Psalm 91
I want to begin by thanking the Lord for his mercy and grace upon my life by giving me a revelation of the death, burial and resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I can honestly say that I would hate to be living in this present evil world, as it states in Galatians 1:4, without knowing Jesus and the power of His resurrection. Because without Jesus and the power that raised Him from the dead in your life daily, you are walking around as one without hope - Ephesians 2:12, and an open prey for the devil.
I believe it was sometime in the late 80's or maybe early 90's when some things took place right next door to where we lived in Garland, Texas that I really never would have thought would have taken place so close by. But God moved a neighbor there to perfect some more of my faith and love, and for me to overcome some wicked spirits.
The neighborhood we lived in (and had since 1979), was a pretty quite and settled neighborhood. We knew most of our surrounding neighbors and they were all very nice and decent people (as far as the world's standards). The neighbor's to the west of us were Jehovah's Witnesses, and as a matter of fact, they were the ones we bought our house from. They always wanted the corner lot next door, and when it went for sale, they bought it. But after several years, they ended up getting a divorce, and the man and his three son's lived there for awhile after the divorce took place, and then sold it and moved out. They ended up selling their house to a young, single lady, who had a teenage daughter and also a baby girl, who was involved in only God knows what - and I do not mean that in an ugly or self righteous way - but some things are not real hard to figure out. We went from seeing her live a pretty high lifestyle to the devil bringing her down to destruction. Proverbs 16:25 says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (or ruin, or destruction).
Anyway, she started out as a fairly quiet neighbor and was always very polite in passing, although there were some things we had noticed about her lifestyle that did not fit the neighborhood, but it did not bother us, because how people live their lives is between them and God. And how long after, I do not recall, but things started changing that affected us, and that is when my overcoming of evil spirits in this situation began. (These things may not be in the right sequence as they happened, but I am going to share some of them as they come up.)
We started noticing different people over there all the time coming in and out at all different times of the day and night. There would be fights that would break out with different guys that would be over there, to her even fist fighting one of her boyfriends out on the sidewalk. They started having parties that were so loud, you could not even sleep at night. She would put her stereo speakers in her bedroom window (which happened to face our bedroom window) and would turn that thing on full blast. Or either right when I would get ready to go to bed, I could hear her and whoever was living over there at the time, coming down the hallway screaming and yelling. This went on for some time - I mean the minute I would get in the bed and turn the light off, the devil would send them in that bedroom (the one facing our bedroom window) in a brawl. I'll be honest and tell you, but after this went on for a while it was hard not to get offended. Although I would pray and bless them, and there were times they would stop when I would, there were other times it was like the devil would 'try' me to the point where I wanted to get a rock (maybe even a boulder!) and throw it through their window - and not to hurt them - just get their attention! (Love oozing out of me!) I was totally frustrated, though, and I am just being honest with you. (There was some purifying of my soul going on, no doubt!) I was in a war myself in the spirit, and this was nothing but the Jezebel spirit making a stir over there. Late one night JR went over there (per my request - he had not yet come to bed) and asked them if they would turn their stereo down, and she was real nice and said she did not realize it was that loud (totally void of judgment) - but not too many nights later, it was right back at full blast. This had gone on for months, and one night I was so angry at them and the devil (Jesus did say 'be angry and sin not'!) that I got out of bed and told JR, "If this goes on one more night, I am going to call the police to come out because I have had enough." You know, I overcame something that night, and they didn't play their music in that window again. The faith of God inside of me stood up that night, and it was over. Religion would have taught me I needed to keep turning the other cheek, and to call the police would not be Christian-like. But the Spirit of God is not like religion - thank God! He is longsuffering, but the day will come where He will not put up with things any longer. And that Spirit is in me.
Another time, one afternoon the kids were outside playing and they came in and told me there were several policemen surrounding her house. I went in my backyard, and sure enough there was a policeman standing right by the gate to her backyard, (as well as other policemen at other locations of the house). He seemed to be standing there very casually, so I asked him what was going on, and you could tell he didn't want to tell me. I was polite and told him we had lived here since 1979 and I wanted to know what was going on at that house because it was affecting us, so he came over to me and told me that a bunch of runaway's (kids) had started going over there, and maybe doing drugs. This house finally became what was referred to by the police, as a 'zero-tolerant' house, and if they saw anyone walking around there or going up to it, or anything or anyone that 'looked' suspicious, they would question them and/or arrest them. Late one night, there was a man that was walking down the street and a police car was slowly coming down the street and the guy saw the car, and turned up our walkway and rang our doorbell. He asked for 'Susie' or someone, and JR told him no one by that name lived here. About that time, the police car stopped in front of our house, and came up to our door and asked what he was doing and if we knew the man. Of course we didn't. They put in him their car and off they went. (This guy was headed for the next door neighbor's house, but saw the policemen and turned to our house, so he wouldn't look like a suspect - it just didn't work!)
Then there was the time Amy had gone out to the back driveway to play, and she had not been out there but a couple of minutes before she came back in and said she was through playing. I noticed she was acting kind of strange and I asked her what was wrong, and she said some guy had come out the next door neighbor's gate with a gun in his hand and was going down the alley. One thing I knew for sure, was the angels of God surrounded our house and God was our protector, and I told Amy that. I also knew we were not going to live in fear, but that Jesus had given us authority to rule the devil and rule in the midst of our enemies - and there were a few over there. Never in my life would I have dreamed of living next to all this, but as I said, it was for my perfection and overcoming, and there were definitely some things for me to overcome.
Anyway, one of the last parties that went on at that house something tragic happened. Years prior, before knowing the death, burial and resurrection power, I would have been in total fear about this whole situation. But God had done a work in my heart about trusting Him in the midst of trouble. At one point in time that night I had looked out the window in their front yard because of all the noise, and the yard was covered with people - maybe 50 -75 people over there. It looked like hundreds. But the party had been going on for a while and I had been in the bedroom reading or praying as usual. All of a sudden I heard a loud noise and I knew it was a gunshot and then I heard all these people screaming. The first thing that came to me was Psalm 91 "...A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee - (although this was 'nigher' than I really wanted!). Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." When I looked out the window, people were running and scattering everywhere. And what had happened was someone at that party had a gun and shot someone. And as the ambulance was taking this man off, he died in route to the hospital. This was definitely something you hear about happening all the time, but just something I never would have expected to happen right next door to where I lived. But over the months and years of all this going on, there had been a trust and confidence built in my heart about the power of God and about the angel's of God surrounding us. In the flesh, I know I would have wanted to move somewhere else when all of that started taking place, but walking in the Spirit in the gospel, one thing I have learned is that you never run from a situation - you overcome it with faith, otherwise you will get in another situation just as bad, if not worse. But after this incident, things became much more quiet at that house.
There was another situation I had to really trust God in and not let my flesh get in the way over. And it was something that we were not totally sure about, so I am not going to go into any details on it. But when you walk in the Spirit, you do not get involved in something, unless the Spirit of God leads you to. But I believe the Lord spoke something to me, and when He did my spirit settled down after that and I was then able to go to sleep.
It was probably towards the end of all these events that had gone on, when she came over and asked me if I had seen anyone break in her house (while she was gone) and take some furniture from her house. I told her I had not. As I stood there for a few seconds, I started to share some things about the Lord with her, but in my spirit it wasn't right, so I was quiet. Religion teaches you to 'witness' to everyone that crosses your path, but Christianity is being led by the Spirit speaking when He tells you to. Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say, and He only did what the Father told Him to do. So after she turned and walked away I heard the Lord say, "The devil will exalt you and take you high; then turn around to steal, kill and destroy you." And this was a prime example right before my eyes. And everything that went on in this situation was the Jezebel spirit.
You know, when God sold our house and we moved out, He put it in my spirit to take her all the food I had in my pantry and refrigerator and freezer, and it was a real blessing to be able to do so - it always is when God tells you to do it. I knew I had overcome that spirit with her and in that situation. This gospel works and it works every time when you believe. Things that I would not have put up with before (in the flesh), God saw fit for me to overcome by believing Him and trusting Him and seeing His salvation come through. And I overcame fear by mixing faith with the gospel (in believing that Jesus died, was buried and rose again the third day). In the epistle of John it says that perfect love casts out fear, and as I have shared before, as I have obeyed God (walking in love) the fear has always come out of me.
I also know that God has had much mercy and grace upon my life, because it could have just as easily been me in that whole situation. We are a blessed people and I do not take 'lightly' what God has done in my life. In John 15:16, Jesus said I did not choose Him, but He chose me and ordained me that I should bring forth fruit and that my fruit should remain: that whatever I ask in the Father's name, he would give it to me. And what God has been doing in my life (and still is) is making a Christian out of me, so that I in turn can make Christians out of others. The apostle and prophet ministry for the past thirteen and a half years has been perfecting me (Ephesians 4:11-16) and conforming me into the image of Jesus - and what an honor that is!! You know, without the Lord Jesus in our lives, we would be without hope and most miserable. But thank God He had a plan from the foundation of the world for our lives, and He has made us vessels of mercy (Romans 9:23) that He might show forth His power through us. And I praise Him for that.
It is the love of God to put us in these situations to deal with our hearts and perfect our faith and love, so that we might walk in this earth as Jesus walked. And as long as with rely on and adhere to that power that raised Him from the dead, we will have total victory every time.
Well, until next time, God bless you. And remember - Jesus died, was buried and rose again for YOU.
