Despite what all these feel good self-help gurus say, you need to go to war with yourself. I said it, I know in this day and age it is an unpopular idea, but you need to go to war with yourself. And by that I don’t mean abuse yourself, but I mean it in a more positive way, and I’ll explain.
You Are Not Perfect…
I know we, especially us women, have been told we are perfect. We are perfect the way we are. Everyone told us we were goddesses and we don’t have to change. And if someone, say a man, doesn’t see us perfect they aren’t worth it. Never change for a man or anyone.
I was told these things growing up from my mom, my teachers, you saw it in media and social media. This is a fundamental belief that women and men live by. That the way we are is perfect and everyone should accept us as we are and if they don’t they hate us and are terrible people.
This concept of us being perfect the way we are… is a lie.
You Are Not Perfect The Way You Are
You are not perfect… nobody is. The only perfect person that ever lived was Jesus, and none of us have been able to live to that standard though we are supposed to try. My point is everybody is flawed. We all have things about us that we do not like and that others do not like about us. It is part of being human. And that imperfection is okay. However, for some reason, we don’t want to try to better ourselves. Rather, most of us have become stagnant. And whether or not it is because we are too afraid to change, or misguided, or lost, people now demand that you accept their failure to grow.
Why You Need To Go To War With Yourself
The people who fail to grow and are rotting inside and out tend to make excuses. My parents weren’t supportive enough, I don’t have friends, it is society, patriarchy, sexuality, race, whatever-phobia, bigotry, school, work, economy, boomers…etc… it is everyone’s fault they are failing at life, but themselves.
I know I sound harsh, but we need to come to terms with some things. Life is hard and life is unfair. We live in a broken world that is getting worse and worse and until Christ returns the world is gonna be a hot mess.
Life will never be fair. People will never be perfect and you cannot live a lie. “Your truth” is a lie. There is one truth. The only thing we can do is try to be better than we were yesterday and try to be a light in this world.
And this is why you need to go to war with yourself. If everyone stops bettering themselves and trying then you have a decaying society filled with nihilists and hedonists addicted to every cheap thrill because they have no reason to really live.
They need something to make themselves feel special and accepted. And these groups that embrace the slow rotting death of people with love bombing and lies usually are lost themselves or have another agenda. And those who have some idea of who they are live to work, buy, consume and repeat. We’re weak and complacent!
You need to go to war with yourself so you can find a reason to live again and rise up out of these pits that many of us have fallen into.
You Need To Go To War With Yourself And Crucify Your Flesh
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Galatians 5:24
We have to crucify our flesh. That does not mean a horrific death on a cross, but to fight against the fleshly desires. Hypersexuality that we deal with today, lies, the occult, idols, laziness, sugar, gluttony…all of these things, plus many more, are things we have to fight against.
Most of the things we love and that makes us feel good in this world are not good for us. We have to fight against it. Our bodies are temples.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Most of us trash our temples (bodies) without second thought. We eat sugar, refined carbs, overindulged in alcohol, do drugs, engage in sexual immorality with others or by our self, don’t work out, don’t read the Bible, don’t focus on God… we lose our way and are suffering.
How many people nowadays in the west are overweight, sick, and suffering? 69% of Americans are overweight and about 60% of adults in America have chronic illness. Did you know diet also plays a big part in our immune system and gut flora which plays a big part in our mental health? More than 50% of Americans struggle with their mental health.
Did you know reading the Bible multiple times a week plays a part in your health and struggles too? Reading the Bible 4 times a week lowers the odds for struggles with:
- Alcohol
- Adultry
- Porn
- Gambling
We need to start doing things we don’t feel like doing to help better ourselves spiritually, physically, and mentally. And this is coming from someone who struggles with a lot of things myself.
Why Should You Go To War With Yourself If The World Is A Mess?
If you go to war with yourself, struggle, thrive, have goals, you will be happier. I know it sounds crazy because most of us strive to create the best and most comfortable life as possible. But, and I know I have said this before, but bad times create strong men, strong men make good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create bad times.
We are living in good times. I feel like we are on the latter side of good times quickly hurdling towards bad times. We are weak men. Weak men are not happy, strong, and striving. Why do you think they create bad times?
If you want good times you have to be strong. And that means we have to strive to be our best spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
You need to pray and read your Bible so you can teach others about God and be used by God. This will help us thrive spiritually, emotionally and mentally.
You need to workout and eat right. This will help you physically, emotionally, and mentally. And what happens when you have your life right?
You succeed. You are happier, joyful, and can help others and be a light for those who are struggling. There will be people that try to make you fail and treat you badly for pulling yourself out of the hole they don’t want to get out of themselves. But we pray for those people that they see God and then we offer them our help and if they don’t accept our help we move on to those who want it.
It is the strong people who rebuild the good times and are the ones who survive the bad times. They are the fighters. I don’t necessarily mean like soldiers, though strong people are soldiers too. But they are the spiritual leaders who pull families together and communities together and make a positive difference.
Going To War With Yourself On A Smaller Scale
I know it can seem overwhelming looking at it from that magnitude, but going to war with yourself can make a difference in your personal life. You’ll see God move in your life if you’re focusing on Him. You’ll feel better if you eat right and move. Your relationships will change. People who enabled you before will either support or drag you down so you know who to keep in your life. And believe it or not, what you do will inspire your spouse and children and those around you.
When I’m working hard on myself suddenly my family follows. Be an example. And the best part is, this will change their lives. We cannot accept mediocrity in our lives. I don’t mean that as in we are all going to be superheroes. But mediocrity looks different in all our lives and we need to step out of it to be the best we can be.
God didn’t make us to die in this world, to be jaded, beaten down, and like this world. We were meant to do His will, to live, move, teach, and fight against this world. Stagnation, nihilism and hedonism leads to death.
One of my favorite sayings, and it is super macabre, is “Died at 25 and buried at 75.” That puts things into perspective doesn’t it? Most of us stop living and then we are told that it is okay. To numb the pain we consume all the evil the world has to hold.
Living, really living, feels so good. You don’t have to jump out of airplanes and be an adrenaline junkie, but fighting against the world, your flesh, and focusing on God and goodness is a huge battle. It’s a tough battle, but it gives you something to fight for. God should be your first reason, then you and your family, friends, community.
How Do You Go To War With Yourself?
I guess that’s the big question. But it’s hard to explain because we all struggle with different things. But I think there are some universal things we can do to better ourselves in general:
- Read the Bible everyday
- Pray everyday
- Worship God
- Get dressed everyday
- Workout
- Eat healthy
- Read and learn
- Debate
- Explore
- Donate your time
- Don’t watch porn and let go of sexual sin
- Fast
- Make time so you can spend time with your family and friends
- Go outside
- Learn to spend less money
- Spend less time on your phone and computer
- Learn life skills
- Speak out and proud about your opinions
- Show mercy
- Be kind
- Love people regardless of their beliefs (Loving doesn’t mean you agree with them or have to accept their lifestyle, but still show them kindness as Jesus did)
- Be more selfless
- Learn self-defense
Those are just a few things we can do to start bettering ourselves. What do you struggle with and how do you think you can go about fixing those things. I would say first and foremost pray and ask God to show you the hidden things in your heart and life that you need to change and ask Him to lead you. But I believe in you, and know that we can make the world a better place, one change at a time.
More Ways To Better Yourself and Help Your Relationships Grow From Homemaking For God
- What Submission Means and The Misconceptions of Being Submissive
- How Men and Women Are Different and Why It Is A Good Thing
- 7 Things To Do When You’re Feeling Emotionally Worn Out
- Beware Of The Sickness Creeping Into Our Marriages
- Easy Conversation Is Important To Keep A Relationship Alive
- Why It Is Important To Make Time For Friends
- Reasons You Should Get Up And Get Dressed Everyday
- Learn Your Love Language And The Love Language Of Your Spouse
Do you need to go to war with yourself? What are some things you struggle with and how did you fix those struggles?
