I
hate hiccups. Not figurative hiccups. Not hiccups like “unforeseen delays in
progress.” Nope. Hiccups. Now the good news is that I know how to prevent them.
Whenever I hiccup for the first time, I immediately stop whatever I am doing,
however inconvenient it may be, and calmly go and get a glass of water. I then
drink it and then breath slowly and deeply for a moment. That has worked to
prevent further hiccupping without fail. As a result, I have gone seven years
without ever getting the hiccups. That is, until a couple of days ago.
I
can’t remember exactly what I was doing. I think I was playing my guitar in my
room when I felt the first hiccup. I was in the middle of something and really
did not want to stop what I was doing just to deal with these hiccups. “It
probably won’t turn into a serious case of hiccups (if there is such a thing as
a serious case),” I thought. “I haven’t had hiccups in so long that surely I
don’t need to take any precautionary measures. Instead of following through with my plan to deal with
hiccups, I ignored the warning signs. An hour later I found myself hiccupping
every ten seconds. It was one of those really annoying cases where you can’t
even talk. I tried too late to use my normal plan. Nothing was really working
now. Eventually the case played itself out, but then they were back in about an
hour. My strategy was only having moderate amounts of success. I had just a few
more relapses; they got farther apart until they went away completely. But now
I know, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve had an attack: never let your
guard down.
In
our lives we all face battles. There is this little thing called sin that has a
nasty habit of popping up unexpectedly. We need to have strategies in place
when we are faced with temptation. What I feel like God showed me through my
not-so-serious battle with hiccups is this:
1.
At
the first sign of battle, don’t ignore it, stop and pray right then. It’s not
going to just go away by ignoring it. Surrender control of yourself to God,
because we all know that we have no power in ourselves alone. (1 John 4:4)
2.
Memorize
scripture. It’s our best weapon against the enemy and our flesh. It’ll do you
no good to wait till battle to try and memorize it. It’s like going to battle
with a gun and no bullets. Load your gun before the battle starts. (Psalm
119:9-11)
3.
Ask
for backup. No one is going to think less of you because you ask for help. If
that’s stopping you from seeking the backup you need, then you’re bowing to an
idol of man’s opinion. It’s also key to find the right person. God will always
provide you with someone you can trust to hold you accountable.
4.
Don’t
think the battle is won once you have a couple of victories. The battle will
never be over until Jesus returns to set up his kingdom.
“Once we are in the kingdom that is yet to come,
once the world has been restored to all it was meant to be, then we will be
able to live without interruption, without assault. Then we can drop our guard.
But not until then.”
-John Eldredge Walking
with God
5.
If
you loose a battle, watch out! The enemy will most certainly try to tackle you
with shame. Repent, renounce and cleanse. Remember 2 Corinthians 7:10. “For
godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret,
whereas worldly grief produces death.” Shame is focused on self. “I’m such an
awful person!” No you’re not. You’re under grace. Your heart has been made new
(Ezekiel 36:26). You are not your sin. Conviction from the Holy Spirit leads to
deeper relationship with God. Shame leads to self-loathing and no lasting
change. You shall know them by their fruit. (Matthew 7:16) If you don’t know if
it’s shame you’re feeling or the Holy Spirit’s conviction, ask yourself, is
this grief bringing me closer to God? Or am I more self-focused than before. If
it’s the latter, rebuke and resist the spirit of condemnation in the name of
Jesus Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
I leave you with these words from Peter because
they’re awesome and because I can’t think of a clever closing statement.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your
faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your
brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while,
the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will
himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1
Peter 5:8-10
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