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Well now...it is high time to get back to work and resume all those usual duties again after having a very profitable holy day season for Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. It was a very beautiful time to come out of the world and celebrate the monumental sacrifice Christ and His Father gave to each and every one of us. First week back at work is now complete and it is time once again to rest on the Sabbath. What would we do without the Sabbath?! Thankfully the delightful Sabbath is here for us to praise God for His mercy and perfection in His great love for us, His children. Father indeed knows best!
Things are back to “normal” with the usual rhythm of life and pattern of existence we enjoy. What is normal I find myself wondering? These past few days have revealed a few things to me which I can’t really say are normal at all. For instance I met many new clients, a few of whom are very frail and may not live another year. Some of these were very interested in how God is working in my life — one lady was keen to have me provide her with the latest edition of Beyond Today to consider. An avid reader for whom I have no doubt will devour her copy rather eagerly and speedily. Our 500 copies of Beyond Today magazines arrived in two separate deliveries and so we were very grateful to be able to fill up both stands in the shopping malls God chose for us to tend and keep.
An offer of country work was offered to me but after mulling it over and going to God in prayer, this was not taken up as travelling back after sunset on the Sabbath, unpacking the car, and cleaning up the home, is not our idea of how to keep the Sabbath in a restful and respectful way. God willing, there will be other opportunities. As it is, next week is already full of bookings for work over 4 days and that is plenty for our needs. God has indeed blessed us with local work and more time to settle back into our usual dwelling place which makes for a nice, slower pace. Time to enjoy the garden and potter about in between work. Our old boy Ralph the kitty cat prefers us staying home too rather than getting random daily visits for feeding purposes.
Catching up with family has been interesting and also distressing. Learning about a family member’s plight in regards to cardiac disease (chronic heart failure) has been rather confronting, even quite concerning, as she cried tears of sadness and despair of not wanting to live. Depression is such a difficult disease to cope with, but with God’s help we will find a way to help my younger sister. While all of this was going on, another family member is seeking out an appointment with a specialist for hormone therapy related to transgenderism. Now that to us is SO ABNORMAL. Not every day does one come home to that type of news. More tears were shed as they want acceptance and approval, however we can at best offer them love as a close relative, and are unable to compromise on this perverted behaviour of attempting to change their state from a female to a male. This person is not of adult age but yet they argue that they are totally convinced they are right. Nobody has the right to tell God that they have been created wrongly. How the devil delights in his putrid and hateful brand of wickedness. Confusion and delusion abound and reign supreme in the tortured minds he has fouled with his sick twisted evil thoughts. The young person concerned has been diagnosed clinically with depression and takes medication (antidepressants) twice a day, which has taken “the edge” off their desire to suicide. I am deeply thankful for this even though medication is the last resort in my mind.
To top off my week with one other thing that is SO ABNORMAL, and I have saved the most bizarre for last, I experienced something totally alien to me that is known as sleep paralysis. I guess there is a first time for everything but I hope this first time is the last time too. As I was lying in my bed sleeping the other night, I became suddenly conscious I was awake and screaming as loudly and repetitively as I could...blood curdling screams thinking I would be waking up even the people next door. I could not understand why nobody was coming to see what all the screaming was about. Then I started yelling out as loudly as I could “help” “help” “help” over and over again. I felt like I was straining my voice but at the same time it was suppressed as if somebody was controlling whether I could speak or not. Such a very weird experience. Finally my husband came running into the bedroom to ask what is wrong. Apparently only the last four times I yelled out for help, were audible — the rest were not heard. Bizarre, utterly bizarre! What is going on???
I did not see anyone or hear anyone in my bedroom that night but I immediately started screaming as I felt my body interfered with. Can the enemy actually stop the circuitry in our brain from initiating speech? Can he somehow affect the synapses from sending messages from the brain to the muscles in order to prevent bodily functioning from occurring? If he could permanently, he would, but he cannot. God is protecting His own and to have this protection is awesome and it should never be underestimated or taken for granted.
Have you ever felt like you have been taken captive and there was not a thing you could do physically to get away? Spiritually I prayed for Jesus Christ to intervene and He did. After much reflection I do believe the message the enemy wants me to receive is this...”I will shut you up from telling people about how wonderful your life is since God rescued you...I am more powerful than you, you insignificant human weakling interfering in my work. You make me sick how you joyfully go about your days proclaiming the good news of the gospel. I can’t believe you are still just as invested as the day you were called...your first love is an abomination to me. How I have tried to pull you out and away from the Truth so many times. I have tried to destroy your family and remove everyone from your life. What will it take? How I would love to capture you and silence you once and for all. I am waiting for you to slip up and give me a foothold, just a small one will do, and then I can easily destroy you. I hate you for abandoning me and worshipping another”…or words to that effect (1 Peter 5:8, Luke 22:31).
So that was my “normal” week. Now what? Back to fighting the good fight of being strong in the Lord. Put on the whole armour of God to fight against this spiritual warfare and strengthen ourselves as we continue to fight the very fight of our lives. Ephesians 6:11-18 says it so well “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—“.
We must not ever give up, nor succumb to the evil that threatens to silence and devour us. In the famous words of Winston Churchill “We shall never surrender...this is YOUR victory”. Below is the link to transcripts from some of Churchill’s speeches in Parliament. The few words mentioned above have been taken from the website link:
https://history.blog.gov.uk/2013/12/02/we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches-three-things-you-never-knew-about-churchills-most-famous-speech/
At times we will grow weary but for those times we need to have a master plan in place to eradicate the effects from our enemy, the adversary, the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). And so, we keep on keeping on this journey as we are nearly there in the Promised Land. We are at the very threshold of the gates now! I can almost see it, almost smell it, almost hear it, and almost taste it. Won’t it be so great to stand on our feet within the New Jerusalem — the city of incomparable beauty and peace, so worth fighting for (Revelation 21). One day at a time, one foot in front of the other and we will soon be there. Now we move forward as the mighty body of Christ. Brethren, we are not living ordinary “normal” lives but extraordinary lives in striving for total devotion and obedience to Christ who will one day say “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your LORD and Master (Matthew 25:21, 23, 34; Luke 22:29; Revelation 3:21, 21:7). What a day that will be!