“Sometimes the hardest battle only exists within yourself, our mind fighting against the demons of thought within our own head.” – Brandon Garic Notch

“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.” – Unknown

“People relate to fighters so much because fighting reflects life.” – Mike Tyson

Each of us has a very private part of our lives – a place in our heart and in our mind where no one else has access. 

When you think about it, this inner place can be a sanctuary – a quiet place to mull things over where no one can challenge your opinions or thought process about a matter.   It can be a place to escape – where you can meditate on all the positive things happening around you and within your life – shutting out all the negative external voices of the human world.  It’s a place where you store up all your personal dreams and desires that others might think are way too ambitious or quite unrealistic for you to attain.

But this very sacred, inner place can become dark – filled with things we are grateful others can’t see or hear.   It can become a prison – a lonely place where we feel as if we are one type of person to the outside world and a whole different one on the inside.

“What would people think about me if they could see my thoughts?”

“I feel so sad and alone all the time.  If people knew I felt this way, they would think I’m crazy and not want to be a part of my life.”

“This depression and sadness is overwhelming, but I’m too afraid to tell anyone that I’ve thought about ending my life.”

“If I told people the real hopes and dreams I have for my life, they would just laugh at me and think I’m foolish.”

“I wish I felt better about myself – my looks and my weight.  It’s so hard to put on a façade of self-confidence when I don’t really like how I look.”

“I know what I did was terribly wrong and that it hurt many people, but I can’t let others think I feel guilty about it.  I have to look strong and make them think what I did was right.”

“I’ve been lying to myself and others for years…if they only knew who I really was deep inside…what I think about…my true feelings….they would all hate and reject me.”

“I don’t know how I am ever going to break this addiction.  If others knew how weak I really am…how often I have succumb to this…they would cast me out of their life forever!”

These are just a few examples, but the list could go on and on. 

It’s hard to fight these kinds of secret, inner battles – a fact the devil knows all too well!

He wants to invade that part of us and fill it with loneliness, rejection, guilt, and remorse.  He wants that inner, private part of who we are to become something we are ashamed of something we need to hide – a weight we carry around with us.  In essence, he wants to fight and capture that space in order to turn our own thoughts against us.  He wants you to become one of your own worst enemies!

I fight battles like this every day and I know you do too.  We all do in some form or fashion.  What can we do to help us win these battles?  How can we keep that special, private part of who we are a sanctuary and not turn it into a prison?

Remind Yourself Daily that You are Not Alone in Your Battle

Part of what makes these secret battles so intense is they are fought within our own minds and hearts – a place only we can see and experience.  Because of this, they easily take on the persona of being something unique and individual to us alone.

But this is not the truth:

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trials you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you….”  – 1 Peter 4:12 NIV

“But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience…” – 1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT

We have all been tempted with awful, shameful thoughts.  Each one of us has felt embarrassed and self-conscious.  All of us have felt guilty, sad, lonely, and different from others.

Just because you are fighting your battle in secret doesn’t mean it is exclusive to you alone.  Just coming to this truthful realization will help you!  Satan wants us to believe we are the only one who thinks and feels like this, the only one who lacks self-confidence, the only one who carries such tremendous guilt, and the only one who has battles within their own mind.

When you realize you are not alone in these battles, it takes some of the sting away, diminishes some of the shame, and gives you comfort in knowing you are not alone in your fight.

Remind Yourself Daily that God knows You Intimately and Loves You Eternally

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me….You know my every thought when far away.  You know what I am going to say even before I say it Lord!  You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body.  You watched as I was being formed in utter seclusion.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book…every moment was laid out before a single day had passed!  How precious are your thought about me, O God!  And when I wake in the morning, you are still with me!”  – Psalm 139:1, 2, 4, 13, and 15-17 NLT

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

“If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness…” – Psalm 130:3 NIV

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5 NIV

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV

Our inner struggles and battles are not hidden from God.  He knows everything about us – what has brought us to these internal battles in the first place, and most importantly; He loves us all the more because of them!

What may feel like a secret battle isn’t so secret to God, in fact; He is right there next to us helping us fight them!  When we feel shameful and alone in our thinking, it helps to remember God is there with us in the midst of our thoughts – understanding our human nature.  As the Psalmist writes above, He is our Creator and knows us intimately.

When we feel guilty, He is there to forgive us.  When we feel a lack of self-confidence, we can rest in His strength and power.  He knows what rejection, hurt, and pain feel like, so realize when these feelings surface, God understands them deeply – especially when it comes to how they affect you personally.

Many people shutter at the thought that God is privy to their secret struggles, but this thought should provide comfort and assurance to us.  Without God’s presence, we cannot change on our own.  We NEED God to be involved and when we concentrate on His presence within our secret battles, we feel His strength, grace, and supernatural power to “pull down strongholds”.  On our own, we don’t have the power to “take every thought captive”.  Only with God’s help can we overcome our secret battles!

 Father,

Thank you for never leaving us or forsaking us!  Help us to feel your presence as we fight our secret battles – knowing that without you, we cannot defeat them.  When we feel isolated in our struggles, remind us that we all face a common enemy – that our battles are not unique to us alone.  Keep us close to you…so that through your power and glory…we can take each thought captive…conquering the secret battles we face.

Amen