Violet
April 8th, 2007, 06:20 PM
Spiritual murder
Hurts, heartaches, betrayal all destroy who we are. We are inflicted with physical, psychological, spiritual wounds that take years to heal.
But as Believers who trust the Living God, we can block the knife of spiritual murder the devil swings at us.
We block the blows with the shield of faith* given to us when we accepted Christ as Savior.
It seems holidays are times when the enemy of our souls eagerly waits to spring on us some mortal wound. We aren't expecting to hear things said by friends and relatives that at moment they register in our minds the poison has already spread to the deepest part of our soul and spirit. We sink into a chair physically ill at what has just been said.
Like so many others, we grew up in a very dysfunctional family, but lets call it what it really is, sin. 1960s, Father was in prison, blackmail, forgery, armed robbery, attempted murder. He was on the front cover of the local paper in handcuffs "Gangster Smith* caught." was the headline. Mother was already emotionally damaged from living the horrors of two wars that played out on the streets in Europe where she lived and in the home she grew up in. She was physically and emotionally abusive especially to the youngest of her children.
Jump forward to today, on the phone with my twin brother, we share that bond twins share (but to a smaller extent as he is not a believer). In discussing stressful recent and painful past events he mentions mother's confession, "you know about that?" he asks "No" I reply. He starts, "When we we babies, mom and the old man got drunk and were going to drown us, they put us in the bath tub, but she stopped it." I knew it was true. Years ago Father told me one day he came into the baby's room just as Mother had started to smother the youngest in her crib and stopped her. I always knew how Mother felt about her youngest but somehow I had always hoped that there was some sort of fatherly love for the youngest.
The past fell on me like a mountain. In a moment I was the little girl again who was always hiding from her mother, terrified of her mother, because the little girl always knew how her mother really felt about her. Now it seems the betrayal had come full circle. It wasn't just mother anymore.
My brother and I talked for a few more minutes, then said goodbye. I was physically ill. "Lord help me!" I cried. I pulled the poisoned arrow from my heart as I started praying. "Lord, comfort me, heal me and my brother." I prayed earnestly for my family and myself.
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." Psalm 27:10 rescued me from the crushing weight of the enemy's attack. I grabbed onto The Truth and held on for dear life. I knew the enemy was intending to drown me with the past.
I had a choice, cling to Christ and The Truth of His Word or let go and slip into despair. I clung tighter to the Truth and started rebuking the devil. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 was the victory that overcame this battle.
I will be honest with you, this attack caught me off guard but the Lord has been teaching me to be ready, always ready.
So I say to you Beloved of the Lord, be ready, always ready. Know Whom you have believed and walk in the Victory of the finished work of Calvary.
Revelation 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
*Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
*Name changed to protect privacy
Hurts, heartaches, betrayal all destroy who we are. We are inflicted with physical, psychological, spiritual wounds that take years to heal.
But as Believers who trust the Living God, we can block the knife of spiritual murder the devil swings at us.
We block the blows with the shield of faith* given to us when we accepted Christ as Savior.
It seems holidays are times when the enemy of our souls eagerly waits to spring on us some mortal wound. We aren't expecting to hear things said by friends and relatives that at moment they register in our minds the poison has already spread to the deepest part of our soul and spirit. We sink into a chair physically ill at what has just been said.
Like so many others, we grew up in a very dysfunctional family, but lets call it what it really is, sin. 1960s, Father was in prison, blackmail, forgery, armed robbery, attempted murder. He was on the front cover of the local paper in handcuffs "Gangster Smith* caught." was the headline. Mother was already emotionally damaged from living the horrors of two wars that played out on the streets in Europe where she lived and in the home she grew up in. She was physically and emotionally abusive especially to the youngest of her children.
Jump forward to today, on the phone with my twin brother, we share that bond twins share (but to a smaller extent as he is not a believer). In discussing stressful recent and painful past events he mentions mother's confession, "you know about that?" he asks "No" I reply. He starts, "When we we babies, mom and the old man got drunk and were going to drown us, they put us in the bath tub, but she stopped it." I knew it was true. Years ago Father told me one day he came into the baby's room just as Mother had started to smother the youngest in her crib and stopped her. I always knew how Mother felt about her youngest but somehow I had always hoped that there was some sort of fatherly love for the youngest.
The past fell on me like a mountain. In a moment I was the little girl again who was always hiding from her mother, terrified of her mother, because the little girl always knew how her mother really felt about her. Now it seems the betrayal had come full circle. It wasn't just mother anymore.
My brother and I talked for a few more minutes, then said goodbye. I was physically ill. "Lord help me!" I cried. I pulled the poisoned arrow from my heart as I started praying. "Lord, comfort me, heal me and my brother." I prayed earnestly for my family and myself.
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." Psalm 27:10 rescued me from the crushing weight of the enemy's attack. I grabbed onto The Truth and held on for dear life. I knew the enemy was intending to drown me with the past.
I had a choice, cling to Christ and The Truth of His Word or let go and slip into despair. I clung tighter to the Truth and started rebuking the devil. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 was the victory that overcame this battle.
I will be honest with you, this attack caught me off guard but the Lord has been teaching me to be ready, always ready.
So I say to you Beloved of the Lord, be ready, always ready. Know Whom you have believed and walk in the Victory of the finished work of Calvary.
Revelation 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
*Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
*Name changed to protect privacy