Are You Under Attack? by Zoe M. McCarthy

• Is someone undermining your work?
• Has someone said something against you?
• Is someone trying to get you to do something you believe is wrong?
• Is someone tearing down something you’ve accomplished?
• Is someone trying to hack or take away something that belongs to you?

Writing or doing any positive activity is difficult when we’re under attack. We say we won’t think about the attack, then 2 seconds later …

We mull over the injustice and what we could say to the attacker, but as Christians, we believe we must be the example, not feed the problem.

We commit to pray for our attacker, but 2 seconds later …
We think about the counseling our attacker needs and that we could show the attacker how the assault feels, because the attacker is no saint.

We decide to let our feelings dissolve, but 2 seconds later …

We script the conversation we’d have face-to-face with the attacker—over and over.

Where’s the peace?

We’ve already lost sleep and walked around like a zombie whose sole purpose is looking for blood. We’re not doing this because of what the attacker did. We are in this state because we continue to allow the situation to commandeer our thoughts.

The attacker is winning and Satan is throwing a party.

image by johnhain

Here’s how we reclaim peace.

First, we concentrate on God’s truths and mercies, no matter how often we have to pull our thoughts from the situation:

• God does something huge for us: He credits us with righteousness because of our faith in Him. (Romans 4:23-35) We still sin (like worrying about the attack), but because we believe in Him who raised Jesus, Our Lord, from the dead, we have righteousness and can live accordingly.
• God loved us before we loved Him. He commands us not to worry, but even before the attack, He’s shown us how much He loves us and promises to care for us. We can count on His custody. (Matthew 6:25-34)
• Jesus went through attacks, and He understands ours. More than that, He knows what we need. (Hebrews 4:15-16) Spending sleepless hours with an upset stomach and worrying through the night is not what we need. We need peace.

Second, we talk to God as if He’s right there with us— because He is.

• We say: “Lord, I am Your child whom You love dearly.”
• We claim: “Lord, You are the only One who can take care of my agitation. I commit it to You, because You are sovereign over it. (2 Chronicles 20:1-30)
• We ask: Lord, please give me peace. 
• We praise God’s glory: Lord, You are [we list every attribute of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we can recall from Scripture and lift it up to God.]

During this time, we fall asleep.

Sometimes we have to approach God again the next night the same way.

I can usually list more than 40 soul-calming attributes of God. What are five attributes you love about God?

How to reclaim peace after a personal attack. Click to tweet.

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About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little-known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John. 

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books