GET
BACK
UP
"Encourage
yourself in
the Lord,
take back
what belongs
to you, and
recover
all!"
1 4 : B V O V
In April of 2021, my mom unexpectedly
went home to be with the Lord. For 38 years,
she was one of my best friends and my
greatest encourager. She taught me to never
quit and to seek first the Kingdom with all
my heart. She spent countless hours with me
at the piano, nurturing the call of God on my
life, and wouldn't let me settle for anything
less than God's best.
For years prior, the Lord had taught me
the importance of guarding the heart, so
when this happened, I knew I had to do just
that. As I was driving to the hospital on my
last day with her, I felt an intense pressure
surrounding my heart, deep in the center of
my chest. I knew I wasn't experiencing some
kind of stress-induced anxiety. Because, at
the same time, I sensed supernatural peace
and joy, which I now know was the comfort
of the Holy Spirit. I asked the Lord about this
pressure, and He answered me in His still,
small voice: Sarah, you are guarding your
heart.
I had purposed to put a guard up, and
the Greater One living on the inside of me
was helping push back grief and sorrow,
keeping them from entering in. Now, I am
Whether you like it or not, at some point
in the arena of life, you will stand face to
face with your enemy. He doesn't come at
you with swords, spears, knives or guns, but
with unseen weapons like discouragement,
disappointment and grief.
The good news is that God has given us
mighty weapons of our own that will cause
us to overcome the adversary as we fight
the good fight of faith. I want to encourage
you that if any of these things have knocked
you down, you don't have to stay down. You
can get back up, rekindle the flame within
your heart, and go on in pursuit of the plan
of God for your life. Paul encourages us in
2 Corinthians 4:9 (Contemporary English
Version), "In times of trouble, God is with us,
and when we are knocked down, we get up
again."
