A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


June 9, 2015

Our Authority to Tread On Serpents: A Personal Battle

     Today, you may think I have really gone off my rocker.  But I must write about a situation that my husband and I are fighting, and it involves a beloved pet and spiritual warfare.  Actually, we have a history with fighting this battle, and in order for you to gain the full significance, I must start at the beginning.
     About ten years ago, my husband, whose name literally means Peace-Loving Warrior (PLW), and I had entered a new phase of our journey with the Lord.  God had moved us to what I call my "desert years"; near a small community, to a farmhouse we would renovate, on 129 acres.  It was the beginning of my long, and often difficult, period of personal change and spiritual development, in which I began to learn to really trust God for everything, especially my provision.  In the process I was growing spiritually, and seeking ever-more knowledge of Him through His Word.
     Simultaneously, PLW was becoming active in studying with me, and we decided to do a Bible study on the Book of Daniel.  Well, I am here to tell you that Satan does not want us coming anywhere near that prophetic and eschatological Book!  We were both deep into the study, seeing and understanding more about the End Times and how Satan's plan was coming into conflict with God's detailed program as laid out in Daniel ... and we were seeing it in our time, as clear as day!  This was new for both of us, and we began to eagerly read all the prophetic books in the Bible and step-by-step, began connecting the dots.
     So, do you think that the Devil is going to sit idly by and let us get stronger and more knowledgeable and fit for battle in this Age?  He struck where he knew it would hurt us the most, in the hopes to tear us away from God and His Word.  You see, to fully know and understand PLW, you must recognize his heart for animals.  He is aware in his spirit that God is concerned about everything that He has created, including animals.  And being created in God's image, we care about the animals He has given us as pets.  We have been given dominion over them, and are to be stewards of their care and welfare.  And anyone who has owned a pet knows that they are an image of God's unconditional love.  And I have always loved seeing the relationship that PLW has had with the dogs God has put in our care.  The adoration in their eyes is returned in the way he looks after them and provides for their needs.  And they are the perfect target when Satan wants to distract us from our spiritual journey.
     At that time, in the heart of the Daniel study, we lost two of our dogs to the surreptitious attack of a six-foot rattlesnake.  PLW had to put down one of the dogs, and it was a dark personal time for him.  I had to keep telling him that I felt in my soul that the Devil sent that snake to disrupt our study; to keep us from understanding the prophecies of Daniel, and to make us blame God for our sorrow -- we couldn't let that happen and we must defeat the Enemy by appealing to God for mercy and healing, and by continuing in His Word.  We slowly emerged from that devastating time, but the scars of that spiritual battle are still with us.
     Now, ten years later, I feel a renewed attack.  We have grown beyond recognizing the times in which we live, and have assumed our places on the front lines of the spiritual battle.  God has shown us that Paul's warning in Ephesians 6 is real; that we are not only contending with physical opponents, but with the powers and demons of Darkness in the spiritual realm.  In layman's terms, there are actual supernatural forces in the spiritual spheres that have been given assignments to mess with us -- all in the effort to disrupt our Kingdom work.
     This time the attack has come against another one of our beloved pets, but not because of any particular study we have done.  I believe this attack has been ordered because we have progressed beyond studying spiritual warfare, to actually practicing spiritual warfare.  And here is what I believe generated this latest attack... a little over a week ago, PLW and I visited a good friend and member of our home church group.  As we were getting ready to leave her home, he noticed a Chinese ornament hanging in her kitchen ... an iconic cobra carved out of wood.
     He immediately recognized it as symbolizing the demonic Kundalini spirit, a power that occultists believe is coiled like a serpent at the base of the spine, supposedly ready to spring up when you get in the proper state of consciousness.  And here it was presented in a symbolic Chinese ornament, with red fringe hanging from its perimeter.  "Who gave this to you?" PLW asked.  And her answer, while shocking, should not be surprising ... "Christian missionary friends of mine who are serving in China."  What a perfect way for Satan to counter any enlightening message that these missionaries might be bringing to China ... get these "souvenirs" from China into Christian homes in America to wreak their havoc.  And that most likely explains the strange "attacks" our friend was having in the middle of the night... sensations that "something" was trying to suffocate or strangle her.
     After removing the ornament from the house and discarding it, PLW gave our friend instructions on how to cleanse herself and her home from the effects of this demonic icon; how to ask forgiveness for allowing it into her home, and how to plead the blood of Jesus over herself and her house.  You might be thinking that this is all ridiculous-sounding and the actions of two fanatical Christians, but we believe in the Bible and its eternal messages to us.  How is this any different from the wooden idols that the Israelites brought into their homes, and which resulted in similar devastation upon their households and nation?  Why should Satan alter his strategy?  It has worked for thousands of years!
     Unfortunately, I also believe that because of our stand against this demonic spirit, the Devil has chosen to attack us, once again, through the innocence of one of our pets.  Within two days of this incident, our dog came down with systemic sepsis throughout her body, and we nearly lost her.  After over two hours of surgery, (in which we were present), no cause could be determined and we still have no assurance that she will ultimately survive this attack.  Our vet is one of the best, and "old-school"; he has seen it all.  He is completely mystified as to what is going on with this dog.  But I think I know.
     Once again, we have crossed a threshold that Satan doesn't want us knowing anything about, and he knows we do not fear him.  So he attacks what is the most vulnerable in our lives ... our defenseless and innocent pets.  But we are fighting him in our dog's defense, too.  Satan does not have dominion over us, and we will not allow him to have supremacy over our animals, either.
     I want to make it clear that we are, by no means, attempting to "exorcise demons" or begin a ministry of deliverance.  But we are learning about, and claiming, our authority over Satan, and exercising our right to take action against situations that are fostered by the Devil's schemes.   We are totally dependent on Jesus to lead us, and it is His power through the Holy Spirit that backs up our authority.  We are above all these evil entities, seated in the heavenly places with Jesus, and Satan will not deter us.  We will continue to point out his demonic influences in this world, and we will continue to practice spiritual warfare and educate our fellow Christians.  The battle lines have been drawn, and it is time to get prepared to fight!

PostScript:  Just hours ago, we and our beloved pet lost our battle.  But once again, I am thanking God for the time we had (especially these last couple of days) and I am grateful for our friendship with CW, a friend and veterinarian, who graciously helped us end our dog's suffering.  It is never easy to let them go, but I am happy that she is no longer hurting and scared, and I can't wait to see her in heaven.  (And yes, I'm one of THOSE people ... I can't imagine Paradise without my animals).  And, finally, Satan may think that he won, but our faith is stronger than ever, and we're more determined than ever to beat him on the spiritual battlefield.

Proverbs 12:10   "The righteous care for the needs of their animals ..."
   

2 comments:

  1. I, too, look forward to the day when I will see my beloved pets in heaven!
    Thank you for this commentary and reminder about the spiritual war that we are in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen. The pain is only bearable because of the fond memories and the mercy of my Lord.

      Delete