So here we are again. 10 some-odd years out and Satan or his minions are at it again - WITH ME.
I really thought that what I had gone through all those years ago was a one-off, something that wouldn't happen again, knowing full-well that I wasn't going to succumb to his nonsense, but I guess one of his demons didn't get the message.
Last night at around 2am I got up with some awful indigestion. So I got out of bed, got some iced-tea and grabbed one of my little pills that makes the burning go away. I took the pill, finished the tea and then I reached down to feel the cross on my neck to see if the clasp was in the back (I do that once in a while) and found that my necklace was GONE. Except for the time that I was in the hospital for brain surgery, that necklace has been on my neck since 2008! I don't take it off, I like having it on. Not as an "idol", but as a REMINDER. Every time I move from side to side quickly or turn around, or even bend over, I FEEL IT slightly bounce off of my body. And when it does, it REMINDS ME that The Holy Spirit isn't just with me while I'm praying, but ALWAYS. Do I need the reminder? Probably not, but I think it's a good idea for people to have small reminders such as this and encourage them to do it IF it fits into their life.
So as it was dark in the house, late AND everyone was asleep, I decided I'd try to find my necklace first thing in the morning. So I quickly fell back to sleep and when I woke up there were a couple of things that were a little bit odd. Nothing really by itself that would make you think, but altogether something that helped to create this blog entry today.
The first thing I noticed, was my Echo device was RED. You know those AI things Amazon makes? I've got an Echo Show which is one of the ones with the screen and video camera. I keep the video camera disabled, but I love the convenience of having an Echo to help keep me organized. Anyway, the screen had a bright red bar at the bottom of it (never saw that before) and there was a bright red light lit at the top of it (which I had never seen either). As I've worked in just about every facet of IT for the past 42 years or so, I thought about it for a moment and realized that the MUTE feature was turned on. I have NEVER used this feature before. So I pressed the bright red button up top and the red bar went away too. No big deal right?
Then I was going to reach over for my phone to turn it on and sitting right there on the very corner of my night table was MY NECKLACE. It wasn't just sitting there in a clump, it was all coiled up nicely with the cross sitting on top. This is when I knew something was afoot. First of all there is no way I could have removed this necklace in my sleep. Next, there is no way I could have re-fastened it IN MY SLEEP and coiled it up perfectly with the cross on top!
So I grabbed my necklace, put it back on, then went in to where my wife was doing her morning bible reading and I said to her, "Morning, so where did you find my necklace?". She looked at me in confusion and said, "Honey, your necklace is around your neck.". And then I said "Very funny, I meant before you picked it up and put it on my night stand." And she says to me, "Honey, I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't seen nor touched your necklace - at all - at any point." Of course, that lead me to tell her the story of getting up in pain, needing a pill, etc. As always, my wife rejoiced singing praises to Jesus.
For those of you wondering, my necklace is nothing special. It's a stainless-steel ball-chain with a stainless-steel cross hanging from it. With all of the street-work I've done in Jesus name I would never wear a necklace with actual monetary value. I think the chain I'm wearing now cost me $8. If someone were to snatch it from my neck, I think I'd laugh OUT LOUD at the thought of the pawn-broker who looks at it and says, "That's a piece of stainless-steel. It doesn't really have any value, keep it!" Hey, It's my imagination! Let me have fun with it! :P
So in conclusion, when Satan attacks, his main purpose is to divert your attention AWAY FROM God’s Word and OVER TO your circumstances. That’s why God said this in Proverbs:
Proverbs 4:20-23 - My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Give your attention to the Word of God, it will give you much peace, guidance and wisdom in times of trial. I've heard it said before that the more attention you give to God’s Word, the easier the other steps will be in resisting Satan’s attacks.
Amen?
Of course, there's the lingering question - Did a demon remove the cross from my neck and just happen to leave it somewhere close by or did a demon remove it from my neck, dropped it somewhere I'd never see it and then God found it for me, coiled it up nicely and left it where I could easily find it and put it back on again? Hmmmm.... ;) Either way - I'm good!
If you enjoyed reading this blog and maybe learned something today, please think about sharing either the link to this story or the link to this blog with someone you care about. It could make all the difference in how they deal with the issues we cover here.
PS: The last time this happened to me (being attacked in the spirit), all sorts of great things started to happen to me. God started using me like crazy and I pray that's His plan again this time!
