There are times in our walk with God that it seems like He has withdrawn Himself and we are now left on our own. Of course this is not true, for He says He will never leave us or forsake us, but if we were to go by your feelings it just seems that way.
For most of the time I enjoy sweet fellowship with the Lord and walk in His strength and favour but there are the odd days that I sense the presence of the enemy and I can’t seem to do anything about it. I miss those days where I feel strong and bathe in Gods love.
The bible says that there will be evil days, and on those days we are to stand.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” Ephesians 6:13
Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong, and you know, you just need to be careful for it seems like the Devil is out to get you. Sometimes these days can stretch into weeks but God assures us that we have the victory.
“weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5
Yes your night will soon end and daybreak will bring joy once more. I often quote this verse from the Psalms when I find myself in a dark place.
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.” Psalm 16:9-10
This is the verse Jesus quoted when He died on the cross, and found Himself in Hell. He declared that His Father would not leave Him there. “You will not leave me in Hell” and the Lord will not leave you in your dark place either, He will come and rescue you.
Just last week I was under attack and had no energy to do anything. The bible says that Jesus has come to give us life; it’s the Devil that has come to steal, kill and destroy.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
If you have no life, strength or energy, know this that it’s the Devil attacking you for you have within you the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and there is no power greater than that. He will quicken your mortal body just as He did the Lord’s raising Him from the dead.
I was resisting these symptoms but nothing much was happening. I was standing in the Evil Day, holding fast my confession. I asked the Lord what was going on and I felt Him say that the Devil is attacking me. Submit yourself to God and He will lift you up in due season.
To confirm to me that this was the Devil the Lord spoke to me in a powerful way, through not only scriptures but circumstances.
We have a flat corrugated iron roof, which is wonderful when it is raining, to hear the sound of rain through the night on the roof. I quote that verse that His voice is as the sound of many waters in the rain.
The trouble is you can also hear birds walking on the roof and the other night for the first time I heard a cat prowling around above my head. I have never heard that before for there is no easy way for a cat to get up there. I got up and prayed still feeling the enemy pressing in on me, and the cat somehow got down again.
That morning I went and grabbed a coffee and went to the point overlooking the ocean where I often go for a quiet time. Sometimes its good to go somewhere different and pray. While I was sitting there a cat came and sat next to my car looking up at me. I have never seen that before, for this is seagull territory. I sensed the Lord was trying to tell me something, so I asked Him what He was trying to tell me.
He said that the Devil is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The Lord was symbolizing the cat as a lion to me.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
When I got home, my daily reading was of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den. Praise God the lions were not able to touch him for his confidence was in Lord. The Devil may be close and breathing down your neck too but He will not be able to touch you. His roar may be loud but He will not be able to bite you.
I have found that being thankful and praising God in times like this is a powerful way to resist the Devil. The promise is that He will have to flee from you.
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Not only was I under attack but my wife had suddenly came down with back pain and ended up in bed, I encouraged her to thank God for everything she could think of too, and Praise God it eventually lifted.
Amazingly enough that same afternoon another of my daily readings was from 1 Peter 5:8-9 again of the Devil being like a roaring lion wanting to take me out. Praise God the Spirit can speak to us if we take the time to listen.
The Evil Days will soon end and if we have submitted ourselves to God we find that we are a lot stronger and more effective in our future fights of faith. Amen
“I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.” Psalm 30:1-3