As I ponder the years behind me, my heart is marbled with wonder, awe, joy and an un-ending depth of reverence for God.

He, the Creator of all, and Lover of every soul, called my name and allowed my heart to hear. And then it was up to me to either open my heart to Him, or turn away. I’m so thankful now and every day since, that I didn’t ignore His call.

 

To pick up from where I left off in Blog #3, there’s a Bible verse that encapsulates the new life that Garth and I found, once we surrendered our hearts to Jesus.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

 

Our mindsets were definitely changed. What we ‘wanted to do now’ and what we ‘used to do’ couldn’t be compared to separate chapters in a book– we were a new Script entirely!

Of course, there were some cling-on’s from our BC days (cling-on’s being a sin that tenaciously hangs on, and BC meaning ‘before Christ.’) 

But God was gracious in His slow removal of those. To be frank, had He yanked them off quickly, I’m certain we would have bled to death. And Jesus, my friend, is not like that. He gives us only what we can handle and at a time when we’ll listen, understand, and heal.

 

The church was our ‘Greenhouse’ and we both grew at a phenomenal rate. We hadn’t had the privilege of consistent Sunday School as children, so as young adults, like sponges, we absorbed quickly what we had missed. And our very wise Pastor, kept his hand on Garth’s shoulder, gently guiding him through the Word, as Mrs. Crumley, an elderly Christian saint, taught me the way of godly love through humility, prayer, and serving others.

 

Looking back, I can see now that this mentoring was not just favor, but a type of ‘special-forces training’ for a couple stepping out of a dark spiritual dysfunction that had plagued their families for years.

Garth and I were determined that the hopelessness we had been delivered from would not be passed on to the generations to follow, so we declared out loud one day ‘that it ended with us.’ We both remember saying those words, but we had no idea of the impact they would make in the unseen world where demons and angels fight for the souls of men. And so the adventures I mentioned in my last blog, the ones that either took our breath away, or curled our toes, began.

 

So much good was happening in our lives; on the outside and the inside. The ‘cling-on’s’ were losing their grips and the weight of life that we once felt was gone. Victory was present and God was truly being glorified. But did you know that Satan is not a good loser? Especially if you’re praying for the rescue of the souls you love and their hearts are hearing Him.

 

In the wake of revival on both sides of our family, a flood of oppression, and a fog of darkness was about to descend upon our home. Neither of us saw it coming, and even if we had, we wouldn’t have been able to stop it, because God was allowing it, and through it we would learn about spiritual warfare and how to use the training we’d been given.

 

It began in the Spring of 1983. I don’t remember the exact day, but I will never forget this period of time– ever.

 

We lived in an apartment. The two bedrooms and single bathroom were upstairs. The day was ordinary; Garth at work, the boys playing in the living room, and me scuttling about in the kitchen. When it hit, I felt it immediately. It was dark and foreboding, and it had just landed in my home.

 

Because I couldn’t see it, I tried to shrug it off, but its presence was real and for the next three months it would be there and manifest as God allowed.

Garth could sense it too, but for reasons known by God alone, I was the target this time, along with our youngest son.

 

To be continued…

 

Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.