And if our God is for us...

The more I follow Jesus, the easier it becomes for me to see past the natural fabric of the world in front of my eyes and see into what's really going on.


I think we could all agree that there is a struggle between good and evil going on around us. We sense it in our government, in our cities, in our relationships, pretty much everywhere. Most of the time, people dismiss it and continue on in their own comfort levels in their own little bubbles of existence. It's so much easier not to care.

I just finished reading Waking the Dead by John Eldredge - whew! Amazing revelation for me! I totally recommend it! Hang through the first chunk of the book and then it gets reeeeally good. Anyway, in Waking the Dead, he uses many movie/book references that take us to a deep place in our hearts regarding the battle between good and evil, life and death. Is it any wonder why the movies and books that resonate with us so deeply are the epics that portray the triumph of good over evil? He uses movies like The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings trilogy to express what is already written in the base code of our hearts.

One of my favorite quotes he uses is from The Two Towers when Aragorn was trying to persuade the king of the region to arm up for battle. Here's a quick excerpt of the book Waking the Dead, chapter 10 Setting Hearts Free:

"In the second film of The Lord of the Rings trilogy - The Two Towers - there is a king who is reluctant to go to war. Theoden, lord of the horse warriors of Rohan, is fearful and timid. An army is marching through his lands, an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. Villages fall; women and children are slain. Still Theoden balks: 'I will not risk open war.' 'Open war is upon you, ' says Aragorn, 'whether you would risk it or not.' As I watched this scene I could not help thinking of the church. It made me so sad. I love the Bride of Christ. I hate to see her captive an any way. The primary reason most people do not know the freedom and life Christ promised is that they won't fight for it, or they have been told not to fight for it. Friends, we are now in the midst of an epic battle, a brutal and vicious war against an Enemy who knows his time is short. Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."

Now, I loved all the Lord of the Rings books and movies, but I have never dissected them so intricately as that! And what a true parallel from that story into our reality. We can hide out and pretend like everything is good and easy all the time, but that doesn't mean the armies of hell aren't on our doorstep.

It is HIGH TIME for us to be sober and vigilant, just like we have been instructed in Scripture!

Can people get carried away by weirdness? Yes. Can Christians be too preoccupied with demons? Yes. Are those reasons enough to exempt yourself from the battle? No. In my growing up years, I fell into a camp of believers who didn't have much revelation into the working of the Holy Spirit. We were fearful of things in "the charismatic" portion of the Church. We only saw the crazies and the spiritual abusers who displayed strange weirdness and called it the Holy Spirit. We knew we didn't want any of that. But, as I continued on with Jesus, He introduced me to the Holy Spirit so that I could know Him for myself. I came to see the Scripture with spiritual eyes and not the eyes of my religious background. Jesus illuminated the truth about the Holy Spirit to me, and I knew that I needed to remove some wrong thinking and get His thinking.

As I surrendered my whole self to the Holy Spirit, He was faithful to fill me up and ignite His power in me. I'm growing in it, for sure, but I cannot imagine trying to navigate life without it now. (Because I have been made aware of the raging battle that is going on all around us!) We can't expect to make a dent in the darkness without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.

To some of you, the thought of demons or evil spirits sends shivers up your spine. You don't think you can handle even the topic for very long. But, in reality, God has already triumphed over evil. Jesus crushed Satan's head when he died on the cross and made a way for humanity to be reconnected to God. The only reason Satan and his minions can seem scary is because we are fooled into taking our eyes off the Victorious One. When you sense or look at evil, it's ugly! You were not created to be a part of evil. You were created to shine the light of God from within you and have dominion on this earth. Satan has craftily confused us into thinking that we're victims and that we are weak and helpless and worthless. My friend, IF YOU ONLY KNEW who you truly are.

Ask God right now, "Who am I, truly?" And wait until you hear Him. He will tell you.



If you aren't getting anything, then wrestle it through with God. Don't just walk away and let it go. It is imperative that you know who God says you are. He's speaking - you just have to figure out how to hear His voice. (Helpful hint if you're not hearing Him: go back to your salvation experience - when you first gave your heart to Him. What was that like? Did you have a feeling in your heart? Did you hear a whisper? Remember what that was like and see if you can hear/experience His voice right now in that same way.)

Dear, precious daughter of the Most High God, you are regal and anointed. You are strong and mighty and the power of the Holy Spirit can flow through you to push back the gates of hell in any area of your life where you sense it is pushing in on you. It's time to arm up and get in the battle. War for your husband and children! War for your friends! War for your freedom! War for the Kingdom of God to be established everywhere you walk! You can't lose.

One of my favorite songs right now that helps me keep my eyes on the Victorious One:



AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US, THEN WHO COULD EVER STOP US?!!