This past weekend I went to get my nails done. I sat on the chair in front of the nail technician and held out my right hand to her. She took my hand, paused, looked at me and asked, “Is something wrong? Why are your hands shaking?” My reply was, “It’s my thyroid.”
You see, I suffer from a condition called hyperthyroidism, where my thyroid produces excessive amounts of the thyroid hormones, which results in the speeding up of some of my body’s processes. Tremors/shakiness is one of the symptoms that I experience as a result of this condition.
Year ago, at the onset of this condition, I was terrified by the symptoms. The heart palpitations, muscle weakness, nervousness, tremors, dizziness, fainting spells, and drastic weight loss were all so inexplicable to us. We spent lots of time, energy, emotions, and finances trying to figure out what was going on. It seemed as if I was on a pathway to death until we found a doctor who could provide us with answers. We now knew what the cause of the fight was and so could now draft a strategy to combat that adversary.
So as I witnessed my nail technician’s concern at the tremors, I was not alarmed or fearful of what I was seeing. I knew that nothing was wrong with my hand. The tremors were simply an indication of what was going on in the “unseen realm of my body”. The tremors and the other symptoms are my indicators of how successful my body is at this point in the fight for wholeness and health. They inform the next steps that should be taken in my progress towards wellness.
Similarly, we must always be mindful of the truth that what we see in our environment every day are indicators and results of what is going on in the unseen realm. Hebrews 11:3 teaches that what we see (the visible) was actually created from what we cannot see (the invisible).
Our current symptoms, the physical or mental features of our lives, are indicative of where we are, at this point in the fight for eternal salvation. Instead of becoming alarmed or fearful, we must investigate the cause or root, then allow the symptoms to inform our strategy for warfare. That is why Paul admonishes: Although we live in the world, we don’t fight our battles with human methods. (2 Corinthians 10:3 – CEB)
Join me over the next few weeks as we explore how to formulate effective strategies for warfare.
DIG DEEPER:
- Devotional – Be Sober, Be Vigilant!
- Bible Study – Our Adversary: Satan
- Prayer Room – A Cry for Discernment