You Are The God Who Sees Me...

This road trip has been a blast so far!  But I have also seen the enemy (Satan, in case you were wondering) use every opportunity to TRY to get to me. I have also felt a noticeable difference in the way he bothers me.  It feels like a lot of the roads he used to travel on are all blocked off and so now he is trying new roads.

That's exciting to me!!!  I can just see it!  Him and his little minions all frantic, scrambling around, looking for new ways to cause trouble because the old ways DO NOT WORK!!!!!  AMEN!!!!

So one of the new ways is anxiety.  It's not something I have struggled with before and I do my best not to engage with it now, but I can still feel the attack.  Like people knocking at your door, trying to get in.  I will give you a small example and tell you what we did to combat it.  Last night, Alyssa and I drove to get her car in the next town over from hers, Whitefish.  As we travelled, there was this HUGE chunk of the road taken out and they hadn't put up signs yet to warn us there was a big bump, so I biffed it.  It felt and sounded like a car wreck.  (Mind you, I had tons of tons of weight in my back because I am packed floor to ceiling for California)

There was a moment when I could feel the shock, trauma, fear, and worry fill the car.  Immediately I heard assailing anxious thoughts:  "You wrecked your car!  Now you won't have anything to drive! Why didn't you see that bump?!....and on and on..."  Immediately, because I could hear the "you" in these statements, I knew I was being attacked and that they were using EVERY opportunity, like usual, to get to me.  "NO!" I cried inwardly.  I looked at Alyssa who was also visibly shaken, and said, "We're going to pray really quick" She nodded in agreement and I verbally said, "God we pray your peace and your strength into this car.  We say NO to all shock and trauma and fear that tempted us when we hit that bump. We say YES to your peace and the fact that NO matter what, you have us.  If the car is damaged, YOU will provide.  We will not give in to fear, worry, or anxiety because you are our God, our loving father, and you take care of us. You comfort us...."

And on it went for a little while.  The atmosphere in the car immediately shifted.  It filled with peace and strength and calm.  Alyssa felt it too and said she felt a million times better.  We even laughed that we had been so traumatized by something so tiny as hitting a bump.  But that's how he works!  He will use the smallest thing to start telling you a bunch of JUNK.  And if you engage in it and agree with it, then you empower him and it becomes something nasty.  Because the peace came so quick, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and awe of our God.  He SEES us.  He cares for us!  He is waiting on the edge of eternity for our voice!  He is a gentleman and never imposes himself on us or forces his way into our lives and thoughts.  He waits for US!  He waits for our voices to cry out to him and ask!

He's amazing.

You don't have to give the enemy a ton of credit or attention, but if he is attacking you....stop him!
It doesn't have to be some dramatic thing.  It's normal.  You can just say no.

"3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

-2 Corinthians 10:3-5

BAM!