Visit from the devil

With the Bible in hand into bed did I creep To read a few chapters before going to sleep
As my eyelids grew heavy I heard a faint sound I held onto the good book and turned around
I saw a slight movement come out of the night
I jumped with a start and was consumed with fright
In my room stood a figure menacing and tall His motion was fluid like a shadow on the wall
He stared at me with two piercing eyes and said "Put down the book, stop reading those lies
My master has sent me to get rid of this lark I am an agent of Lucifer the prince of the dark
"I see you are reading in Genesis and Acts More of God's ramblings, now here are the facts Adam and Eve are a myth, they are God's fairy tale
Your ancestors were not human, you once had a tail
"Man was not created, it took many eons of time
You have really evolved from a minute piece of slime
I am known as the destroyer, and Apollyon is my name
Listen to my plans of destruction, the reason I came
"I will infiltrate your churches, and set up the stage
To replace the old time religion with mine the New Age
Forget God's Commandments, put your mind at ease
You can form your own destiny and do as you please
"Why bother with God when you are Number One
Your father's not in Heaven, he's in Washington
I will replace prayers with psychics and make astrology the craze
It will be the same as Babylon back in the good old days
"I will fill up the movies with sex, language and gore
Until is seems like the norm and the people want more
Then I'll bring it all in your homes and put it on TV
On daytime and prime time so the children can see
"Why believe in marriage and spending life with just one
There are many fish in the ocean and swinging is fun
Stop being so pious, it's square to be pure Fear not the diseases for which there's no cure
"Feel free to party and partake of love's portion and lure
And if pregnancy results, there's always abortion
It's not really a child, it's only a fetus that's dead
Let's kill off the children, and save the whales instead
"I took prayers out of the schools and brought condoms in
The kids won't know the difference of what's Holy and what's sin
I'll keep the prisons overflowing and justice from the courts
Your streets will be a war zone, your homes will be forts
"Do not believe in the Holy Spirit as the One who is just
Instead of looking for angels, try some angel dust
I will peddle narcotics in the cities and hills Talking to me is so easy, just pop a few pills
"I will print porno of all sorts and send it through the mail
The courts will allow it, we'll keep it upscale
The commercials and ads will revolve around sex Until infidelity and rape become a reflex
"I will set up your lifestyle so both parents must work
While in gangs and on the streets their children will lurk
Families will break up, the divorce rate will be high I'll make money a problem and all it can buy "You will need alcohol and pills to relieve all your stress
Your mind will be a wasteland for my demons to possess
I will take away your morals and your work ethics too
I will subdue my enemy -- and my enemy is you"
When he finished his tirade he kept leering at me I was now full of rage but had to agree
The things that he talked about were now taking place
His ultimate goal is to destroy the human race
I felt a strength come from within, I lost all sense of fear
This devil cannot hurt me, the Holy Spirit is here
My body is God's Temple, and I will not let it be soiled
For greater is He that's in me than he that's of the world
Still holding the Bible I opened the good book To Revelation chapter 20, hey devil, take a look
An angel is going to bind Satan and throw him in a pit
And for one thousand years that's where he'll sit
He's then removed from the pit and thrown into a fire-filled pool
Where he will burn for eternity to pay for his misrule
He will experience the ultimate pain with the rest of his crew
When this happens to your boss, where does that leave you?
Now what's that you said, the Bible is God's fairy tale?
Listen to me now, devil, some facts I will unveil
The Bible is the true word of God and I can prove it to you
By all His fulfilled prophecies and the existence of the Jew
God said many times He would return His people to their land
And it's happening right now, don't you understand
For twenty-five hundred years, His people had to roam
Now they're coming back to Israel, back to their home
Many times has the world tried to kill off the Jew
But they have survived their enemies, does that give you a clue?
God said "I will make an end of all nations among which I scattered you"
Now tell me, devil, what has happened to Persia, Assyria and Babylon too?
Where is Edom and Moab and Ammon today?
The Philistines have vanished, what more can I say
Many countries that suppressed the Jews no longer exist
This is a fact that cannot be dismissed
But Israel is still here and as strong as before
Far outnumbered by their enemies yet they win every war
They became a nation again, back in May of '48
God foretold this in Isaiah chapter 66 verse 8 The Lord picked the Jews as His chosen race
And after thousands of years they survived by His grace
No other country of people have a history that long
How can such a tiny nation be so powerfully strong?
Many prophecies in the Bible predicted the coming of Christ
About His birth and His life and that He'd be sacrificed
Over fifty prophecies on Jesus and all of them fulfilled
You look a little sick, devil, how come you're not thrilled?
Archaeology has proven the Bible with findings of long ago
From the city of Babylon to the walls of Jericho
The stone of Pontious Pilate and the scrolls of the Dead Sea
The letters of Lachish and the obelisk of Shalmaneser III
The Cyrus Cylinder and the tombstone of Uzziah,
The Assyrian king records and the tunnel of Hezekiah
Hey what's the matter, devil, now you don't look so tall
If all this is not enough, how about the Western Wall?
As I continued my rebuttal, I saw the devil start to weaken
He had no answers for me, I could see he was beaten
I looked him square in the eyes and applied the final thrust
I knew the following words would turn him to dust I rebuke you, evil one, be gone from my sight You may be from the darkness but I am a child of the light
You think you can enter my home and do anything that pleases
Get out of here devil -- in the name of Jesus
His cry was a shrill, more like a scream He disappeared from sight, it was all a bad dream
I looked out the window and saw the sunlight Good riddance to you, you prince of the night
Now I warn all of you, I'm sounding the alarm
Do not shake hands with Satan, you will lose your right arm
He roams the streets like a lion looking for prey
He will be the prince of this world until the Lord's Day
But the Lord's Day is at hand and Satan's running out of time
He knows when Jesus returns, he'll pay for his crime
The final combat is coming and friends I'm not kidding
Get on the Lord's side now before the Battle of Armageddon
Many prophecies have been fulfilled in the last fifty years
That lead to the end times and it certainly appears
With the increase in earthquakes, pestilence, famine and war
This generation may see Jesus as written in Matthew twenty-four
Look around you my friends and see what's going on today
Parents ignoring their children and children who disobey
The profanity and violence and the moral decay
All this belongs to Satan, this is not the Lord's way
The Rapture could be any second when Jesus comes for His Church
Be prepared for that moment, give yourself time for research
When the saved leave the earth, there will be no goodbyes
Don't be left standing here with tears in your eyes
Turn your life over to Jesus, let your flesh be slain
To free you from sin, He went through suffering and pain
To spend eternity in Heaven should be your full-time quest
Remember the years here on earth are only a test
Turn your life over to Jesus, I'll say it again
I'll shout it over the mountains and through every glen
The Lord will be judging all sinners and those who backslide
And believe me, my friends, there's no place you can hide
Stop and listen, good people, He is calling to you To put off the old and to put on the new
To bring Jesus in your life and be freed of Satan's snare
Just say the following words from this simple prayer:
"Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, come into my heart Wash away my sins, give me a new start
You are the Son of the Living God, I give my life to you
Fill me with your presence, with a spirit that's new
"That's all it takes to bring Jesus in your life To get rid of Satan's yoke and all of the strife
If you say this with meaning, then His Presence you'll feel
The Holy Spirit will be there, and you'll be under His seal

~Author Unknown

Be Still and Know that He is God

Oh, where to begin today. I need to write. I am on overload, and this is my outlet.
Sing praise. Thats what I need to do first.

Would you be free from your burden of sin. There's power in the blood, power in the blood. Would you oe'r evil the victory win. There's wonderful power in the blood.
There is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood, of the lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb.

I've been singing it all week. It is all that is getting me through right now. I know God is working, but I'm not seeing it much right now. I am having to walk in faith. I'm exhausted from training at my job, coming home and cleaning, cooking, and raising a family, not to mention all the other activities we have going on. Do some need to go?

I am trying hard to come up with a routine. I'm failing. I feel like I'm drowning. I am not used to working a full 40 hour week. I have been spoiled for too long I guess. I about broke down in tears at work today from all the stress, and that is not like me at all. I am tough. I work well under pressure. So what happened to me today????

As I left work at lunch to run an errand, I was almost in a panic attack. I forgot to grab my sandwich, so I didnt even get to eat, which made my mood a little worse, but I am realizing that sometimes that's just how it goes. When I returned to work though I had more of a feeling of calm and peace than I have had all week, and there is no explanation for it in my mind. Except that He has the whole world in His hands.

Today is Wednesday, church day, and I didnt get to go because my boy had baseball practice. I went in and talked to Pastor D for a few minutes while dropping off my girl. I just needed a shoulder, and God provided. Pastor D gave me a verse, and I am carrying it with me.

Psalm 46:10 (New King James Version)
10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Every aspect of my life is in emotional turmoil right now. I am DESPERATE for peace. I am in a time of crying out to my Lord, "God, I can't take anymore." I need Him first to teach me how to be still. How to just shut off the emotion, the frustration, and yes, even anger.
I wish I could just blurt all here, but out of love and respect, and honour, I can not.
I'm thinking I'm just rattling on here, and while maybe confusing to the reader, it is beneficial to me. I am getting answers as I write.
The first thing that comes to mind: Am I taking care of Stephanie? Nope. I'm not eating right, I'm not prioritizing, I'm not disciplining. I'm not having quiet time with my Bible, and when I lay down at night I'm not spending time with my Lord. I'm thinking over the days' frustration, what I didnt get done, bills, who I'm mad at, etc....

No wonder I have no peace. I have to do something different. A chore chart for the kids, with consequences for not doing them. Thats the discipline. Getting up 5 minutes earlier to have quiet time with my Bible. These are little things that I can do right now that will make a huge difference. I'm "still" right now, focused on the state of my spiritual health. It's the medicine I need to get back to where I belong. I think I will end right now with this, and take a huge dose of it. I'm getting out my Bible, let the day rest, and be still knowing that He is God.

Standing on His Promise

Isaiah 41:10 (New International Version)
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

How is it that you can be going through life one day and everything is absolutely marvelous, not a care in the world, except for continuing to stay on the path that God has set before you. The next day you feel like you've been ran over by a mac truck, with not one problem but a series of things that you just never even saw coming. Ok, some you did, but they seemed to get worse as others arose. That is my life right now.

I have been working really hard at getting trained with my new job, learning to make new routines at home to fit my new full time hours, and still make the time for the family activities that have become so important to our family. It has been stressful, especially the day when the crockpot decided to quit on me, but for the most part I have enjoyed the challenge, and I am learning to be more efficient.

This last weekend I had some things arise that stopped me in my tracks. Things that have me questioning the path I KNOW IN MY HEART THAT GOD HAS SET BEFORE ME. I know these things because I have prayed extensively over them, and I have checked them against God's Holy word. I am learning to be obedient, and joyful to the tasks set before me, even housework. I am bearing fruit like never before, and I am just delighted in doing God's work. I even have tentative plans to go on my very first mission trip next year, I believe to Honduras, to an orphanage.

I know these are usually the times when satan works hard. He has tried and tried to get me to fail again, and while he has not succeeded in winning the war, sometimes he gets the small victories. I have allowed him a window here the last couple of days. The situations that have arisen are not my doing, but ultimately they are my problems now. How I handle them will be very important. This is a time when I have to reach deep inside and find what really matters. Realize where my own selfishness fits in, and put guilt in its rightful place. The first thing I had to do was reach out for outside help. I do not do well with this one. I am a stubborn proud person who doesnt like to admit defeat. Right now, I feel defeated, I feel like a failure, and I have not a lot of joy. The window I talked of earlier.

Actually, before I asked for outside help, I sat down and prayed. I thanked God for the trials that were before me, the struggles that will one day be just a memory. I know God holds me with His rightous hand. When I called my older sister for help, she didnt sugar coat things for me. She lives for God too. He directed me to her. I didnt like what she had to say, but knew it was truth, and it has helped my thinking to be clearer. She came into my life when I was 16, she was 19. My mother had put her up for adoption when she was born. I knew about her most of my younger years, and knew I would know her one day. I couldnt stand her when I was 16. She had encroached upon my territory, and it was just a really hard time for me. She is my mothers daughter, and my Dad had a brand new baby girl shortly after I had met my older sister. I was always the only girl. Just here the last couple of months we have started talking again. Both of us have had to do some serious prayer over our relationship, and where God wants us to go with it. When he answered my prayer the other morning and told me to call her at 7:30 am, I knew where He wants us to go with it. It will be a slow process, and should be. It takes a long time to build a strong bond, but we are getting closer every day. I love her.

I know the Lord is with me through this time. I will struggle with being dismayed, because I am human, but He has promised to strengthen me and help me. Through His strength I will be less and less dismayed. I am still fairly new at learning to trust Him, but He has never failed me. I will contnue to praise Him, even through my tears, and anger, and frustration. For I know the joy comes in the mourning. Thank you, Father.