Surviving A Spiritual Attack, Psalm 115:11

Buddy injured by attack.

Once again, life has proven that a person cannot predict what a day will bring. I was walking Buddy Thanksgiving morning in the nearby green belt as we’ve done many times. But, apparently, two visiting dogs escaped from one of the townhomes. The chow was not aggressive, but for some reason the standard poodle was determined to harm Buddy.

The poodle ran half a block and snapped at Buddy, injuring his back right side as I lifted him up into the air. Buddy struggled and I feared he’d hurt his long back. The poodle ignored me but kept jumping upward to attack my pal. I love dogs and didn’t want to hurt it, so I kept kicking it flat footed against its chest. But it would not back off.

The poodle was tall. Neighbors heard my screaming and invited me into their home to wait till the aggressive dog left the green belt. It was quite a challenge to keep Buddy out of reach as I ran into the home. A few minutes later, it appeared that it was safe to leave. I thanked Maria and her mother.

It wasn’t safe.

The poodle saw us leave and scampered back to attack. I ran between two homes and placed Buddy onto a fairly tall HVAC condenser, while yelling and kicking the aggressive dog away. A resident of one of the homes came outside, saw what was happening, and began picking up rocks and throwing them at the dog. The poodle finally ran off. Fortunately, I was only about a hundred yards from my parent’s home and was able to get us both to safety.

With my heart pounding loudly in my chest.

The attack was unprovoked. Yet that poodle was determined to harm Buddy.

The next day I was able to get Buddy to his vet who cleaned the wound, shaved the fur away and prescribed antibiotics. Although my mother used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and neosporin to prevent infection, I was concerned that his fur would cause an infection. I didn’t sleep well that night!

After calming down a few hours later, I realized that I’d been singing and praising Jesus out loud and giving thanks just before the attack. The dog’s persistent aggression certainly ended my praise.

Was it a coincidence or an attempt by Satan to silence my praise? I cannot say definitively as the spiritual world is invisible.

Many born again Christians I know has at some point told me a story about a demonic attack against them. Mostly the encounters are unseen, but, occasionally the victim has seen an entity.

Now, my desire is not to frighten anyone. I just want to arm you with a few strategies in case you have an encounter.

My number one warning is: NEVER think you’re an expert in spiritual warfare. And be suspicious of anyone who claims to be an expert. The demonic has been around for thousands of years and has far more intelligence and experience than you’ll ever have. They are deceitful spirits (1 Timothy 4:1) and have had plenty of practice at it.

My number two warning—and this is very important—is never stray from God’s word in spiritual warfare. Do not go by someone’s experience but by what God’s word says. Any deviation can get you into trouble.

And, thirdly, you must be a true Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The seven sons of the Jewish chief priest Sceva were severely attacked by one man possessed by one evil spirit (Acts 19:11-17) because they tried exercising spiritual authority which they did not rightfully have.

Now, between screams I prayed for God to help and protect Buddy. He normally uses people (as does the devil) to accomplish His will. I truly believe that those two neighbors were God’s way of helping us.

But the type of attack I’d like to address in this blog is that spirit of oppression, which often feels like you’ve suddenly been draped with, or encapsulated by, a suffocating presence. You have trouble thinking, or speaking or moving. Often this may occur after you turn out the lights and attempt to sleep. Why darkness matters, I don’t know.

I don’t claim to be an expert!

If you cannot speak, you must at least pray to Jesus in your mind and ask for help and His deliverance. Once you can speak any words at all, cry out to Jesus, even if just to say His name. For it’s only in the name of Jesus that “every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).” Only the name of Jesus is given “the name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9).”

Once you’ve cried out in the name of Jesus, keep crying out till the oppression eases. Then take authority by saying, humbly, “In the name of Jesus, and covered by His blood, I command you to leave.”

ALWAYS do so in the name of Jesus and under His blood covering. Not to do so is to be presumptuous, that you have the power over evil. You don’t; it’s given to you by God alone. Only in the name of Jesus must every power bow down.

Jesus wants you to know: “the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 1:19-22

Then begin singing praises to God. Evil hates hearing Jesus, our Lord, thanked and praised. He wants us to blaspheme and curse God (Psalm 139:20).

I also suggest turning on the light and keep praying and praising God till you’re certain you’re delivered.

Those are your weapons of warfare: prayer and praise and the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11).

As Jesus said in Luke 10:19-20: “I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Two further caveats: “Trouble will come to him who seeks evil (Proverbs 11:27).” I highly advise not seeking out spiritual warfare opportunities and don’t watch ghost hunting shows. And stay away from witchcraft and fortune telling and all forms of the occult (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Stay out of the devil’s domain. If you’ve been involved in these activities, ask God to forgive you and turn away from them. As my Pastor, Jon Bjorgaard, says, “God has Satan on a leash; so stay out of the devil’s reach.”

Secondly, repent from known sin. But, please, don’t be paranoid about it. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Nobody is perfect. We all have sin to confess and faults we struggle with to overcome. But if you’re engaging in sexually immoral behavior, for instance, don’t count on Jesus to protect you. He may, because He’s kind and loves all of His children, but don’t presume upon His assistance. He may choose to withhold help till you repent of something you know He’s been telling you to repent from but are refusing to do so.

This is definitely not the topic I was planning to blog about tonight, but the unprovoked aggression against Buddy got me thinking about how evil can suddenly attack without warning.

So be ready. Use God’s weapons.

“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”—Psalm 115:11

Hope this is helpful.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you are not born again, which means you’re indwelt by God’s Spirit, you don’t have authority over evil spirits. They may trick you into thinking you do—through casting spells or giving peace offerings—but you don’t. They will cooperate in any way to keep you from seeking Jesus and His protection.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:9

You see, everyone is born spiritually dead, devoid of the Holy Spirit of God, because our first ancestors rejected God as their moral authority. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you’re reversing that first rebellion against God, by asking Him to be your moral authority and your Lord. You’re asking Him to deliver you “from the kingdom of darkness and translate you into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).” In other words, you’re confessing that God is the boss, not you.

If you’re ready to invite Jesus into your life, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sin. I invite the Holy Spirit into my life and give my life to You. Help me to repent and free me of those sins I struggle with. Thank you for my new heart. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible, as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it begins with the Christmas story.

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible well enough.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those celebrating the holiday on the 24th, May God bless you as you celebrate the blessings in your life. We wish you well.

Resisting Deception, 2 Chronicles 7:14

Although Buddy has been my pal for over twelve years now, he still doesn’t fully trust me. He still refuses, on most occasions, to take food out of my hand that I’m offering to him. I have to put it on the floor or on a plate. Then he’ll eat it.

Because of past abuse, Buddy is suspicious of me, even though I’ve never tried to poison him or give him anything harmful.

I believe that this below Biblical passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14 is often misinterpreted by the Christian community (caps my own emphasis):

“If MY PEOPLE who are called by MY NAME will humble themselves, and pray and seek MY FACE, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Christians often apply this passage to nonbelievers: If enough people can be converted to Christ in a nation, then goodness will begin to prevail.

But this passage is referring to the Old Testament covenant people of Israel—the Jewish people. Some believed in the Lord and some thought just obeying the rules made them God’s people, but they really weren’t following the Lord.

In other words, though God’s people, not all believed.

Now, I certainly am not saying that more conversions—more people following Jesus—is unwelcome. More godly people, particularly in positions of authority, is of great benefit to a nation.

“When a wicked man rules, the people groan.”—Proverbs 29:2

But for Christians under the New Covenant, God’s people are those who are called by His name—Christian for “little Christ.” God is calling His church to repent, so that He can heal their land morally, whatever country it is they live in. It’s Jesus and His church which is the Light of the World (Matthew 5:14-16), Christians allowing the Holy Spirit to shine in their lives.

The modern church is facing many issues which is weakening it.

1. The church has forgotten who its true enemy is: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”—Ephesians 6:12

Our true enemy is hidden, working behind the scenes. Satan is a “liar and the father of lies (John 8:44),” who uses deception to accomplish his goal of “to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).”

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for tearing down strongholds.”—2 Corinthians 10:4

As my pastor Jon Bjorgaard often says, one of Satan’s greatest weapons is distraction. We are spending far too little time reading and studying the Word of God—the Bible—and praying. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).”

Our weapons are prayer, faith and praise. Christians tear down Satan’s strongholds through prayer and walking by faith in God’s word. And the enemy hates hearing our Lord being praised; “the garment of praise” lifts “the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).” But if we aren’t taking the time to pray against Satan’s strongholds and growing in a knowledge of God so that we know His will and are strengthened in faith, we are are allowing evil to prevail.

2. Christians, not knowing God’s Word, are believing false teachers.

Even the mighty and prolific Apostle Paul commended the Berean believers (Acts 17:10-11) for searching the Scriptures (then the Old Testament) to verify that he was teaching the truth. We are expected, as God’s children, to ensure that we’re not believing and spreading untruth. That is why I list, or detail, Scriptures that back up my blog posts. I don’t want to mislead anybody.

There are two main movements in today’s church which are misleading believers, and likely also preventing people from coming to know Christ. The “Woke Church” movement and the “Apostolic Church” movement. I don’t want to extend this blog unnecessarily long, so I’ll refer you to the apologetics ministry of Alisa Childers who has a podcast under her name on several podcasting platforms.

Proverbs 14:15: “The naive believes everything.”

Always test what you’re told through the prism of God’s word, regardless of the source. We can all be deceived by the world, the flesh, or the enemy if we don’t remain vigilant in prayer and studying God’s word. We need to rely upon God’s strength, not our own.

3. Christians not obeying God.

Sometimes the church is better served by people not telling anyone that they’re believers, because their behavior is either awful or no different than that of unbelievers. They may be saved, but ignoring the guidance of the Holy Spirit working within them. A Christian who refuses to repent when the Holy Spirit prods their conscience will be miserable till they respond. God calls for “His people” to repent. We all need to put aside immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3). We cannot claim to love Jesus and continue to willfully disobey Him (John 14:15).

If you are engaged in sexual immorality but don’t feel guilty or convicted, or NEVER feel convicted by God, you might be deceived that you are born again. The Holy Spirit will always convict you of ungodly behavior as He is with you wherever you go, seeing everything you say and do and listening to every thought.

Jesus also pointed out that just obeying religious rules doesn’t make a person right with God. A person may think they’re holy, like the Pharisees who got Jesus killed, because they obey the laws but their hearts are not right (Mark 7:6-7). The Holy Spirit has not circumcised their heart (Romans 2:29) so that they are born again.

No one is perfect. Every Christian is undergoing the process of sanctification (2 Corinthians 3:18). But if you’re willfully disobeying God, you’ll be miserable as you’re sinning in the light. You’re no longer walking in the darkness like unbelievers (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5), hiding from God. He’s walking alongside You. You might need counseling or addiction treatment if it’s something you cannot overcome. Don’t be embarrassed to need help. We aren’t created to be isolated. We need each other.

God is calling HIS PEOPLE to “humble themselves.” That means to submit to HIS authority. When God says it’s wrong, it’s wrong. Don’t be like Adam and Eve who wanted to decide what was right and wrong for themselves, plunging the human race into bondage to sin and God’s enemy (Genesis 3).

Don’t follow the authority of any so-called expert who contradicts God’s word or denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5). No matter how popular a preacher or singer they are in your culture. Follow God over people.

So, bottom line: God is calling His people to repent so that He can shine His truth and love into our dark world.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Thanks to my friend, Dee, for giving me the verse to write about today. I’m blessed to meet someone in Arizona who is a true friend.

***

A false teacher calls you away from the Good News that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected from the dead, proving that He was God in the flesh so that whomsoever calls upon His name will be saved and proclaimed righteous (John 3:16, Matthew 1:23, Colossians 1:13-22).

These false teachers could be atheists, agnostics, church preachers and evangelists, politicians, pop culture figures, etc—anyone who keeps you from believing that the Bible is true and denies the sinfulness of people and their need for Christ and repentance.

Jesus is the only source of eternal life because only through faith in Him can you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become born again. You cannot receive spiritual life from any other source.

That statement is not politically correct, but it’s the truth.

If you sense something is wrong in your life and that Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20), please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please change my life by changing my heart. I’m tired of sabotaging myself. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. Please enter my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to you. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Strengthen me in the truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries out there, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Air Pollution, Psalm 108:4-5

Buddy looking at the evening sky reflected on a local pond.

My photographs of the evening sky here in Scottsdale, Arizona, pale in comparison to the true loveliness displayed in nature. Although I adore my beloved Buddy, he is not able to appreciate the beauty of the world and discuss it with me. When we go to the local parks, he sees a world of tree trunks and light poles and smells a cacophony of scents.

Aren’t you happy we weren’t created with the sensitive sense of smell that dogs have? And other unsavory practices of greeting?

My friend Dee, during a recent study in the Book of Ecclesiastes, made the following declaration, which I think was so insightful and wonderful that I wanted to share it with you, my dear readers. (Dee is one of the Bible Study leaders in my church.)

A discussion began about how beautiful the recent sunsets had been. And a comment was made about how air pollution was the cause.

Then Dee said, “We can flip that around. Look what God can do with pollution!”

(One thing I love about my new friend is her joyful attitude toward life, regardless of any current attitudes.)

“For Your lovingkindness is great above the Heavens, and Your truth reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth.”—Psalm 108:4-5

Many of us give our lives to Christ Jesus because we’ve messed up our lives and realize we need a loving and holy God to get us back onto the right track.

In fact, God promises us that our heavenly Shepherd will keep His sheep walking on the path of good behavior:

“He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”—King David of Israel, Psalm 23:3

More could be said about this, but I want to stay “on point” and not digress.

We often look back on our lives and realize how much better it is to be in God’s kingdom than living without His guidance. And usually struggle with adopting a new lifestyle as the Holy Spirit wrestles to clean up our old thinking habits and replace them with more godly attitudes.

We often stumble and fall in our new walk, like babies, crawling in the dirt on the floor till we grow stronger, learn how to walk upright and let the Holy Spirit brush the dust off our knees.

Satan cannot reclaim a born again Christian, united with Christ (John 17:18-23), but he can tempt a person to sin. Then his greatest trick is then to torment the Christian with their failure. He loves to kick a person when they’re down.

I’ll never forget a demonic temptation when I was struggling with sin as a young believer. (I didn’t convert till I was 28 years old.) I was walking across the dining room of my home when I “heard” a voice in my mind say, “Why don’t you give up on this Christian thing? You’re no good at it anyway.”

Well, that demonic spirit was too obvious because I recognized where that thought came from and rejected it out loud.

As new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17), we want to please God and obey Him. But we fall short and then the enemy tempts us with self-condemnation. Nonbelievers mock us as hypocrites, neglecting to take stock of their own faults. And pride causes us to kick ourselves as failures because we aren’t perfect.

But God has made His children a promise (He always keeps His promises): “When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One Who holds his hand.”—Psalm 37:24

God promises that He’s holding your hand and is going to lift you back up after you stumble in your Christian walk. He’s not going to let you fall flat on your face and then stump all over your psyche. The world, the devil and the flesh (our spiritual enemies) will do plenty of that for you. God is a loving Father Who wants you to hold His hand and walk together with Him in godliness.

It really helped me when I read a biography on the great Victorian era Christian leader, George Muller. He built orphanages, giving homes to 10,024 orphans during his lifetime and built 117 schools to give over 120,000 kids an education (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller). But he stumbled quit a bit in his first years as a Christian. He didn’t start his Christian walk as the godly man he later became.

What I’m trying to say in my rambling way is this: No one can obey God’s perfect standards 100%. That’s why Jesus had to live a perfect life for us and take the punishment for our sins. Only God in the Flesh (Matthew 1:23) lived a perfect life of obedience to God. As much as we’d like not to disappoint God by falling short, we sin.

And do you really think you’ve caught God by surprise? And He’s saying, “Boy, I sure made a big mistake saving that one!”

I’m definitely NOT advocating a “spit on His grace” or “licentious grace” philosophy. You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7-8). And the Holy Spirit will make you miserable till you repent.

But don’t let fellow, self-righteous Christians or worldly unbelievers or the enemy tell you that you cannot be effective in God’s kingdom because of failures in your life.

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”—Romans 3:23

(Besides, some sins are just more open and obvious than others. Only God sees what’s hidden in people’s hearts that they’re struggling with.)

After you’ve stumbled, the only true failure is refusing to listen to God and keeping your focus down toward your own feet. Confess your failure, admit to God your need for His help to live a godly life, and keep walking forward. Satan wants you to quit. Don’t give the enemy of your soul that satisfaction!

And don’t look back.

And when you look upward toward God’s sky painting, remember that He can bring turn pollution into wondrous beauty.

You’re never a failure when you’re walking alongside Jesus.

Don’t ever give up and quit!

God bless you.

Much love from God and Buddy.

***

If you’ve read this far, you may have realized that God does not expect you to be perfect because that’s impossible for you—or anybody. Even as Christians, we can only hope to be better people as we grow in a knowledge of God and His love for us.

But without God’s help, it’s very difficult to break destructive habits or develop more positive lifestyles.

If you realize that you need God’s help, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I’ve blown it Please forgive my sin. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Hold my hand and lead me as my Great Shepherd. Thank you for loving me. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand.

And join either a Bible believing church or Bible study and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get confused by legalism or bad teaching until you know the Bible somewhat.

God bless you as you start your new life in Christ Jesus. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Thanks For Reading Our Blog!

No blog tonight. Am exhausted from cleaning my parent’s floors today. (And vacuuming out my car.)

God bless you.

Buddy and I wish you a lovely weekend.

PS. I think you’ll enjoy next week’s blog.