The Encourager – Victory — The Quilted Heart

I had a Satanic attack on Sunday morning. The moment I reached over to turn off my phone alarm, I saw a terrible text message calling me bad names with lies and foul language, from a woman who claims to be a Christian. Bam! Satan knew I was supposed to help lead worship at church that morning (I’m a singer), so he hit me with a whammy at a vulnerable moment when I was not quite awake. Formerly, that kind of text would have knocked me out for a few hours or days. But this time was different.

A little back story: this is a younger woman who I was mentoring in the past who turned against me when I set up some simple boundaries. We had a wonderful friendship until she came into town on a whim and expected me to drop everything to invite her to my house. I was feeling really terrible that day and told her that unfortunately I couldn’t get together with her. She was not happy, but I held firm. That was a great victory for me, to be able to say No to a needy person in order to take care of myself for a change. I’m learning boundaries; she doesn’t understand.

So on Sunday morning, I called out to the Lord and put my trust in Him. I was NOT going to let this attack paralyze me and ruin my Lord’s Day. How was I able to do that? Because, by God’s grace, I’ve been steeped in Scripture for several days and delving deeper into prayer, I could recognize this as an enemy attack. Because, by God’s grace, my own dealings have been good throughout the interactions with this woman, so I could be confident in that truth. Because, from conversations with others, I know that this woman creates drama wherever she goes and I’m not the only recipient of her sewage. Because, knowing some of the trauma she’s endured in her life, I feel only sorrow for her.

Guess what verses were in my devotional that morning? “I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds.” – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 TLB and “So use every piece of God’s armor...[and] stand firm.” – Ephesians 6:13 TLB The focus was on spiritual warfare, and I was winning! He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “Crown Him with many crowns!”

Guess what the songs were about that morning? We sang “Oh, I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms, The riches of Your love, Will always be enough, Nothing compares to Your embrace, Light of the world forever reign!” and “Your goodness is running after, it's running after me, Your goodness is running after, it's running after me, With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now, I give You everything, 'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me!” Even during the rehearsal before the service, I was already entering into worship in Spirit and in Truth. I’m running to Jesus and He’s running to me. The Lord provided just the songs I needed to sing at that particular time. They were literally right in front of me on the music stand!

Guess what the sermon was about? “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled?” – Matthew 26:53-54 Christ had vast armies of angels at His command, yet He chose to lay His power down on our behalf, so that WE could have the power of prayer and the strength to stand fast. We now have all the power of Christ on our side, “and He must win the battle!” I knew I could call upon Him in any hurtful circumstance and He would be there for me. What looked like weakness on the Cross was actually strength, and now I am strong in Him! What a great victory I experienced on the Lord’s Day.

So every few months, I get another awful phone call or terrible text from this messed-up woman. Yes, I’ve stopped answering her calls, but why don’t I just block her? Because I still love her. It’s a regular reminder to pray for a very troubled person. She needs God’s help to escape her desperate dungeon. She’s a prisoner of the enemy, but I am a daughter of the King. Prayer is a powerful weapon. And He must win the battle.

Christian friend, when you are attacked, remember this: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and is safe.” – Proverbs 18:10 NASB So run to Jesus. He’s running toward you.

God is faithful,
j

Songs quoted are “Crown Him with Many Crowns” written by Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring; “Forever Reign” written by Reuben Morgan and Jason Ingram; “Goodness of God” written by Ed Cash, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson and Jenn Johnson; and “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” written by Martin Luther.