Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you.  If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.--Psalm 34:17,18 (The Message)

After I was so blessed to receive rich, revelatory teaching on the Word for the past few weeks in my church's Bible school, the enemy came to test me. 

Yesterday--besides the fact that, because Bible school was so rich that we went till amost midnight, and didn't even realize it till we got home!--I slept in a bit, but still could tell I had not had as much sleep as usual. 

One way the enemy attacks is sometimes when we haven't gotten as much rest as we need. But it is written in the Word that the LORD gives us His beloved sweet sleep. He can refresh us just after a couple of hours, as needed. His Grace is truly amazing!

So, I knew that, even though I hadn't rested as much as usual, that this was a spiritual attack: I had thoughts of fear,  discouragement, and and other negative things throught the day--and they had started in the middle of the night! The accuser tries to accuse us and our loved ones day and night.

Of course, I was binding him in the Name of Jesus and otherwise taking autority over him. This went on longer than I wanted it to--but, as the LORD is so faithful to do, He worked it for good.

In the middle of the struggle (and the enemy tries to make us true Believers in Christ--especially because we are the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, through our faith in His shed blood at Calvary (and ONLY by our faith in what the Blood has done for us!), the Holy Spirit exposed a root in me that went way back, of which I needed to repent.

It had given an open door to the enemy to afflict me, because I had been hurt (read: offended, and even traumatized in my soul) by someone very close to me; the person the enemy was accusing to me in the middle of the night, whose wrongs against me that I'd started thinking about--which further stole sleep from me.

The LORD tells us to "stop rehearsing past disappointments," and to "forget the former things and not dwell on the past...to see the new thing," (Isaiah 43:18)

I was praying and proclaiming Scriptures, and worshiping. My faith WAS working--it just did not FEEL like it.

That's the deal--we want to FEEL like our faith it working, but, praise the LORD, faith is NOT a feeling! Hallelujah!

We walk by faith (not feelings) and not by sight.

We choose to believe God means what He says, no matter what we feel nor what things look like or seem to be.

One way to handle this type of junk is, no matter how you feel, nor how slowly you are moving, to make yourself say "Praise the LORD," and "Thank You, LORD. You love me, no matter what. You are working all this junk for my good." (Genesis 50:20)

One thing that greatly comforts me is to remember that, no matter what, the LORD is aware of everything, that He sees it since before the world began, and of course is going ahead of you and orchestrating what the enemy sends to somehow work for your good!

Your Daddy God (He is your faithful Father once you receive Jesus Christ, His Son, as your Savior and LORD) loves you and, just like any good parent, wants the best for you. No matter what things that are bad happen to you, God will make a way for your healing and deliverance and restoration--your good!

I'm actually giving you several ways to get victory when the enemy attacks. So here's another one: Ask someone you can trust to pray for you; someone you know who is truly attuned to the Holy Spirit, who is full of the Word of God, and obedient to the Bible.

Sometimes, like with me yesterday, it means going beyond your usual circle of friends or church, and contacting a proven ministry for prayer. These people won't know you nor your family, but, as part of the extended Royal Family of God (to which all true Believers in Christ Jesus belong, through our faith in the shed blood of Christ on the cross, and His eternal resurrection back to life, three days later!), they will truly care for you and earnestly intercede for you to the LORD. Their prayers will make a difference in your life!

We usually like speedy answers, and God is able to do that. However, it may take a while for you to see the answers you want. Regardless, know this: God is Love (I John 4:8), and His love is perfect. He WILL give you what you need. Sometimes, that's revealing to you that you need to fogive someone whom you think has hurt you. Sometimes, that's comforting you and giving you peace that you can't understand; that, no matter how bad the situation, He helps you know that, because God is for you, things are going to work out all right.

That brings me to another point: I ask the LORD to "hide me in His secret pavillion, away from the strife of tongues" which is the Secret Place in God, where we are settled and at peace, and know that He is for us and not against us--forever! The "strife of tongues" can mean things that others have said that hurt us, and even our own hearts and minds condeming us. 

…19How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You! 20You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues. 21Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege.…--Psalm 31:19-21

The enemy is the accuser, and he'll try to use things we've done (or not done, that we know we should have), to make us feel unworthy of God's love.

Here's a secret: WE ARE ALL UNWORTHY OF GOD'S LOVE--EXCEPT BY OUR FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CLEANSING AND COVERING US, TO MAKE US WORTHY!

HALLELUJAH!

Other ways to get victory during a spiritual attack (which one minister defined to me years ago as, "feelings of hopelessness, discouragement, and fear," or strange things happening that just don't make sense; or others resisting us when we are doing things for God, or even just "good" things), is to speak the Word out loud, pray out loud (especially in the Holy Spirit), or worship out loud--and even better, do all three!

In addition, another thing that has helped me overcome is to get by myself in a quiet place, with just my Bible, paper (or notecards), and a pen, then ask the LORD to guide me to Scriptures and speak to me. He will! Then write them out. put them in your home, your car, your purse. Put them on your mirror in the bathroom, or over the kitchen sink (or both), and read them out loud daily.

Go to a Bible-believing church (at the least, tune in online!), and rejoice and learn with the others. There is no distance in the Spirit; He travels over airwaves and can do for you in your living room what He is doing for those in the building.

(However, the LORD commands us to gather together to worship Him. There is power in numbers. If you keep staying away from other Believers, you are an easier target for the enemy! God is always with you, of course, and He knows we need fellowship (sharpening, accountability, and encouragement) from other Believers.

The Presence of the LORD is the ultimate comfort. We experience Him through worship, hearing and speaking the Word of God, reading the Bible, prayer (especially praying for others, which gets our minds off of us!), rememering how far He's brought us, and being thankful, and doing good things to help others.

Through every battle, ask the LORD to help you keep your mind on Him, and He will. He will give you strategies for victory.

Remember this, though; no matter what, God is forever faithful and loves you more than you know. He sees everything and will work the bad for your good--every time, for He is good, ALL the time!