Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
We are truly living in the last days. There is definitely no shortage of destructive behavior that exists in our world today. So many men and women are bound up with addictions in order to cope with the fear that grips them on a daily basis. I currently work in a very public space and I cross paths with a lot of youth that are desperately searching for identity and fulfillment. The despondency is so heavy in the atmosphere and I'm petitioning to the Lord to provide a wave of refreshing in a land that seems barren at times. The Lord frequently sends me a glaring reminder that we are waging a warfare in this season. This isn't a time that is marked as a routine struggle, but a warfare that is marked for the eternity of our salvation. The stakes are much higher and the margin of error is razor thin. My Modern-Day spiritual warfare simulator was recently put to the test this past weekend:
This particular Saturday started off very calmly, almost as if everything was going in slow motion. I was coming off from a very physically demanding work week and I knew I needed to be intentional about getting some rest. I woke up from a late afternoon nap and checked some phone notifications, only to see a post that there was an assassination attempt on the former President of the United States. The initial news was shocking, and a part of me was skeptical due to the level of disinformation that we are accustomed to witnessing in the course of our daily news wires. After watching several hours of multiple accounts regarding the incident, it was confirmed that there was an active shooter at the presidential rally that had unleashed multiple rounds. I listened to the testimony of several eyewitnesses, and it was affirmed that we are living amidst certain individuals that are possessed by a spirit of evil and will stop at nothing to destroy their target.
I was so immersed in discussion of the news that I had forgotten to eat dinner. In the wake of my hunger, I decided to take a late evening drive to grab a bite to eat. As I was heading southbound through the intersection at a steady speed, I suddenly saw a small white car attempting to make a turn in front of me on my left side. I literally had no time to slow down and attempt to dodge the vehicle; I only had time to shout, "Lord, here it comes", as I braced for impact by gripping the steering wheel tightly. By the grace of God, the driver of the other vehicle and I weren't severely injured and we were able to walk away from the accident virtually unscathed. While it's unfortunate that I'll be without transportation for the time being, I realize that material things can be replaced. This series of events is just a brutal reminder that we can't take for granted the covering of the blood of Jesus Christ. We will encounter people that are cloaked in dark spirits and operate under oppression that forces them to do destructive acts. God's mercy provides a fervent safe haven that will account for the things we can't see or understand, and it can provoke us to walk in forgiveness and see the best in others. I have made a decision to walk in love and allow the Spirit of God to dwell in me, rather than crawl around in the shadows of condemnation and fear.
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