An Ever Present Help

“God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble—more than enough and always available whenever I need you.”
Psalms 46:1 TPT

This has been a challenging week for me as a woman. A little disclaimer: we are about to get real. Something I’m working on with the Lord is surrendering. It hasn’t come easy for me as someone who loves to be in control of all things at all times. So the idea of surrendering scares me. But it’s in surrender where we truly learn trust. It’s in surrender where that faith muscle begins to develop, and you learn what it is to lean on the Lord. You learn in these moments how to hide yourself in Him, and He will be for you all that you need.

Now, this topic seems so simple, but I don’t think it’s talked about enough. As women, we reach a certain stage in our cycle called ovulation, or as some like to say, the baby-making stage. Our libido is increased during this stage, which can boost our sexual desire. And to be honest, for me, it seems like I’m fighting for my life during this time in my cycle. But as I get older and the more aware I am of my body and my cycle, I’ve learned about the different stages, which has helped me.

During ovulation, my body is only doing what it was designed to do. The urges are natural! Yes, you will most likely feel a little different during this week, and that’s okay. Nothing is wrong. Don’t believe the lie that because you feel a tingle, you’re bound by lust. Now, what you do after the tingle is what matters.

So, I now track everything, so I’m not caught off guard. When the tingling starts happening, I’m like okay, whatever, and keep it pushing. Life, however, this month got hectic for me, and checking my app totally took a back burner. So it just wasn’t on my mind, and it felt like one day I woke up and my mind became a battlefield, battling sexual thoughts. No matter what I would do, it was just there.

And not only that, I then get a text from a guy that I blocked a while ago, but he texted me from another number, telling me to come over. It’s not the first time it has happened where he reached out, but I’d look at the message and immediately block and delete. But this message I stared at for so long. I wanted to respond badly and say, “Yes, I’m coming right now.” I just wanted to feel, and I wanted to be felt. I began to think about our past times together and how well he just knows my body. I craved him. And honestly, a part of me still does, as I’m still in the thick of it.

Our bodies remember trauma, and it equally remembers pleasure. But my will to please the Lord and to be obedient has been my driving force, keeping me from falling into that trap. So I stared at that message for maybe five minutes, took a deep breath, confessed out of my mouth that I am not an instrument of unrighteousness, but I am an instrument of righteousness.

The feelings and the urges didn’t go away, but I’ve made up in my mind that I’m not going back to the things that once held me bound. I am free indeed, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be tempted ever.

I was reminded of Psalm 139 and how God made me so wonderfully complex. And it brought me back to reality that this too shall pass. These feelings, the wants, the temptation, and the desire—it will all pass. It’s just a stage in my cycle, a stage that God created specifically to bring forth life, so it’s not a bad thing, but it’s a very real thing, especially if you know how good it can feel to be pleased.

It’s all a part of being a woman, with having these hormones that can feel all over the place from week to week, but it’s a part of God’s perfect design, and He didn’t make a mistake when He made us so wonderfully complex.

I used to pray for God to take away the desire and the urges, but when I realized that it’s just His design for women, it helped me to realize that I’m not alone in this. He knows exactly where I am in my cycle. He knows what I’m feeling and what’s happening to me internally, so all I have to do is surrender it to the Lord. Not be embarrassed about it or feel some level of shame, but submit it at the feet of my Father and look to Him to bring me through victoriously.

I’m laughing now as I write this because it seems so simple and silly to be writing about ovulation, but that’s because we as Christians can sometimes be so quick to stuff down what’s really going on to pretend like we have it all together. I had to learn the hard way: what’s not dealt with begins to fester until it becomes a bigger issue in our lives.

What we don’t confront won’t get dealt with, and we miss out on the opportunities to deepen our relationship with Christ as we bring every single thing to Him. He cares so deeply for us and wants to walk through every part of our lives with us.

Yes, ladies, even when we are single and ovulating, feeling like we are in a fight, He will be our ever-present help, a refuge in a time of trouble.

Before I go, I want to share with you my prayer and confession that is rooted in Scripture that I declare when I begin to have tempting thoughts. I speak it out loud because there is something that happens when we put our sound to Scripture. It hits the atmosphere, and it begins to shift.

Overcoming Temptation Prayer and Confession

I confess with my mouth that I will give no opportunity to the devil. I submit myself to You, Lord, and the devil and his schemes must flee. No temptation has overtaken me that is not common to mankind, but because of Your faithfulness, Lord, and Your supreme rule, You won’t let me be tempted beyond my ability, but You provide me a way of escape that I may be able to endure.

Your grace, ABBA, is sufficient for me. In my weakness, You remain strong! Because my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak, I will be watchful and pray that I will remain steadfast. My desires submit to Your authority in my life, God. You are my Lord and Master.

I am not an instrument of unrighteousness, but by the blood of Jesus and the authority of Christ, I am an instrument of righteousness. I yield my members to You, Lord, confessing that sin has no dominion over me.

I know that while the devil may flee after tempting me with evil, he is always wandering around looking for someone to devour, waiting for an opportune time to strike. So I clothe myself in the complete armor of God, and I confess with my mouth that because I am clothed in God’s armor, I can stand against the schemes of the devil.