Dedicated to Charlene
The wolves
When I was five years old, I had a dream where I was walking into a church nursery and a kind lady came over and talked to me. Later, after we moved from Georgia to Virginia, I walked into that nursery and the events unfolded exactly as I dreamed—what we wore, what the room looked like, what the lady said, where we walked—everything. It was amazing. We call that a déjà vu, which means “already seen” in French. Remarkable.
Looking back
As I look back on that déjà vu, I believe God was saying some very important things to me. I see you. I know you. I know what’s coming in your life. I can and will communicate with you. Trust me. You are in my hands. You are mine.
I didn’t understand those things until I wrote this post. Then I nodded my head and smiled. I experienced the hand of God many, many times in my life before I finally gave my heart to him. So many times.
Do you remember an early encounter with God? A memory of something extraordinary or sweetly commonplace? Do you remember any childhood experiences that taught you about God? Close your eyes and ask God if there’s something that he’d like to show you about those times—about his hand in your life.
Discerning and preparing
There are spiritual encounters, like my déjà vu, that are clearly good. Clearly from God Almighty. Other spiritual experiences are from the devil. Last time, we dug into the occult and the darkness. Still other spiritual incidents are misleading—the darkness pretending to be the light—for example, using various religious symbols to hide or camouflage the darkness.
We need discernment and God’s help to clearly identify good from evil. Reflect on this important passage about testing the spirits.
The devil and his demons stay busy, so we need to pay attention. How can we be prepared for spiritual warfare? For the battles ahead? It’s time to look at The Armor of God.
The intro
Here’s the intro to The Armor of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13, New Heart English Bible
The first sentence above (verse 10) tells us something vitally important. Our strength comes from God, not from ourselves.
The reality and the clues
Let’s do a quick rewind and repeat from a recent post, when I summarized Proverbs 3:5-7.
Trust God implicitly. You don’t see or know everything that’s going on here. See God and speak to him no matter where you are or what you’re doing, and he will guide you well. Don’t think too highly of yourself. Lean in to The Almighty One—who sees and knows everything. And walk away from the evil you encounter—evil things and evil people. Now.
We can’t always see the reality in the room
because there are spiritual forces at work.
Forces that we can’t see. But there will usually be clues.
Is sin involved? Here are some examples: Lies, trickery, disrespect, mockery, abuse, neglect, flattery, troublemaking, gossip, manipulation, exaggeration, lust, drama, pride, flirtation, unhealthy control issues, temptation or dark agendas. If you know there’s sin in the room, the devil or some of his A-list homies punched the clock and came to work. And their assignment for the day is you.
Stand firm, knowing who you belong to—King Jesus.
Calling it out
In your thoughts, pray to God and call out what you see or know. “There is deceit here. Jezebel—The Velvet Steamroller—is lying and being divisive. In the name of Jesus, make the truth known clearly to all. Strengthen and protect your faithful children and give us wisdom, through the power of Jesus Christ.”
Sometimes we have to say something out loud too. God will show you what to say and when. My pal Charlene has successfully used this question: “What do you mean by that?” Translation: You may find the cavalier remarks entertaining or politically correct, but we’re not having it. When you’re dogging someone out, it’s not so fun to have to explain yourself. Sometimes, having all eyes on you is not a good thing. At all. Go, Charlene.
The armor
Now let’s begin to look at The Armor of God—fully available to all of God’s children—followers of Jesus Christ.
Stand therefore, having the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God….
Ephesians 6:14-17, New Heart English Bible
Not automatic
We don’t automatically wear The Armor of God. We don’t sleep in it. God protects us while we sleep. We have to put the armor on. Daily. The intro says, “Put on the whole armor of God (verse 11)” and, in the ASV, “…take up the whole armor of God (verse 13).” In other words, we’re not going to wake up with this already on. We must choose it. We must put it on.
How?
Putting it on
This is how I do it. I pray a declaration.
“I’m putting on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of readiness,
the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
The days when I pray that prayer in the morning, I experience the Lord’s strength in a beautiful way. Try it.
The wolves
Sometimes God warns us that a battle is coming. In January, the Lord gave me a three-part dream that I call The Wolves.
Sunday, January 16
Journal entry
I had a fascinating dream this morning. Even after I let our dogs out and back in, I went back to sleep and the dream resumed. Brandon was driving our family in a very long trailer in an area that reminded me of a state park. We missed our turn and were having difficulty navigating where we wanted to be. On one turn, our large trailer started leaning off the road. When we got back to the turn we wanted, it was blocked with a Road Closed barricade. We drove on and ended up on a narrow ledge with two brown wolves looking right at us, pacing. They were blocking our way.
Later, we found ourselves in a building. Our whole trailer was inside the building and we were still sitting in the large cab of the trailer. The two wolves were nearby. An older woman with white hair walked in the room and we warned her to leave and get help because there were wolves inside. She said she’d get help, but she didn’t. I felt like we were in a camp or a school, and there were teenagers there. Everyone was in danger.
Next, we were seated at a cafeteria table and some of my ice cream spilled on the table. A wolf walked up and looked at the ice cream spill on the table. I thought the wolf wanted to lick the ice cream off the table and, with his eyes, was asking me for permission. I presumed that we had decided the wolves weren’t going to hurt us. The wolf was as close to me as a pet dog would be. Then I woke up. That was a warning dream.
Dream summary
The first part of the dream was all about road blocks, wrong turns, precarious places. And it ended with the wolves looking right at us. They were in control—blocking our way. In the second part, the woman with white hair reminded me of my sociopathic mother-in-law. She didn’t help us because she’s a wolf herself. ’Nuff said. The teenagers in the building were in danger. Our Logan is 19. Hmmm. In the last part of the dream, we had let our guard down. We left our protected place and were exposed to the danger. The wolf interacted with me as if we were comfortable friends. But where was the second wolf. Behind me?
Wondering and waiting
As months passed, I wondered if the brown wolves represented my siblings, who both have brown hair. They communicate with each other and I’m the outsider. Praise the Lord for that. In May, I received a text from my older sibling, Linda, about Pam, The Almighty. Changes are coming—changes that are out of Pam’s control. Pam’s cancer returned with a vengeance and she was given eight to nine months to live.
The same year as The Showdown, 15 years ago, Pam took our mom to a lawyer to have our mom’s will changed. Linda knew what Pam had done, but I was left in the dark—until I received the will after our mom died. Talk about shocking. Strangely enough, I’m listed as the secondary executor of the will. And soon—numero uno, Perfect Pam—will be gone.
Needless to say, it would be entirely out of character for Pam to make that transition a smooth one. Kickin‘ Frankie Ann In The Face is one of her favorite games, don’t you know. For a great example, read the section called Nice Try in this post.
The warning and the armor
My dream, The Wolves, warned me loud and clear: “Do not let your guard down. You know who you’re dealing with. Be prepared and beware.”
When God gives us a clear warning, we would be wise to consistently put on The Armor of God. Has the Lord warned you about something or someone? Remember to put on The Armor of God. Declare it and wear it.
“I’m putting on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of readiness,
the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Three times
You may have noticed the presence of the wolf in parts 1 thru 3 of this post. In part 1, the wolf was featured prominently in “The Soul Shepherd,” a highly-recommended short film. In the middle of part 2, wolves were included in the turning-point song, “Son of David.” The lyrics go like this: “The wolves are coming and I can hardly breathe….”
Why are wolves in these three posts? Because wolves eat sheep—the children of God. Wolves represent our enemy, the devil. They represent danger. They represent evil. See John 10:1-18 and Acts 20:28-30.
Wolves in the house
If the wolves in your life were your parents, your siblings and/or your spouse—the people in the house—you know that their claws and teeth can cut you to the bone. They were supposed to take care of you and protect you. But instead of protecting you, instead of loving you, they ripped you apart. That is traumatic. Know this. Jesus Christ is The Great Physician. Read all six parts of this post to learn how to lay down a trauma or loss. And pray. Ask God to walk with you through The Healing Journey. All the way.
Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call.
I know this, that God is for me.
Psalm 56:9, New Heart English Bible
The song below speaks particularly to this scenario—being damaged by relatives—and the remarkable healing that comes from forgiving them.
If the thought of forgiving someone makes you cringe, remember that forgiving is not condoning. Would you like to be free? Free from him/her/them? Free from the pain you’re trying to forget or ignore? Here’s a biggie: Forgiving is the breaking of an unholy tie or bond. For reminders of What Forgiving Is and Isn’t, read that 12-part post and be strengthened by the truth. See part 5 of The Prayer too.
Coming next: In part 4, we’ll dig into each piece of The Armor or God, plus some interesting Frankie Ann Stories from the vault. Until then, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Healing through truth and music
Peaceful Readers, I’ve found great healing in my life through the beauty and truth of God’s word and through music. I hope the truths and songs that I share at the end of each post will bless you too.
Truth from The Word: “Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how often can my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not tell you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22, New Heart English Bible
Song for Healing: What a powerful song—“7×70” by Chris August.