You ever have one of those days when you feel like you are under constant attack…like you are being hit from every direction imaginable with something? Whether its unexpected bills, unexpected loss, unexpected circumstances at work that take you off your feet……..that knock the wind out of you and put you on your back, things that you think, “There is no way I can recover from this!!!” It happens to all of us. We start our day and everything seems to be going great, and then BAM!!!!!, out of nowhere it starts. It’s almost like sitting on your front porch and watching a storm blow in. First you see the dark clouds….uh oh, are the windows closed? Then thunder and lightning. The wind. And the next thing you know you are in the middle of a devastating storm, gathering your children and pets and hiding in a bathroom. The good news is that eventually it will all blow over. It may be rough, and it may be scary, but it will pass.
Yesterday was one of those days. For those of you that don’t know, I work in the aviation industry. I work in a service center, similar to when you take your car in to the car dealership for maintenance. Well, we had two planes we were prepping for today’s departure. The last day before a plane leaves is always stressful, but I’m pretending to be in charge this week with my boss on vacation, so that adds an extra level of stress, an extra level of responsibility.
The day started with me waking up late for work, no big deal, I build extra time into my schedule. Then I got stuck by a train….getting a little closer to being late. I clock in with a minute to spare. I print my work reports knowing one plane is about finished, the other had two problems overnight I thought might be fixed. Of course they weren’t. By lunchtime we were up to three problems (Cue the lightning and thunder.) I go to the park. I talk to God and find my peace….ready to attack this head on in the afternoon. By 1:30 a fourth problem arises. The customer is getting antsy about his departure date….his mood changes (Full blown storm.)
(As I left work, two problems had solutions but weren’t completely fixed……the other two, who knows? Here’s to crossing our fingers, and lots of prayer.)
Here’s the thing and it wasn’t until after I got home that I realized what had happened. You see, yesterday was my 15 year wedding anniversary….. to an amazing, confident, loving, beautiful woman. I was being attacked…..by the devil himself. He knew how important the day was…..and he was coming after me…..dead set on making my night the worse imaginable anniversary as possible. But guess what? As the day went on I knew exactly what was happening…maybe not the exact reason, but I knew I was being hit by a full frontal assault. It was at that point I made it a game. No matter what he did, he wasn’t gonna get me down.
It’s at times like these that I like to go to one of my favorite set of verses in the Bible. I would love to put it all in here, but its a little long. I’ll challenge you to some homework…its a very powerful section about wearing the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-24.) But I will put this for when the devil has sent his legion to do everything they can to stop you in your tracks…”Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.”
The devil will attack you. The devil will send his demons to surround you, poke you, prod you, make you want to quit. They will whisper in your ear, “You aren’t worthy, you can’t do this, you are a loser, why don’t you just quit?” Everyone seems to believe in angels…probably because of how majestic, beautiful and powerful they are. But no one seems to think about demons. And for every bit as majestic that angels are, demons are their equivalence in horrible, nasty, rotting, disgusting things.
So when the devil has sent his army after you, Suit up!!, don’t let him win. For Jesus Christ is standing by your side. He is your strength, your courage, and your ultimate defender in times like these. Fight the good fight. Run the good race. And no matter what happens…..keep the faith.
Tetelestai 