I laid this book upon my bookshelf with all the other books and forgot about it. I was really hoping someone would shoot me an email and let me know just where this book came from. So, there it lay all cozy with the rest of my books until the moment came when I threw that book in the trash where it belonged. I don't know why I kept it for so long.
For the last few weeks strange things have been happening in our home. Sounds that catch your ear and footsteps that make you stop in your tracks. Last night it all came to be too real. As my husband came home from work I was sitting on our bed with our, Daisy, watching the news. Without going into too much detail, there was a presence in our room. A presence we could not see, but one that, Daisy, was very aware of. I called my husband into our room and he too saw what I was witnessing. Something evil was happening. It stopped only to begin again a few hours later as we were laying in bed watching television. I can tell you even my husband, who is fearful of nothing, was very aware something was going on. I was off the bed to follow, Daisy, and a cold a chill overcame me. A chill I have never felt before.
Was it the book? Was it something else? What had happened to cause this to take place in our Christian home? I was immediately on the phone with our pastor. We went through our home, each room, one at a time praying and reading God's word. That book is no longer in our home, but what did I allow to enter?
I can share with you that our family prayed. We each went to the Lord in prayer asking forgiveness, asking the Lord to cleanse our heart, mind, and soul of all sin. I have had the Christian radio playing all day. Bibles lay all across the tables of our home. I asked my son to go through his room. I asked him to look over everything, books, music, all that touched his boundaries. He said to me, "Mom there is nothing evil in my room." I spoke lovingly to Him and said, "Jake, take each CD and place it in your hand and ask the Lord if it is worthy to be here." Many times it is our flesh telling us something is okay. It is that moment we reach out to the Lord asking His permission that we truly see the truth of all around us. It was moments later and my son was walking out with a trash bag filled with music.
Some believe in ghosts. I am not one who does. There are no ghosts. There are demons of the dark world around us. All around us there are principalities of darkness. We too have angels surrounding us gracing us with protection, fighting the unseen battle before our eyes. There is a battle raging on around us.
I walked through our home with my hands raised in praise for our Savior, Jesus Christ. I read the Word of God a loud and I felt His presence surrounding us. I felt His protection and His reassuring promises. We have a mighty God who stands in the gap for us. Our prayers reach heaven's portholes because we have a Savior who makes a way for us to reach our Father in Heaven. Glory to God!
Is this presence gone in our home? I am not sure. But there is one thing I am sure of. I trust the Lord. I will not walk in fear! There is nothing in my home that can hurt me. Nothing that can take me away from the presence of my Savior. My faith is only strengthened. My eyes are set upon Him. On Sunday my pastor preached on strongholds. He preached on surrendering our ground to God and not giving way for evil to cast upon us. It was no coincidence that I heard this powerful message on the same day evil would attack our home.
God knows what is to come and He is preparing us for each battle ahead. He gives us what we need for this battle. His Holy Word. His Word is alive and powerful. He has already won the war. Satan knows this, but Satan is out for us. He sees us doing God's work and He wants to stop us. He wants to place fear in our hearts so that might turn in fright. No way! I am not running. I am facing each battle with the strength of the Lord. He is my Fortress and my Shield.
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of with wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me, that utterance may be given to me, thatt I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:11-20
So friends, why share this with you? Why open up the evil that casts in my home? So that you too might know. So that you too might stand against all evil and be so in tune with God that we know the presence of evil and when to flee and when to stand.
Being an ambassador for Christ we will be attacked and persecuted for our faith. We must be strong in all areas of our life not giving room for any evil. Today I stand before you victorious in Christ Jesus!! He fills my home with His presence and will with His power remove all evil. I must be willing to allow Him too to cleanse my heart, mind and soul. We are not to dabble in evil. We are stay away from all that is not Godly.
What about you? Is there something in your life that shouldn't be there? Remove it today! Remove it and give all your life to the Lord and may His presence reign in your life!!
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the earch be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. " Psalm 46:1-5
