Ever since I was a young girl, my mom taught me anytime I was afraid, at that time probably of the dark, to recite a Bible verse that was applicable- such as, “I will lie down and sleep in peace. O Lord you alone keep me safe.” Psalm 4:8

As I got older and faced different challenges, my mom would write down Bible verses for me on index cards as a reminder to use the verses to calm anxiety, rid myself of fear or have the courage to conquer goals head on.

The challenges, goals and life stages continued to evolve from the scary A.P. U.S. History Exams to facing the anxiety that comes from every new uncertain stage of life such as my first heartbreak, going to college, starting a career, facing peer pressures, facing head on situations of “life is not always fair”, getting married, loosing loved ones, becoming a new parent, helping people I love deal with difficult situations and so on…As the stage changed, the inscribed index card strategy still worked.

I heard someone say, “We can put on the armor of God, but without knowing His word we simply become a weighed down target for the enemy.”…If we don’t know His word, what is suppose to be an extremely powerful  weapon is simply an object we drag through life. Just imagine if our army was made up of men and women simply dressing the part and never  trained on the weapons they hold?!

If I do not cling to a Bible verse and recite it over and over, I have nothing to combat the dark thoughts that come with the giants or difficult days we all face. I found, for example, if I have thoughts of anxiety and I do not respond by submitting the negative thoughts and repeating a scripture, I instead, feed into those same ugly thoughts and unravel more and more anxiety. If I cut those thoughts down with a precise swing with my “Sword” of the Word saying something like,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,  with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

…The thoughts begin to dissipate because what is there left to say to the indisputable word of God?

I continue to learn my “weapon” and write applicable verses on index cards- I read them over and over until the cards are no longer necessary  because all the different verses become inscribed on my mind and heart. So today, along with my armor I cling to a verse to take me through this stage of life.