Out of my control:
Writing exercise: Your best friend knocks on your door one afternoon. You open it and he or she is dressed in a strange costume. Before you can say anything, your friend hands you a sword and says, “I need your help. Your family’s life depends on it.” Your friend promptly opens what looks to be a porthole to another dimension, grabs your hand and jumps through.
This assignment is out of my control…and comfort zone! I have put it off until the 11th hour. Literally. No more!
#COMPELtip ~ Shut down social media. Turn phone to silent and upside down to minimize distractions…and WRITE.
John banged on the door, barged in, and grabbed my hand as he pulled me to the door.
I NEED you, he declared.
Okayyyy…no more studying for my 8 AM Botany final the next morning. Need is one thing. Want is another.
[Tweet “I clearly heard need. And promptly responded to that urgent call made by a dear friend.”]Out the dorm we dashed, piled into John’s car and off he pulled with a triumphant shout,
“ P A R T Y ~ T I M E!”
Seriously? Need? I need an A on my final, John!
Oh, it’s not that kind of party, Susan. We are headed to a meeting point. I’ll equip you in a moment. See that backpack behind you? Grab it and start gearing up.
WHAT are you talking about John? I don’t understand…
Keep digging, girl. We are almost there.
John, there’s a sword in here.
Pull it out Susan. You will want that with you for sure.
JOHN! What in the world are we doing?
Well, Susan, it’s kinda a long story. Keep digging, girl. What else did you find?
A shield. What did you say?
Great! Sword and shield. Sounds right. What else?
There’s some strings all bunched together. Oh, it looks like those tie-on Roman sandals.
Ok, put them on.
Put them ON?! Goodness gracious, John, what are we doing? I feel so out of control!
Keep digging. What else is in there? We’ve gotta be ready in about 2 more minutes. That’s when we meet with our team.
Meet? Team?
Yep, we’re almost there. Keep digging. What else is in there?
A bowl I think. No, OK, this is odd, it’s a helmet.
Put it on! We are a minute out. What else?
A piece of leather. Oh, it’s a belt!
Buckle up, girl! What else?
There’s some big metal piece down at the bottom I gotta pull out. Oh! It’s gorgeous. Look at all the etching on this!
What it is Susan? It’s gotta have a use or they wouldn’t have packed it for you.
They? Packed It…for ME?! What are you talking about John?!
Ok, we’re here. See that light over there. We are meeting up with our team there. What was that last thing you pulled out? Here, let me see that. Oh, that’s to cover your torso. Here, let me help you put this on.
JOHN! What in the WORLD is this about?
[Tweet “What kind of prank are you pulling on me now?”]Susan, was there a book in the bag? Let me check, please. Yep, here it is. The Bible. OK, we are equipped. You have what you need to move to the next phase. Let’s go!
WHERE? John, tell me, where are we going?
To battle.
WHAT?! John, have you lost your ever-loving mind? What in the world do you mean we are going to battle? I have a test tomorrow!
Susan, we are about to enter a place where I NEED you. See, I am fighting a battle that can only be won with intervention. HOLY Intervention. We are going into spiritual battle for my friend’s soul and I NEED YOU with me, waging war.
I need you to step into the spiritual realm with me and help me be strong.
[Tweet ” We are going to battle against the spiritual forces of evil. “]
WHY? To create spiritual rape protection for each person we pray for.
We will gear up with the full armor of God. Have you SEEN that in the word of God ~ who we fight in the dark spiritual world and need protection from?
Rulers
Authorities
Powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of
Evil
Yes, you see that correctly…R A P E . Will you remember that?
Hold my hand now, we’re standing firm in the spiritual realm where I NEED you to be strong and pray…
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted (sandals in some versions) with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Thank you, John. I never knew. Now I do. This is in my control.
[Tweet “Don’t leave home without it. The full ARMOR of God.”]© 2016 by Susan B Mead. All rights reserved.
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Great imagery, Susan! And, a great point! Never leave home without the Armor of God! I’m getting dressed now!
Oh I hear you! I hear you loud and clear. We are in a battle and battle for souls.
Our prayer life must be spot on for we can do nothing if we’re not in contant contact with The Commander. We may seem out of control, but He is not.
David may have faced Goliath without Saul’s armor, but he was clothed with God’s preparedness… Way before he met this giant David faced the fears of his sheep by killing lions, wolves and other predators.
Each time David got stronger and more confident. The armor is worthless without the Commander-in-Chief.
Great job my new sister friend. Yours in Him….Chris~
Oh Chris, you blessed me. Mightily. Thank you. Susan
What a creative post. You should be writing children’s books. Thank you for words of truth today. Blessings to you my sister. <3 Amy
Thank you Amy! HMMMM…we simply never know where God may lead, do we?
Oh Susan,
What strong imagery. So raw in emotion yet step by step and clear. Mmm. God downloads revelation when we as still. I pray we can also silence the noise to be open to hear from him uninhibited.
Yes ma’am, Tyra. He got my attention on that one so strongly, I physically recoiled. Love it when He shows up tho! you too?
When we remember that it’s a battle, it changes everything, doesn’t it? I often have to readjust my thinking on this, especially in light of submitting articles and devotionals. This is a God thing, not a Kristi thing. Keep the focus.
Enjoyed your post today, Susan. It was fun, but it was also a call to keep the battle in mind, and approach each day accordingly. Press on!
Thank you Kristi. Yes, one of my friends says, “Don’t go to work naked.” that rattled me the first time I heard her say it, until she walked me through how to “get dressed” each day. NOW it makes sense.
That RAPE acronym is powerful stuff, Susan. We tend to get used to the darkness around us. We ignore it! Thanks for this fighting call to ACTION!
Yes ma’am! Armor up…Daily.
Hi Susan, thanks for pointing out RAPE. That sounds a weird thing to say. The word makes us feel so uncomfortable, which it should. Dressed and into battle we go!
Wow, how exciting. Your words breathe new life into an old familiar passage. Thank you for sharing!
Blessings and hugs,
Kamea
Thank Kamea for sharing here! Our words matter.
Yes, Susan I couldn’t agree with you more. The armor of God is so important. I know this might sound kind of silly but I try to recite this scripture over my while I’m in the shower in the morning…before I put my clothes on. Thank you for reminding all of us the importance of this passage. Blessings to you.
Amen! Don’t “go to work naked” as one of my friends says!
What a creative reminder, Susan, that we need to be ever ready for the ongoing battle. Evil never sleeps. Thanks for a timely prod, my sister. #DanceWithJesus
Thank you Sheila. God highlighted the first letters about a month ago and I knew it was for me and a post. Powerful when God puts a highlighter on His own Word!
Wow, what an intense scene! When we prepare for battle, there is definitely an urgency that is needed. We must be intentional about our readiness. Thanks for getting us ready for battle today, Susan!
Thank you Kristine. It’s so wonderful when we remember we are not fighting this alone too. Yet bear arms each day equips us to be mighty in His word, His will and His way. Right?
*Shut down social media and write*. Yes!! Looking everywhere but to God’s truth is opening our minds up to r.a.p.e. I love your creativity and different take with this post. Heading to a conference this week, putting on the full armor of God. Thank you Susan!
Amen Meg. Armor up each day!
This is so powerful. What a glaring image when you take the letters for Rape and make it into that acronym. Thank you for the reminder that our battles are God’s battle and He is right there with us. Hope your weekend is blessed.
Thank you Mary. God pulled out His highlighter when I was reading that passage about a month ago and revealed that to me. I was awestruck. And knew it had to be shared.
Love your words on the armor of God today, Susan!!!
Thank Kim! God is so good…
… “Don’t leave home without it.” 🙂 🙂 That’s cute.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Brenda Ottinger
Thanks! It’s fun when God drops those nuggets into our spirit, isn’t it?!
That was so much fun to read. Thank you for taking me through that journey that lead right through the Word. Loved it. Visiting from #livefreeThursday and glad I stopped by.
Jaime, so glad you stopped by. Join us each Friday and linkup to the #DanceWithJesus Linkup
I just love you Susan. You make reading so much fun! What a great way to remember to put on our armor faith!
Awwww Christy! Thank you. God dropped that directly into the page as I read Eph 6 last month. I was awestruck when I literally saw R A P E pop out on the page. Powerful God. Wonderful God
Love you too!
Susan, thank you so much for joining in today. We do need that protection. We are freely offered that protection. It does help us live free. : )
Amen! Suzie, I had 2 writing assignments this week that I put off trying to figure out how to wrap my mind around them. Then God wrapped my mind around HIM.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Oh Susan, I love this! So exciting! I could imagine myself in the car pulling out everything needed for the battle! “Don’t leave home without it. The full Armor of God.” How easily I let the rush of life cause me to forget the full Armor of God as I get on with my day. Life and circumstances may seem out of control but with God, even in the strangest circumstances, everything is under His control.
Me too! I have a local writing group and the first paragraph is this months writing challenge…and I literally put it off until 11 pm last night! I couldn’t wrap my head around it, then God wrapped my head around HIM. And out the words came.
Now that’s FUN!