Who Does Satan Think He Is?!

I woke up in agony on Saturday. My back was on fire with the myofacial pain. The pain wouldn't ease up (My medications weren't helping, and if I take the heavy stuff I can't function, so I avoid it if I have to do anything). I hadn't done anything taxing on Friday.

Only ice relieved the pain somewhat because it numbed me for a while. Between set-up and church I went home and laid on the floor with my back covered with ice packs. That helped me get through service and then back home for more ice. Daniel asked if he could do anything to help and I said yes, pray for me. It's great to be a part of a staff who readily cares for each other! Prayer was the most important thing he could do for me at that time. God graciously empowered me to get through the evening.

Sunday was worse if anything! I had ice on my back on the way to church, and Paige brought ice with her so I could ice my back all through 1st service. Darius prayed for me! I made it through the morning and part of tear-down before going home for more ice. In the evening it was more ice and back to church for membership class (and a brief stop at Marty's 65th B-Day party - Happy birthday dad!), then back home for more ice.

Today I woke up extra tired from the long weekend, and in the usual amount of pain. But, no fire!
In many ways, I feel great!

It's obvious that it was Satan putting a huge stumbling block in my path. The pain would have normally shut me down, but I had a hunch that it was spiritual warfare, and I wasn't about to lose this battle! Who does Satan think he is? I hate the phrase, but it is so appropriate here - Satan, you're not the boss of me! God has been doing so much at Palm Valley I knew that I needed to be there. I blogged a few days ago about the attacks we have been facing and some ways to face them. Sometimes you have to play hurt. Most people didn't notice, that was the intent.

In may ways, I could have stayed home. Most people wouldn't have noticed that I was gone. The Fresh Start Team is great and they could have handled everything just fine without me there (there ability didn't play any part in my decision to be there). It certainly would have been better to be home where I could have taken other medications to help eleviate the pain.

So why did I go?
- I mentioned it before, because it was a battle and I knew that if I stayed home Satan would have won.

- A conversation I had with a young lady who was hurting made it clear that I needed to be there at that time. Other's could have had that conversation, but I believe that it was God's plan for me to be there.

- 33 conversions this month shows us that God is doing huge things in the hearts of people coming to Pallm Valley Church, and I felt that I needed to be there to see His hand at work. 14 more conversions this weekend show that I was right! That's 47 lives changed forever in the past 3 weeks!

- I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go, and to stay. I can't explain it, but in my heart I knew that I had to be there. It wouldn't have mattered if I was invisible and I didn't encounter anyone, I needed to be there because the Lord said so! He is the boss of me!

I am sure that there will be times, as before, that when I am in that kind of pain, I will need to be at home, but for this weekend that wasn't the case. Spiritual warfare is something that I don't fully understand, but the battle belonged to the Lord, and He won through my willingness to be at church even when it hurt so bad. What a privilege to have suffered this weekend as part of such warfare.

Greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world!