You gotta know something is up....two blogs posts in a week, eh!
Well, you see so much happens in life and it so often is on my heart to share what goes on, what amazing things we've seen God do in our day, what struggles we have etc. However, time and as well as my lack of love for writing usually gets the better of me and I let it be a passing thought. I know my mom has challenged us to write a little more personally about the spiritual things we experience and victories, challenges and miracles that we have experienced. You know she is right....of course she is...mom's are "mostly" right!
So I want to share with you. I want you to be open to something that you maybe haven't given much thought to. Or maybe you have but you choose to avoid the thought because it's scary or it seems childish or silly. Here's the word .....or shall I say "world"!
The spiritual world. The spiritual realm. The spiritual powers.
I want to share with you an experience from this week that really shook my day and hopefully my life. In Chad's posting he made a mention that we were feeling a spiritual attack in the last few week. For many of you who know me you're aware of the ongoing battle I've had with depression. With my focus remaining on God and keeping in constant communion with Him it's been a fight but I keep a float for the most part and find more happy than sad days for sure. However, the past 2 weeks I have fallen prey to the lies of the enemy. He fills my mind with self condemning lies that I convince myself of and I had slid quickly into a quiet, sad, and miserable introverted person again.
Now for some of you, this may already seem weird. Blaming this power or spirit for the way I think and act....most times I think it weird too but having had the experience we had this week confirms for me that,
" Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Ephesians 6:12
So, Chad mentioned that we had a snake and scorpion on two different occasion in the house. Not totally uncommon for Belize I know but the timing was to perfect. The kids were feeling scared on the first occasion and Chad went up and prayed with them. Chad has become very good at discerning and speaking with authority to satan lately as he definitely believes in the truth of the spiritual world. So, Chad prays with Keaton that any power of darkness or the enemy that is in the room, "leave!" He no sooner kisses the kids and turns to leave their room to see a scorpion running out their room. For most you may think weird timing. We are coming to see it otherwise. Satan knew he wasn't welcome and true to God's word which says,
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
James 4:7
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Matthew 10:1
"All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”
Luke 4:13
We know that satan was manifesting in that scorpion and fleeing the room. Chad killed it! He got smushed several times with my slipper!
Two days later was a similar instance when we found a yellow jaw snake in the living room. It too got machetted to death. It was after these two instances when my mom sent us a rather interesting verse that we had not seen before.
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."
Luke 10:19
Wow, this was confirming that the enemy chooses to manifest in forms of snakes and scorpions!
Fast forward to this past Saturday. My sadness was as it's peak and our household was definitely feeling the effects of my defeat. As we lay in bed Chad prays. For me, for us and he prays full of hope. I however feel so defeated I can't even pray. I know if I just cry out He will come and rescue me but my chains are tight and I can't even convince myself to muster out a prayer. Satan binds us that way. But I want to be rescued from this darkness that steals my joy and hope so at the very least I cry out in my head. It's quiet outside but inside I scream, "LEAVE ME ALONE! SATAN LEAVE ME ALONE I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"
I kid you not, immediately we hear a thud behind us. I wanting to ignore it and pretend like nothing is wrong but Chad who has so much better discernment than I turns on the light to find a scorpion in the window sill behind my head! I jump out of bed in tears and trembling fear. No, not so much because of the scorpion but because I KNOW what that scorpion is a manifestation of. The enemy.
We immediately prayed a quick prayer claiming authority over the enemy. As we turned from our quick prayer we could no longer find the scorpion. Ok, when I say we couldn't find him I mean we moved the bed the shipping containers which serve as bedside table the sheets the curtains the searched the closet the upstair and the downstairs. We looked everywhere. However, as were hunting for our kill Chad felt the Lord say to him that he wasn't going to find this one. He wasn't going to kill this one, this time like he had the last two. Why you might ask? Well, the answer is found in the verse following the one my mom had sent us earlier in the week.
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:19-20
As we read in verse 20 God warns about boasting in OUR ability to drive out these spirits. Chad confessed that he was feeling a little to confident in his ability to squash satan.
Wow, is God's word not true and living for us each day!
So, needless to say it was an emotional night and I stayed up till 2:30 praying, listening to praise music and reading my Bible to get me to a place of peace enough to go back to bed.
One might think the story ends there. But the enemy does not give up that easy. He is out to destroy the work of God. The next morning, Sunday. Get to church for worship prep and our worship team leader starts mentioning about his awful night. He proceeds to tell me that at 2:30...yes, the exact time I felt peace in our home that at that exact time he woke to strange sound and he reached for his phone/flashlight he was stung twice by the scorpion sitting on it. Satan left our house and decided to move to the next member of the worship team in an attempt to discourage and take away the worship we were to give to God the next day. Crazy eh!
Well, I'm thrilled to say that God has the victory! Despite a numbed hand for our guitar player we had an amazing...actually our most moving morning of worship since the beginning of this church. Praise the Lord for the freedom and authority and victory he gave to each of us.
All this to say that my eyes have been opened to see the spiritual world a little deeper. It's there. We need to see it, recognize the enemy and claim the authority God has give us to drive him away! I told chad that it still feels funny to speak out loud to the enemy. It does. But it works!
16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.
Ephesians 1:16-22
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