Battle For The Mountain

How do I know that spiritual warfare is real? Because Mount Rainier. While I know that isn't a proper sentence, it is firmly my answer.

When I started reading a book (thank you, Katie!) about spiritual power, and the authority we have as redeemed people in Jesus to make a difference in our lives and world....I knew I would come up against some attack. I even assumed the attacks would be pretty big. The first few days were pretty steady. I could, I thought, identify the source of whatever thought I was thinking, or feeling I was experiencing. But the enemy is clever. He retracted his claws just enough so that I couldn't FEEL him scratching me, though the scratching continued.

One week into acting in the authority of Jesus, my world (in my head) is in shambles. I am a terrible mother. I am not attractive enough. I don't have any gifts. I may have a few (puny) gifts, but I am too lazy to use them. I am an ineffective friend. Brian comes home and is quiet....so he clearly doesn't love me anymore and is trying to find a way to tell me he wants out of our marriage.

So, Mount Rainier. As I was driving to work this morning, I looked to where the mountain always is. But today, it was gone. The gray drizzle had perfectly covered our gigantic mountain as if it were completely erased from the sky. Did I suddenly start wondering if the mountain had disappeared? Of COURSE not. That would be pretty ridiculous! I know where the mountain is, because I have seen it day after day. I understand that Mount Rainier cannot simply vanish. So why do I question the presence, promises, and truths regarding the CREATOR of the mountain?!

Satan has nothing to gain from me wondering where a mountain has gone, so he doesn't dedicate any time to attempting to fool me into questioning such things. But he has everything to gain from me questioning God. So he lies, distracts, and throws blows that he knows will get me spinning and wondering if what I know is real....is really real.

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that you are greater and more immovable than the mountain. Satan has no power aside from that which you permit him to use. He knows the time of his rule on earth is running out, because Jesus won the battle on the cross. Help me to see his attacks for what they are, and empower me to push back in faith so that I can be effective for your kingdom. I know where you are, because I see you day after day. Sometimes you are hidden behind the drizzle, but I have no need to question where you are.

How do I know Jesus is real? Because Mount Rainier.

Cobwebs On My Ceiling

I consider myself a very consistent, two-notches-above-mediocre housekeeper. My laundry is folded and put away right after it is washed 98% of the time. I clean out my fridge once a week. If you were to look around my house, you would probably agree that though the floors aren't necessarily "eat off of them clean," (I have three kids and a dog....it isn't even a goal at this point in my life) things are generally clean.

I go through my days feeling like I have a fairly steady handle on the cleanliness of my home until, BAM! I accidentally turn on the bright, overhead light in my bedroom. And there it is: a legitimate infrastructure of cobwebs on my ceiling. I am at once put in my place. I can THINK things are clean because of the lighting (or lack thereof) in my house!

Now, I am not saying that having cobwebs on my ceiling makes my home a filthy place. It doesn't. The big messes are dealt with as they happen, and prevented when possible. But I do mention the cobwebs, because the Lord speaks to my heart in this same way. I can walk around THINKING that my heart is pretty tidy. The big sin is dealt with, and avoided when possible. Then, BAM! God turns the lights up a little brighter to show me corners of my heart I didn't know needed cleaning. Ugh.

Thank you, Lord, for being a gentleman in the way you show me the "cobwebs" of my heart when the time is right for me to see them. Thank you for never letting me settle in too comfortably, where I would miss the peace that comes from knowing the dust has truly been removed. Thank you for cleaning my heart for me, by the blood of Jesus, when I don't have a tall enough ladder to reach, or a strong enough disinfectant to kill whatever has soiled it. You promise to give me a perfectly pure heart, and you ask me to act in obedience on the journey to get there. So thank you for the bright lights; time to start clearing cobwebs.