I am more than a conqueror. Romans 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. We shrink from war and battle in today’s society. It’s not a war against terror, no mention of strikes or maneuvers, on the outside chance we offend or seem too harsh. We are bred for pacificity, not peace or war. But we are strong warriors in Christ! We don’t just kinda conquer, we overwhelmingly conquer the enemy! That should make us want to grab our swords, take a battle stance, and start hacking away at the enemy’s kingdom! A strong arm with shield held high A strong hand with sword wielded skillfully A strong mind to plot the enemy’s demise A strong heart to take courage and endure Strong feet to stand firm and strong Created to conquer No longer content to stand by No longer willing to watch Stride confidently Win overwhelmingly No shrinking back No fear For our God is greater Our God is stronger Our God is a mighty commander And His army has already won the battle! * Incidentally, the sword in the picture is a replica of Glamdring, the sword carried by Gandalf in The Hobbit. It is called “Foe-Hammer” and “The Beater” by its enemies.
Silence cuts more cleanly than a knife A back turned is a jagged shard scraped across my heart A disgusted retreat is a thousand glittering points plunged deeply into my soul I don’t know how a tear became an ocean I don’t know how a word became a wall When did one question asked in peace towards comfort Turn so dark, so deadly, so full of rage? Now I am alone Not quite alone I don’t know how to apologize for a crime I’m unaware of I don’t know how to mend a tear I didn’t know I caused. Are these shadows of the past Come to haunt and taunt and torment me? Are these old wounds left to fester until accidentally jarred? Are these freshly caused by me or Are these year and years more old? When I thought the thing was whole, When I thought all was resolved The the winds howled suddenly louder The the rain came lashing down And the silence was a slamming door at your back The lock so finally turning the rumbling thunder in the dark. My tears are spent My heart is frozen My hands tremble as I write. It is empty I’m confused It is quiet I’m shaking Is it done?
Last night I was speaking with my mother-in-law about some of the things my brother-in-law has been going through. They grew up in Hawaii, and there’s a massive amount of demonic activity there because of the practices of its original inhabitants. And he was harassed a lot as a child… now he’s having to deal with getting rid of the demons that he dealt with as a child, and it’s not easy, nor is it pretty. As we’ve been dealing with this (my husband is really close to his brother), we’ve found out more, including about some of the curses leveled at the men who fought in Vietnam, which his father did (and seems to be living proof of those curses). It’s probably surreal to some people, but I’ve seen things manifest through people I know. When I was pregnant with my first son one of those things growled at me while I was in bed one night – like a dog growls at someone it doesn’t like. The suggestion that perhaps part of Mr. G’s problem with speech could be spiritually related made me furious! Not that it was suggested, but that something would mess with my little boy! It certainly lends truth to the saying about not making mama angry. Well, I don’t know if that’s what’s going with G. or if it’s just nature. But I do know that I refuse to stand by and let anything harass my littles the way that my brother-in-law was harassed! So, last night I had a conversation with God and I told him that if he would teach me, I would fight. The gauntlet has been thrown. And if it’s made of metal, I’d like to slap a certain prince of the air with it. However, I know that my strength only comes through YHWH and without Him, I’m toast. So, lead on! On a side note: Here’s an excellent post by Skip Moen. It seems like he’s making a stand here, too. :) Read more.