Is it awesome to spend a year spreading the kingdom of God… yes!!! Is it a blessing to be the hands and feet of Jesus… yes!!! Is it a joy to serve those we meet… yes!!! It is always easy… no. Does the devil get scared and attack… yes!
Ephesians 6: 10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full amor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For 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. Spiritual warfare is a real thing. I always was told growing up that spiritual warfare was real but that demons cannot posses you if you are saved. I still believe this to be true and they cannot claim possession because I am permanently Gods and nothing can take me out of His hands! (John10: 28-29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.) They can however attack and attach themselves to believers in hopes of stealing joy, preventing love, and halting the expansion of the kingdom.
At the awakening I kept hearing the word deliverance thrown around. People walking through it, and experiencing freedom on the other side. But was it for me? My morning started with a burning rash on my neck and arm. It was painful and ugly, and distracting. At one point I missed a session waiting to be seen by a doctor. As I waited my squad leader sat down next to me and began telling me about her recent experience with deliverance this past week from a spirit of confusion and fear. It had not possessed her but it was attached to her and having an impact on her life. It got me thinking, this is a strong beautiful woman of God that I love and respect and she walked through this maybe it’s not crazy.
Then I attended the afternoon session which was over intercession. During this session a leader from the other squad got up and talked through both deliverance and inner healing and how she had walked many people through both and that it’s not something you should do on your own. Again the wheels were turning. Right after two of my teammates were talking about their experiences walking through it just that day and how it wasn’t scary it was freeing.
That evening our guest speaker was sharing and mentioned deliverance and ended with a question what is God asking you do to right now? I sat there quietly in my seat in the back of the room and knew the answer was to ask this leader from the other team to walk me through this. I was nervous and hesitant but I approached her and asked her if she had time the next day to walk me through this process. She quickly said yes and said ask someone you trust to come with you.
I asked my dear friend and teammate if she would be willing to do this with me and she agreed. Her job was to intercede on my behalf and write down the thing that were said. The next day the 3 of us sat down and the leader started with a prayer of protection over us and this space. She asked me to pray a prayer of surrender, I did. She explained that the devil is not that creative and he copies the Holy Spirit. It’s why we start to believe lies as truth. She said she would begin to ask questions and the spirits will answer in the same way that I hear from God. So when they answer I would convey that message. It quickly became evident that I had a spirit of frustration under which was hurt, pride, and fear. Once we knew what I was fighting she had me pray a prayer against those things and inviting the Holy Spirit in to fill those places instead. As I finished she cast out the spirits in the name of Jesus Christ! And then something happened that I had never in my life experienced before! I had been sitting hunched over with my head down during this time and I was physically lifted to sitting straight up with my head held high. It was not me initiating this movement and I couldn’t even control it. But I was the lightest I have ever felt in my entire life! Those lies and spirits were literally lifted off of me by the power of Jesus Christ and I experienced such freedom!
As I walked around that day a few of my leaders stopped me and made comments such as “You look lighter.” “You are glowing today.” “You look exceptionally beautiful today.” Wow I was reflecting on the outside what had happened on the inside. People could see a difference already.
Does this mean that I won’t be attacked again… no. Does this mean that specifically the spirit of frustration can never come back… no. But it does mean that I am equipped to recognize it and fight against it! It does mean that no matter what the attack my God is greater, and stronger, and way more powerful!!!
