19. October 2026

Down, but Never Defeated

I have spent most of my life letting someone else influence my decisions. Sometimes it worked out. Sometimes it destroyed me.

Here’s the thing: I never really trusted God’s plan. Every time I made a decision or thought I knew what I wanted, I allowed someone else to cloud my judgment—whether it was family, friends, or even my own thoughts.

That didn’t always mean letting someone convince me to do something. Sometimes I purposely did the opposite with the mindset, “I’ll show them! I’ll do what I want because I can!”

Either way, I was still letting their opinions steer me.

The truth is, I wasn’t putting my trust in God. I wasn’t bringing my decisions to Him in prayer. So, for years, I kept getting knocked down. I turned down opportunity after opportunity while watching the people around me make the decisions they believed were best for them. That left me to either come along for the ride or swim on my own against the current.

I was in my early forties when I began my journey toward freedom—a freedom I had never experienced before. It started with a Freedom in Christ Bible study, continued with a year and a half of intense therapy, and then led me to the Celebrate Recovery Step Study.

Notice I didn’t say “finally,” because freedom requires daily maintenance.

First and foremost, spend time with the Creator of ALL. He isn’t some hologram in the sky controlling our every move. He doesn’t force us to love Him. We have free will, but I promise you, when you use that will to set aside time for just the two of you, things begin to change. Sometimes that change starts inside you before you can see it anywhere else.

We are not the things we have done or the mistakes we have made. Those things might knock the wind out of me. They might even knock me down. But I will get back up again.

The key is to learn from what happened and move forward, keeping our eyes open for the traps the enemy has set.

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV):

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

God also gives us clear instructions:

James 4:7 (NIV):
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV):
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Philippians 4:8 (NIV):
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

And the great thing is, there are so many more promises and instructions in His Word. He knows we will face a fight, and He gives us direction for how to face it.

Picture yourself in a boxing match. Your legs might feel unsteady. You might take a hit that knocks the breath out of you. You might even find yourself on the floor.

But remember whose corner you’re in. You don’t have to fight in your own strength. Following Him doesn’t mean you’ll never take another hit, but you can trust the victory He promises:

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV):
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I get knocked down, but I get up again. And this time, I’m trusting God to lead my next step.