Enemy Roars Only

Last week was a week to end all weeks.  The realization of how the enemy attacks and tries...let's say that again..tries to take us out, was swirling in our home.(I Peter 5:8)  There wasn't one area that the enemy didn't attack. His roar was loud and intimidating.  His attempted bites, hurt.  Our spirits and souls were tired.  I couldn't seem to fight for myself, but I fought for others.   My body ached.

2 Corinthians 10:4 - The weapons we fight with aren't the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

You look up and wonder, God are you still there, are you seeing what is happening?

As our family fought this week long, furious spiritual battle, because our battle is not with flesh and blood but the principalities of the air, we looked to the one who fights our battles and has already won the victory.  How we forget that we fight from a place of victory, not defeat.

Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorizes, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

As I walked with my children along a path near our home, we quoted scripture.   An old song came back to mind, "God put Satan under my feet, under my feet, under my feet. God put Satan under my feet and I will walk all over thee."  As we walked and physically put our feet down, we also walked through the promises of God.  Each step, each scripture, allowed the enemy's voice to grow weaker and weaker.

Isaiah 54:17 - no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, an you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.

You have to chose to love life in the middle of these strong attacks, and yes, we all have them.  You have to chose to get out of bed, which in and of itself is warfare.  You have to chose to look for all the good and let it diminish the bad.  You have to step back out of your self-pity party and breath.

The weekend came, a family with scars, scars that God will heal with His balm. Standing meant we had entered into His victory.  We had events to attend, and our choice was to put on a happy face.  That isn't a mask, it is saying to the enemy, "in spite of all the ATTEMPTS this week, I chose to move forward with a smile.  I chose to allow the Lord to be strong where I am weak."

2 King 6:17 - And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see."  Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Our first event was the schools largest fund raiser.  I am one of the home room parents this year and had been working on gathering our baskets for the auctions.  There was one basket that made me smile, when it was being assembled.  Yes, it would be bidding for more than it was worth and yes, I could go down the street and buy what I wanted for less, but that wasn't the point. The point was fund raising for the school. The point was, one of the attacks was financial and I needed to give back instead of walk in fear. The last point was, it has become my motto with my grands and I needed to be reminded that, although bloody from battle, there is joy in the adventure!

So I put my number down for the bidding.  I WON!!!

  Life is an Adventure!!  Hills, valleys, good choices, bad choices, pain, joy, hugs, battles, words that lift and words that tear down....an adventure, called life.

Benjamin finished up his baseball season.  His whole family have attended at least one game this season. The nephews peering through the dug-out at their Uncle!  Life ..precious.

We ended the weekend with the opening of a new Drive Thru Movie. YES, we went retro.  We went with another family who is fighting their own battles.  The kids enjoyed the retro way of viewing a movie. I enjoyed being under the stars.  I enjoyed the breeze, I enjoyed the laughter of kids, the parents sharing their by-gone-days of Drive-Thru, I enjoyed being still and knowing that God is still on the throne.

My prayer for you this week is that whatever battle you are fighting, you will remember the army that is standing behind you. I prayer your eyes will be opened!!  May we walk in the victory of a battle already won!