By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
A year or so ago, I had a short, yet very vivid dream.
The dream started with a man trying to get into our back door. He had one foot in, but I was pushing hard against the door and managed to close and lock it. Suddenly, I saw him through the window walking around the side of the house. I remembered that I had left the front window open, so I ran to the living room where he was already trying to climb in.
In the dream, my hubby was not at home at the time, but I pretended to call out for my husband to get his gun as I was trying to keep the thief out of our home.
I was yelling threats at the intruder, and I had even grabbed a blunt object that I proceeded to pound over his head.
My efforts were keeping him at bay, but he was still a real threat, and smirking at me the whole time.
Suddenly, I woke up.
A bit shaken, I prayed, “Lord, what was that about?”
He spoke to my heart, “My child, you are trying to fight spiritual battles with physical weapons. This is why you are so weary.”
Then the Holy Spirit gave me these two verses:
“Wherefore He says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:6-7
I knew exactly what the Lord meant.
I was struggling with circumstances in my life and fighting battles that have already been won in Christ Jesus!! That is why the thief was smirking at me the whole time in my dream.
“Submitting to God” means to go to trust in Him and His word. Find every verse that deals with your particular circumstance (“battle”) and stand on his word (meditate/chew on/speak/declare) until it gets down into your heart. “How a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
I had been studying the word for many years, yet in recent months I had neglected to “abide” in Him (His word/presence to build up my faith muscles.
“Now faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1
See, I was living off of “yesterday” faith, not “now” faith, this is how the devil was able to steal my joy and peace in a difficult situation. I was worn out, both mentally and physically because “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” I believe when your soul is not at rest, it affects your physical body as well.
“A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
I was not focusing on God’s love for me, I was too busy fighting off the intruder.
You know, by choosing to stand in the word of God over what we see, taste, hear, smell or feel, we are “resisting” (actively fighting against) the devil.
When truth comes in, light is shed in our lives.
And when a burglar trips the alarm, the bells go off, the property is flooded with light, and the thief flees in terror! We are not fighting the devil anymore. He is a defeated foe!
As I was writing this column and reflecting on these truths, it occurred to me that when we are abiding in the word of God, then we are fully equipped and ready to rebuke him.
If he even approaches us and tries to steal the word from us, alarms will sound in our spirit, and the light of the Gospel (good news) will send him running before he even gets a foot in the door.
We are standing on the word of God, and reminding Satan that every born again child of God is in the body of Christ, and “all things are under His feet,” therefore Satan is under OUR feet. Eph. 1:19-23
The devil knows this. But he is not sure if we do.
“Fight the good fight of faith.” 1 Tim. 6:12
(All scripture taken from the NKJV.)
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
