During our time here at El Shaddai the enemy has been attacking. People have been having nightmares, some can’t ever get a good night’s sleep, others are not feeling like they are being themselves but nothing ever triggered it, some wake up at the exact same time during the middle of the night (3:30am), and some feel a heaviness. A lot of this has been happening in the house my team and Team Ratsah are staying in. Four teams are down a hill by our kitchen and personal area in bunk beds and then our two teams are up the hill in the old baby house in our tents.
During worship on the 13th we as a squad addressed this issue of spiritual warfare and discussed how as followers of Christ, and as people who are going out among the nations and proclaiming the gospel, we have suddenly become the devil’s number one enemy. He is scared of us, and thus, he is trying to scare us into not being a light to others. To scare us into turning away from trusting the power of the Lord and instead giving the enemy a foothold in our lives to keep us away from God.
After worship about 20 of us went to the house we are staying in and just prayed. Some prayed outside surrounding the house and some walked throughout our living spaces and prayed. We declared Jesus’ name and power and light in that house. We declared that the enemy had no place in our hearts, minds, tents, rooms, house, or space. We declared freedom in Jesus’ name. Then we came together and all prayed together as one unit.
I walked away from that time of prayer feeling lighter and powerful in the Lord. I felt the impact of having 20 brothers and sisters praying and declaring the power of the Lord. I walked away from that time of prayer feeling more connected to the Christian family surrounding me, feeling more and more the authority of the Lord God we serve.
I walked away from that time of prayer realizing that although I hadn’t recognized it, I had been living in anxiety every single night I was here, wondering if something would happen that night. I had been struggling to fall asleep because I know that the enemy tries to mess with us but I felt alone in that anxiety and struggle.
Yet after that prayer I was reminded of how powerful our God is and that I’m not the only one who experiences things like that from the enemy. But God has already won the war against the enemy. God has already won the battle between darkness and light. He has already proven His constant power over the enemy and of anything that is not of Him.
I went to bed that night without anxiety or fear. People who haven’t been sleeping well, got their best night of sleep that night, no nightmares happened that night, and the Lord won that victory and got the glory of His power – not the enemy.
