I got up that morning and started my day with prayer and devotions. I judged the armor of God was firmly in place
and ran full speed into my day. I was working
on several projects. I had a list of
things to do. I pressed on tackling them
one by one. I was so focused on crossing
off things on my to do list that I didn’t see the attack.
My armor had slipped.
I went right into fix-it mode that I missed one part of Ephesians 6
And pray in the
Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of
prayers and requests.
With this in mind,
be alert
The enemy knew I was distracted by my day and used it against
me. I completed a story for my blog and proceeded
to send the link out to some friends. I
then got ready and drove to the hairdresser.
That is when things took a turn. I noticed there were no responses to my
texts. I sent one to the office just checking
in and again a few hours later - no response.
Instead of thinking about a possible technology failure, I turned inward
and started to question myself.
Did I write something that offended people. Did I totally miss the mark? Did I forget to ask God for direction. None of those questions were true. But I ran down the rabbit hole just the same. I started to question the text I sent to the
office. I started to question
everything. Why? Because I stopped praying in the Spirit and
instead turned to my own strength and let the enemy get into my head.
“You offended someone” “You shouldn’t have taken time for
yourself, you are selfish” “You are wasting time writing” “No one cares”
It was ugly.
I would like to say I turned it all around quickly, but I didn’t.
When I returned home it continued. My mood was sour because I spent the day letting
the enemy put me down. I started to
believe what I was hearing. I received
emails and calls on my phone so I assumed the texts were working as well.
The next morning, I woke up and looked at my phone. Still no responses. I suddenly got the bright idea to reboot my
phone. I know, not my idea. I finally listened…
When I rebooted my phone, it started to go off like a 4-alarm
fire call. The texts came in fast and
furious. There were so many encouraging
words pouring from my phone. I just stood
in dumb silence reading the texts and then cried.
I didn’t miss the mark.
The enemy didn’t want me to see who my writing had reached. That story reached more than any others
before it. Why? I don’t know, but God does. He ordered my steps that day and told me what
to write.
I ignored Him after writing and let the enemy get into my
head. The enemy wanted to crush me and
stop me from seeing what God did. The
enemy wanted to stop me from writing.
Someone later shared with me. “If you are stepping into the enemy’s camp, don’t expect a welcome mat.”
For a brief moment I forgot I was at war. That’s all it took. I was distracted and
forgot to pray.
Has God called you to do something for the Kingdom? If so, secure your armor on for battle. The enemy will do what ever he can to
distract and discourage you.
Remember we are not at a playground; we are in the
battle. The battle for souls. But don’t
forget, Got is on the Throne and We win in the end. As I add on my Facebook posts - #weknowhowthebookends
Don’t forget!
Standing in prayer with you!
You got this!
Ephesians 6:10-19
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. For 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. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And
pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s
people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that
I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
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