing specific behaviors. Our head can be stuck and we just can't seem to get it free." This was me this morning with my "woe is me" attitude. My mind controls every action I make - both physical and emotional. Therefore, I should guard my mind with the helmet of salvation and walk in the freedom my salvation gives me. My attitude and outward actions should be a direct reflection of Christ and the victory I have in Him. No wonder Satan was trying to drag me down! What better way to lead me astray than to take my mind off of Christ and everything He's done for me than to infiltrate my mind with an idea that just won't quit.
He is cunning, but we can outsmart him and out gun him. Paul tells us to "take up" our shield of faith. When we put our faith into action, we can deflect and extinguish Satan's fiery arrows before they're able to penetrate or even get close to our minds and hearts. Faith in Christ is knowing that He is the Truth and the Way. Actively living in this faith, or rather willingly following God's word, allows us to defeat the scheming enemy. When we're living in faith, we're walking in the light. When we're walking in light, we're leading fruitful and righteous lives out of reach of Satan's weapons.
So, I'm done with dodging darts and arrows today. I've got a God that equips me for battle and takes all of my worries and grievances, no matter how trivial. After thanking God for this armor and equipping myself through prayer and gratitude, the good mood is re-established. All the droopiness has been lifted, and the smile I woke up with is back. It also helped that the girl in the McDonald's drive-thru made my iced coffee perfectly. Don't even try to tell me He wasn't listening because getting an iced coffee that doesn't taste like pure sugar from McDonald's is definitely a miracle. :)
