In the Battle

“It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to, step to, step to…step to… (wiki-wiki-waaah)”

“Try Again” by Aaliyah

Silence on the Net

Do you ever have those seasons in your life in which life is so overwhelming that you can’t even stop to tell anybody about it? In the Army, we call this lack of reporting our current status “silence on the net”. That has been me in the last few months, and I appreciate those of you who reached out directly to me to ask if I was okay. Yes, I’m okay. I’m also in a battle that has taken all of my attention.

Road to War

How did I get here? Well, in August, my husband and I obeyed God and–with great trepidation–took a last minute vacation to Turkey. God had told us that certain relationships we would strengthen while there would be very important for our future and for God’s future plans.

We were trepidatious because we have been living paycheck to paycheck for 9 months, so taking an international vacation seemed like foolishness. That’s also how we knew that this guidance really was from God.

We expected that we would receive payments for various sources of income as soon as we returned from our vacation, just as God had miraculously provided for us on our vacation. That’s why we anticipated that the large expense–though scary–wouldn’t set us back too much on our bills. However, upon our return, the most improbable series of events occurred. I will spare you the details, but it led to three of four sources of income for our household being simultaneously delayed. Yes, we had the right to receive the money, but no, we were not receiving the money. At the same time, we felt God urging us to speed up our plans to visit my husband’s family for the holiday season, so we hit the road in our house-with-wheels within three weeks of returning to Colorado from Turkey. As soon as we entered Oregon, we received notification from various banks that we were in default on our loans. We pulled into the driveway of one of my husband’s family members with $5 in the bank and the fuel gauge right above “Empty”.

That was a hard phone call to make to my superiors in the Army.

Sent into Battle

One day, I asked God why he was doing this, especially when my husband and I had done everything we could to be obedient. God replied, “I am not the one who delayed your income, nor the one who is causing this state of broke-ness. However, I AM the one who sent you into this battle: the battle for Kingdom resources. I brought you here so that you could overtake the spiritual powers that would prevent you from succeeding in the future. All you have to do is destroy them.”

Well… that makes sense. As an Officer in the Army, I know that when I send troops into battle, I do so having prepared them with all the skills, resources, and motivation to defeat their enemies. I do not also equip their enemies, and I am not the one who directs their enemies. That would be “a house divided”, and that is also not God’s way.

That’s when my husband and I started praying prayers of spiritual warfare: of breaking curses of poverty upon our families, of cancelling spells or hexes of broke-ness, of removing devices and programs affecting how we handle our resources, of taking financial territory for the Lord, and of receiving the bountiful resources God has prepared for all of those who love and believe him.

The delayed income started flowing into our bank account within the next three days. We knew we had made headway. Within a week, we heard God say we had won. Now, we wait.

Big Changes Coming

Of course, no battle leaves its warriors unchanged. Big changes are in the works for our family, and although we are still somewhat in shock, we will adjust, and we will prevail.