Darlene Rose

Psalm 38:18 For I confess my iniquity;
I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

vs 19 But my enemies are vigorous and strong……

Wow.  Ever feel like that???   I am full of anxiety because of what I have done wrong, but my enemies are strong!??   Do they not have sin?  Have they also not done wrong?  Why should they be strong and me, the one who TRUSTS IN YOU GOD, be weak?

Back in 1999, I took a position in a call center that was a wee bit behind in technology.   While other customer service representatives with headsets on their heads were answering calls with a click on their computer screen,  we were still picking up the phone receiver off the phone and using handwritten call back notes, and then left our seat to pass a message along to dispatchers in the warehouse.

We were a fun company.  Strong.  A leader amongst our competitors.  At least that’s what we knew because we didn’t have a very good database of information.  No internet, only Microsoft Office.  No Access or Customer Information stored.   Yet we were strong.

I was not in a position to change the phone system, but I was in a position to have a better record keeping system for myself, which I did on an excel spreadsheet.  Every person that called in, I recorded their name, number, complaint or concern, time of call, whether they needed a follow up call, who they called for, etc etc.  It baffled me when the managers gathered around my desk to see what I was doing.

This sparked those in corporate office to install a new record keeping system.  (Yes I really was credited with helping to create a new, and efficient way to have a call center).

When we added software to our system, we learned we were in trouble.  And over the next few weeks and months, we learned we were in BIG trouble.  We were losing customers and we were losing revenue.  LOTS of revenue.

So what happened?  Did this really just happen or was our perception of our strength skewed because of our poor record keeping system?  We couldn’t see all along but it was a fun company therefore we were doing awesome!  Right?  But when we installed a better system of seeing our growth, profits and losses, it changed things.  We were in trouble all along but acted like we were strong when we weren’t because we couldn’t see clearly.   When light was shone, we saw the real deal and we worked hard for months to make all those necessary changes.  We humbled ourselves to our customers and were able to earn their trust again.

We became stronger when we realized our weakness, but while we appeared stronger in our own eyes, we had no idea that we were actually being taken down by a giant competitor.

We have been given authority to make all necessary changes to our lives so that we will reign over our enemies.  God gave that to us.  We have the authority but we don’t have the means without Him, our Better Software that shines light and helps us to see what we did not see before.   When we are weak HE is strong.

If your enemy is sickness, what is it feeding upon?

If your enemy is anxiety, what is it feeding upon?

Psalm 8:6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet.

vs 7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,

vs 8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

You have authority over all things that you face today.

But first, you need to see your weakness, and if you are feeling strong apart from Him, you aren’t seeing the reality.

The reality is, your enemy is only as powerful as you think “he” is, and you are only as strong as the weaknesses that are submitted to God.   David humbled himself to confess his sin, which produced anxiety.  He hadn’t yet come to the place of understanding the power of his acknowledgment but he was in the place where we were in our company,
having just seen the reality of our “strength” and started making changes to become less fragile as an organization, more equipped to service our customers and not as arrogant about who we were.  We had come to rely upon the truth of the data.

As we come to rely upon the Truth to shine light upon our own condition, we will see our weakness which is actually the first manifestation of Strength.