Pick Your Hard — Winning the War in Your Mind

Your biggest adversary isn't your ex. It isn't your boss. It isn't the person who wronged you. Your biggest adversary lives right between your own ears.

That voice that tells you you're a failure? That voice that says you'll never change? That voice that reminds you every single day of what you've done? That's the enemy's playground — and he's been playing in your head rent-free for way too long.

In 1 Samuel 1, we read about Hannah and her adversary Peninnah. The Bible literally uses the word "adversary" — the same word used for the devil. Peninnah provoked Hannah year after year about her barrenness. But here's the key: Hannah never argued with Peninnah. She never fought back with words. She just kept praying.

That's the lesson most of us miss. We spend all our energy arguing with our flesh when we should be spending it in God's presence. Every minute you waste wrestling with negative thoughts at midnight — while the person you're mad at sleeps peacefully — is a minute you could have spent in prayer.

So here's the concept: pick your hard. It's hard sitting there listening to those lies. It's hard replaying every failure. It's hard believing you'll never be enough. But it's also hard fighting back with the Word of God. It's hard getting on your knees when you'd rather scroll your phone. It's hard choosing worship when you want to wallow.

Either way, life is hard. So pick your hard. One leads to defeat. The other leads to victory.

I had an old friend track me down recently — Jeff Lewis, hadn't seen him since we were kids. He told me something that stopped me cold. He said, "Kevin, we knew nobody could beat you, so somebody was going to have to shoot you." His family once left their own house because I was there in a rage.

That man — the violent, cocaine-fueled, rage-filled man everyone was afraid of — died in the cab of a pickup truck the day I got saved. My life flashed before my eyes. Not because I was dying physically, but because the old Kevin Alexander was dying spiritually. Everything I'd done to people, every person I'd hurt — God showed me all of it. And then He killed that man and made a new one.

If God can change the man Jeff Lewis had to run from into a pastor who preaches the gospel, then these thoughts in your head don't stand a chance. We don't serve some weak God who wrings His hands saying "I wish I could help." We serve the resurrected King with power over death, hell, and the grave.

So stop letting those thoughts live in your mind for free. Make them pay. Every time the enemy whispers a lie, hit him with scripture. Every time he reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. These thoughts are not going to live in your mind for free.

Hannah kept praying. She caught the eye of the priest Eli. He spoke a word of blessing. And her countenance was no more sad. When you receive a word from God, the enemy's voice loses all its power. But you have to keep praying long enough to get there.

Don't grow weary. The more you fight, the closer you are to victory.

*Watch the full sermon: https://youtu.be/2HVjExMLysU*
*U-Turn World Ministries — Chico, TX | Thursdays 7 PM | Sundays 10:30 AM*