When I was twenty years old, I went to work for a large insurance company that was in the process of opening a branch in El Paso, Texas. Our branch dealt only with companies that purchased health insurance for their employees, and our offices were located in a large bank building in the downtown area that housed attorneys, accountants, and other professionals.
One day shortly after I began my job, I ran into a girl in the hall who had been my “best friend” in high school and discovered that she had just been hired to work at the accounting firm in the offices next door. We had both left the El Paso area for a brief time and had lost touch for several years, but we were delighted to find that we were going to be working right next door to one another. We would have an opportunity to see each other every day and have lunch together most days. Our friendship was instantly renewed.
Although Judy was the same age as I, she had already gone through a divorce and had returned to El Paso with her infant son and moved in with her parents. She seemed happy enough, but she was reluctant to talk about her life in California or her ex-husband. Occasionally, she made reference to something that seemed odd, but I thought that I should not ask too many questions. I would just try to be a good friend and set a good example.
Several months after we had been reunited, Judy came into my office at a time when she knew my boss was out and began to talk to me. She asked me whether I had seen the movie Bell, Book and Candle. I told her that I had not. She then asked me whether I knew what it was about. I told her that I thought it was about witchcraft. She then said, “When I was in California, I got involved with all sorts of things just like Bell, Book and Candle, and I can put spells on people. I can put a spell on you.”
“No you can’t,” I replied. “I’m a Christian. No one can put a spell on a Christian.”
We had an exchange that continued for several minutes with her asserting that she could put a spell on me and me countering that no one can put a spell on me because I am a Christian.
I was not at all upset or frightened and thought the whole thing was ridiculous, but every time I claimed that my relationship with Jesus Christ protected me from any attempt to put a “spell” on me Judy became increasingly agitated.
Finally, she turned on her heel and walked out of my office. She never spoke to me again.
I am writing this blog to remind Christians that we should never allow Satan to scare us, and, in fact, if we stand our ground, we frequently find that we have scared him. We belong to Jesus Christ, and the only power that the devil has over us is the power we choose to give him. The devil uses force, but he has no power. All power belongs to God and to Jesus, and God’s power is unlimited. He created everything there is in heaven and on earth. He has the power to protect us and to help us in every situation. There is nothing that is too hard for God because His power can both destroy and create.
The devil, on the other hand, is very limited. He cannot create anything. He likes to destroy things—especially people’s lives—but he has never created one single thing because force cannot create. Lots of things have force: floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, but they are only able to destroy. Tornadoes have destroyed many towns, but you will never hear of one passing by and creating a town. Pretty much everyone is aware of the devastation that the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius left behind, but no one has ever reported a volcanic eruption that left behind a lush orchard or a field of wildflowers. Each year as hurricane season approaches, the coastal regions begin to prepare for the havoc that will surely result if one reaches land, but no one ever says, “I’m not worried because I think this year the hurricanes will repair all the buildings that need renovation. Some hurricanes in the past have done a lot of damage, but this year the hurricanes are going to bring restoration and prosperity.” No one ever says that because everyone knows that enormous force often destroys, but it never creates. Yes, the earth is filled with destructive forces, but those forces are nothing compared to God’s power.
Many Christians believe that the upcoming presidential election is the most important election of our lifetimes, and I agree. I have prayed, and fasted, and blogged, and written books dealing with the consequences of a second Obama term. I have talked to many people and done everything I can to affect the outcome, but, in the end, this is in God’s hands.
I will do everything that I can think of to ensure a Romney win in November, but I am not going to allow myself to be frightened or discouraged because I know that as long as we have the power of God’s Holy Spirit in us, the devil can never defeat us, and we never need to fear him. God has called us to take a stand against the forces of Satan. I have taken my stand to preserve liberty, and freedom, and one nation under God; take yours. And while you are standing, remember this: Whenever power and force collide, power always wins the fight.
Joyce Swann is a nationally-known author and speaker. Her own story of teaching her ten children from the first grade through master’s degrees before their seventeenth birthdays is retold in her book, Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother. Her newest novel, The Chosen, is available on Kindle and in paperback. For more information visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net or like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/frontier2000mediagroup.
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