“He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet so that my ankles do not give way.” — Psalm 18:34–36
God has been teaching me warfare. Not just the kind where you pray, resist, and stand firm, but the kind where you fight darkness by releasing light—where you overcome evil with good.
For much of my life, the battles I fought were through healing the heart. I learned that when you heal the wound in your heart, the negative energy that leaks out through destructive emotions and reactions stops. Healing changes the way you respond, and that in itself is a victory.
But lately, God has been teaching me something else — a tactic that may sound simple but is deeply powerful: overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
The Inner Conflict You Don’t Always Understand
We know we are called to love one another, but what happens when your mind says “love” and your heart screams “no”?
This is the kind of inner conflict that can make you feel stuck. Should you go with your head or your heart?
The truth is, your heart may be saying “no” because it remembers pain. It may have been wounded before and now wants to shield you from disappointment. It whispers, “Don’t try again. Stay safe. Keep things as they are.” Psychology calls this a protective mechanism—the brain’s way of keeping you from danger. But spiritually, it can keep you from stepping into the very place God is calling you.
The Strategy: Motion Before Emotion
Here’s the tactic God showed me: motion before emotion.
If you need to love someone but your heart doesn’t feel it, do something good for them anyway. If God is calling you to your purpose, but your heart is hesitant—take the step anyway. The emotions will eventually catch up.
Romans 12:20–21 reminds us: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Science backs this up: behavioral psychology shows that our actions can reshape our emotional state. In other words, doing the right thing often leads to feeling the right thing.
Why Doing the Right Thing Matters
Your calling is not built on the comfort of your emotions but on the truth of God’s Word. Sometimes the “right thing” is simply what God says is right, even if it feels unnatural or risky.
Overcoming evil with good isn’t passive—it’s intentional. It’s choosing obedience when fear shouts louder than faith. It’s choosing kindness when bitterness feels justified. It’s moving toward your calling when safety feels easier.
Your heart will heal more in the doing than in the waiting. And with every step, you’ll find that the battle belongs to the Lord, but He has trained your hands—and your heart—for it.