Under Attack

 

Have you ever had those days where everything falls into place and you cant help but stand in amazement at what God has done? I had one of those days not too long ago. God opened doors and absolutely blessed me beyond anything I could have expected. He is so good to me!

 

Have you noticed that Satan likes to jerk the rug out from under you when you have those really great days? It amazes me that Satan gets me EVERY time! It doesn't matter if I am expecting it or not. If I'm not expecting it, he blindsides me. If I am expecting it, he always finds the one place that I am weak. I VERY much understand the imagery in 1 Peter 5:8 of a lion prowling around looking to devour me. Really. I do.

 

I believe in prayer and I believe in worship and I believe in being prepared for Satan's attack. Because this particular day was SO great, I thought I best be prepared for Satan to knock me on my tail.  His attack is often in the mind, so I wanted to fill my mind with Jesus. I listened to the Praise and Worship station on Pandora while I prepared supper, folded laundry, and did the floors. By the time I  had my prayer time and got ready for bed, my heart was worshipping my Lord. I was filled with joy and peace. It was WONDERFUL!!! I fell asleep listening to Praise and Worship and thought "He's not gonna get me this time".

 

I won't go into detail, but the next morning started with a rude awakening at 4:30. Things really only got worse from there. It was a terrible morning. By 6:00 I was pretty sure that I had never done anything right in my entire life. By 7, I was equally sure that everything wrong in everyone else's was my fault as well.  By the time I was headed to work, I was devastated. I was wrecked.  I  acknowledged that Satan got me, and knew that God would help,  but I felt totally defeated. The more I listened to Satan's lies, the worse I felt.

 

Once I got to work and was able to focus on other things, I realized that just because Satan got me good does not mean that I am completely defeated. By mid-morning, I realized that Satan didn't really defeat me at all. He wrecked my morning, but God restored me before noon. Besides that, he really had to catch me off guard and wake me up at 4:30am to get to me!!!! 

 

While I was looking for a pic with 1 Peter 5:8 for this post, I found the image below.

It makes me smile.

 



 

 

From time to time I am reminded why I chose "In the Battle" as the title for this blog. Our recent ministry trip to New Orleans, LA, and a few things that have happened since we returned have reminded me once again that we are in a battle...every one of us.

 

In New Orleans, I met several people who, through various circumstances, have found themselves living on the street. There are more people in my life who have recently been diagnosed with cancer than I want to think about. One of our church members has a chronically ill 4 month old son. I have a friend facing bankruptcy and another facing divorce. At any given time, we can all make a long list of people in our lives who are obviously struggling with something.

 

You may read this and count yourself lucky. You may be thankful that you are not in the middle of a battle. Perhaps you are not fighting a battle for all the world to see. To me, unseen battles are much harder to fight than the types listed above. Perhaps you fight depression, anxiety, addiction, loneliness, anger, hatred, unforgivness, or bitterness. Perhaps you fight jealousy, lust, pride, envy, greed, or selfishness. Maybe you feel insignificant or left out.

 

There is a common thread that runs through all of these...the enemy who heaps these troubles on us. We are in battle, every one of us, but our battle is not against people or sickness or circumstance. I was reminded of this earlier today. My brother was telling me about an encounter my nephew had in Africa last summer. He came face to face with a demonic force and was so terrified that he stayed up all night praying. The comment was made that we don't see spiritual warfare here in the USA like they do in other places.

 

This has had me thinking all morning.

 

No, we don't experience spiritual warfare here in the States like they do elsewhere, but that is not because there is none going on. When someone like my nephew spends a summer as a missionary in Africa, his focus is on Christ and only Christ; His prayer life is rich; he is dependent on God's provision; he looks for any opportunity to share the love of Christ; he is completely separated from distractions like television, cell phone, laptop, etc...how very different from how we spend most of our days here in the States. How often do we stay up all night praying for God's protection against Satan and his minions? Truth be told, most days we are no threat to Satan. Most days. we are too busy living our lives to threaten his plans for anyone's eternity. I truly believe that we would see Spiritual warfare unleashed in full force if we, as Christians, made the commitment to live like missionaries. I believe it strongly enough that I admit I am hesitant to do so. I have in the past and suffered greatly. While I know that ultimately the Battle is the Lord's, I also know that no battle is without it's wounded.

 

All this is just a simple reminder of the importance of the battle....

 

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.  Put on the full armor of

God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.  For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.  This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.  Ephesians 6:10-13