Spiritual Warfare

I do not know if I heard or read this somewhere, or if it is just the universal truth floating out there with the Holy Spirit, but it is often in my mind; "Satan's greatest success has been in convincing people that he does not exist."  

I believe this with my whole heart.  I also believe that Evil is constantly on the attack and most often fights in a war of inches.  Sure, The Liar revels in the big hit, the taking of a mile, but he lives in the inches.  The cruel word said to a family member or loved one, the slight of stranger, the cutting off of another driver in traffic or the even the gossip that seems to inhabit most every church.

I've been experiencing a lot of spiritual warfare against my family as of late and it came to a head a few weeks ago with the crumbling of a business partnership for which I gave up a solid corporate career to start.  That was one of those mile events I think, but now that I look back over the last 12 months I see the pattern of an inch here and and inch there with family health and happiness issues... Hindsight as always being 20/20 it seems.

My family is very devoted to God, and we have gone through similar times over the years.  A common thread I see through each of these times is this, each time we really get engaged in sharing our Father's word and message of love, hope and grace, we find ourselves under attack - it is inevitable, but putting on the armor of God and fighting the good fight invites the war of inches and miles to come visit at your doorstep.  It just is a truth.  

 I know my friends and family are praying for my entire family.  I know my pastor is saying extra prayers for our safety.  I am coming to terms with the situation and I know God is healing me in the quiet moments of reflection.  I also know he is preparing me for the next challenge, the next chapter in this epic struggle.  I know Jesus is with my family and I know He has a plan for each of us, just as I know that The Liar is working his war of inches still to keep us in distress and turning away from the security of God's love.  But I also know that God is with is, and in the end with God on our side, who can truly stand against us?

Thank you Father for your blessings and for planting the seeds for the next harvest of opportunity to spread the message of your love to world around us.