perfect in weakness

This blog may not make much sense to many of you, but thank you in advance for reading and caring :)
I have been at a crossroads in life for a while now - months and months in fact - just waiting for God's timing and for Him to speak to me as He does so faithfully. I've been pushing and struggling and questioning and accepting and swallowing more than I thought possible for a VERY long time. There are so many factors involved in this, some extremely painful and others full of miraculous joy. I've been hearing the same messages of faith and spiritual growth from several different arenas and am attempting to soak it all in and make it part of the image of Christ that He intends me to be. The Lord has revealed specifically applicable and important messages that pertain to my personal circumstances over and over again for the past several months. I'm in the middle of a season of stretching and growth and warfare that sometimes feels will break me. I can practically document the growth God is blessing me with (even when I don't feel very blessed and a lot of times the Lord's definition of blessing looks and sounds different from my own). The Lord's strength in my weakness has NEVER been made so apparent in my life as it is now. I don't know if any of you can relate or have ever been here, but I'm in the middle of spiritual warfare - a battle that I don't even completely understand and can only let the Spirit lead me through. I'm leaning so heavily on the Lord and cry out with thanks that He is my rock, He is holy, and He cannot be shaken. I am praying fervently for God's continued protection and His strength and His armor (which "coincidentally" Rick has been preaching about for a few weeks now). For those of you who understand parts of this, I appreciate your prayers and your support. For those of you who don't, thanks so very much for the friend you are to me. Come what may, my friends are another one of those many-splendored blessings in my life and you give me strength.
I declare that I will continue to draw my sword and immerse myself in my Lord and continue to fight and grow and pursue His will.
Scriptures that have proven powerful and effective in my recent and on-going journey:

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." --2 Chronicles 16:9

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith."
--1 Peter 5:8-9

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
--1 Corinthians 13:1-7

"Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."
--Romans 12:21

"As a Father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how weak we are, He remembers that we are dust."
--Psalm 103:13-14

"No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
--Romans 8:39