When God is Moving in Your Life then You Can Bet the Enemy is Too!
When I was newly saved back in 1996, I saw God do one miracle in my life after another and my faith in Him increased mightily! But as I saw God’s hand in my life, I also saw the Enemy hard at work looking to come to steal, kill, and destroy.
But then the miracles were not all that noticeable, and, let’s just say that things in my life changed. When the trials came, they didn’t go away after a day, week, month, or honestly, not even years. It seemed like when they came into my life they were here to stay.
For the majority of my Christian life I have felt like I’ve walked through the valley waiting for God to show Himself.
Waiting for God to move on my behalf.
Waiting for God to give me a reprieve.
In looking back over my journals from 2001, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, and so on, I could see my scribbled words asking the Lord to give me a reprieve and deliver me from the trials that had taken up residence in my life.
And though I earnestly sought the Lord, intentionally walked in His ways, and stayed in fellowship with other Believers…
Many times I felt forsaken by Him.
Many times I didn’t feel like I could go on for another day.
Many times I was frustrated with the plans He had for my life.
And many times I listened to the lies of the Enemy.
But God, in His sovereignty, knew exactly what His daughter needed during those times of purging, refining and strengthening.
In those 12 long years of pain and sorrow, He taught me a tremendous amount. Yet the one thing that stands out to me the most is this:
To look for Him to show up in my life. And to watch and wait for His mighty Hand to display His glorious works.
But those were hard lessons for me.
Lessons that tried my patience as well as my faith.
Lessons that brought me to my knees.
Lessons that caused me to no longer be self-reliant but rather God-reliant.
Lessons to hold fast to the Scriptures regardless of what family and friends were saying about me or how they were treating me.
Lessons to remind me that God does not owe me anything.
And lessons to remind me that no matter how hard I try to fix something, I am NOT God, and I need to be okay with His plans for my life.
So after all these years because of all the trials, heartaches, the persecutions, and the attacks, I have just gotten used to walking with Christ while I’ve been under the shelter of His wings. Like a young child being protected by Her father, I wait on Him to pick up the pieces of my life and put them back together. AND HE DOES!
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4
But something unusual and out of the ordinary happened not too long ago…
God showed His hand in my life before the attack came. I’m not used to seeing His miracles manifest in my life first. (And quite honestly, sometimes I don’t recognize His hand at all because I’m either distracted, exhausted, or too wrapped up in myself.) But in any case, God moved first, and boy, was I was shocked by the battle that quickly followed!
Let me give you the back story.
About 10 days ago just before the end of the New Year, I pinned an old post I had written back in August to my Pinterest boards.
And that’s when it happened….
God took that post and spread it all. over. the. place!
There was so much traffic coming here that it made my head spin!
Here’s some numbers for a better understanding.
My little blog receives about oh, I’d say 600 views a day, give or take.
Now here are the numbers on the post, Are You a Wife that’s Easy to Love that I pinned on Pinterest:
On day one I think it had been viewed about 10,000 times. On another day it had been viewed over 21,000 times. Within a 10 day period it had been viewed over 100,000 times. (I guess it went viral!) And two days out of that 10 day period the entire Pinterest site shut down and I believe all Pinterest users lost all of their boards for awhile. I was thankful that my blog slowed down during that time period! That post is my #1 viewed post. In comparison, my #2 post has been viewed less than 7,000 times for the entire year!
Wow, God was sure moving it and it was crazy!
But then, anytime that God is moving in your life, you can bet the Enemy is going to move too! And that’s exactly what that nasty Snake did!
One attack after another came in the form of comments on the blog (and Facebook!) At one point I became so discouraged and disheartened by this that I couldn’t come back to my computer to minister to you. I wrote about how the criticism was affecting me (and ways to handle it in a Godly manner.) And through the writing of that post, God strengthened me through His words of Truth, as well as using you, the Body of Christ to minister to me.
So I was back in the battle!
As much as possible, I continued to follow up with comments that warranted my response; those that were actually seeking help. Of course I was honored and humbled by the opportunity to minister to them. And then there were wolves that showed up in sheep’s clothing. Those that perverted the Truth that needed my response because I didn’t want any of the thousands of women who came to my blog that day to be swayed by the lies and misconceptions that the wolves had written.
It was wild what was taking place in this ministry. I was being bombarded with one comment after another and it was like a battlefield in the comment section.
It felt like that little post took on a life of it’s own. Other blog’s were even blogging about the post! Some good, but most just hurled insults and mocked me.
The Enemy showed up at my blog for many days on end. At one point I even had a commentor that went by the name of ‘Lucifer’ leave me a comment! I kid you not! (You won’t see it in the comment section because of the profanity that was used.) I threw ‘Lucifer’s comment in the trash! And I smiled as I did so because I know full well that Jesus Christ will be throwing the real Satan into the lake of fire! 🙂
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev. 20:10
3 Tips to Help You When the Trials Come
- Look for the Lord to show up in your life because, really, that’s His job! He’s here to protect you, love you, comfort you, and He’ll fight your battles, that is, if you let Him! 🙂
- If you’re living for Jesus Christ, then don’t be surprised when the trials come because, you, my friend, are a threat to the Enemy’s work!
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12,13
- Be prepared!
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph. 6:11
Remember that you’re in a spiritual battle. What took place on my blog these last few days had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with me! It was a battle between Good and Evil!
Oh, and if you’re wondering why the comments are turned off on that post, well, it’s because the Lord told me to shut it down and move on. My work there is done.
Live a poured out life for Christ,
Jolene Engle
I have seen this happen in my own life. When God uses us for His work, Satan jumps right in and tries to get in our way! It’s scary and kind of exciting, because you KNOW that when Satan is attacking, it means you’re doing things he doesn’t like–which is EXACTLY what we want to be doing!!
I am thrilled with how God has used you through the words you wrote just a couple weeks ago. It takes serious courage to write something so hard, but it is so important to do that very thing. I’m proud of you for picking yourself up, learning from the experience, and jumping right back into this ministry to which God has called you! Don’t let that father of lies freak you out, and don’t listen to a word he says. You are a child of God, baptized into Christ, and He is using you for GREAT things! 🙂 <3
Well said! I echo Jaimie.
Hebrews 12:1-3 encourages my heart greatly when I start feeling bogged down with life and it’s trials. I also love Philippians 3:12-14. We are to live for Christ with all we are worth and keep our eye on the prize, Him! While it does not make the trials or attacks go away, it keeps things in proper perspective.
Several months ago, God blessed me with the opportunity of leading a women’s ministry. It has been an interesting and difficult journey. Talk about even more motivation to stay in God’s Word and on my knees! I have been under spiritual attack, since I took the position. However, like you, I am not going to give in or give up! God is sovereign and worth serving!
To God be all glory forever!
Thank you Jaimie!
Could not find where to put this question, but figured here was better than nowhere…
We are currently living in the UK and my DH has chosen a local church to attend (instead of the US church we were attending when we first arrived). I do not feel anything at the local church. It is a very traditional UK church (music is depressing & sermons seem to be written out for the pastor by someone else). How do I best tell my husband I do not want to attend that church?
TIA.
We lived in the UK for three years and faced a similar situation. I would strongly encourage you to take your heart to The Lord. Tell Him exactly how you feel and ask Him for His guidance. I can remember a time where I felt very strongly about a situation. I took it to The Lord before I ever approached my husband. God blessed my efforts as I sought to honor The Lord and my husband, while still letting them both know how I felt. God might have you there as a light, but it also might just be for a season.
With that being said, you need to find a place where you can grow spiritually and have fellowship with ladies. When we were in the UK, we were with the military. I found the base chapel offered some great Bible studies that helped me grow in my walk with God. In addition, I made great friends that I will always have.
Praying for you with this difficult situation.
Hi Vicki,
Laurie has shared with you what I would have as well, with the exception to the fact that I never lived in the UK! 🙂
I am one of the 21,000 who started to read your post due to Pinterest. I am sorry that you have received some negative comments regarding your blog. But, I want you to know that your blog is exactly what I needed. My husband has recently quit his job and I have held on to a lot of resentment regarding that. Your blog snapped my spirit back into submission. Have I fallen 100% in support of my husband yet? No, but I am working on it. I have not been someone that I would love if I were him, and that is something that I am working on also. You are a blessing. Please be encouraged in your ministry endeavors.
Thanks Peggy! And glad to hear that you’re trying to be more supportive of your man!
I found you through Pinterest, and I NEEDED TO READ your blogs! Thank you so much for writing about the topics you do, please keep writing! I am so blessed to have found your (not so little) blog!
Thank you, Tera!
Thank you for writing! I really needed to hear this encouragement this morning. Who knew having 3 girls under 2.5 years old could be so spiritually exhausting, as well as physically! 🙂
Ha! Motherhood and exhaustion go hand in hand! And then of course you have the spiritual attacks that go right along with it!
I would just like to say that I love your beautiful blog. I read some of the comments to your pinned post “Are you a wife who is easy to love?” and I was just stunned at the nastiness of some of the comments. I suppose I shouldn’t be stunned, but I was. I find it interesting that individuals who will claim open-mindedness and tolerance become vicious and miserable when they are faced with beliefs with which they disagree. It seems to me that if such people were truly open-minded, they would disagree calmly, if at all. I mean, aren’t they “open-minded”? Live and let live? Or are they only open minded if we agree with them? Some of the comments were clearly meant to try and silence you….and yet the commenter claimed that she didn’t believe in “submitting”. Then why did she try to silence you and make you submit to her?? Be encouraged, Jolene! You made people think. They stepped away from their many sources of entertainment for a few minutes. This post truly resonated with people. May God bless your work and ministry.
Yes, Tam, I was rather shocked by their animosity as well! But again, we’re in a spiritual battle and it’s so easy to forget that! Thank you for your encouraging words. They ministered to me greatly!
Thanks for your encouraging post. Everything you write is inspiring and the devil knows that, that is why he attacks but God is there to put him in his place. Keep your head and don’t give up! God is on your side! Thanks for all you write!
Oh Regina, you brought such a smile to my face by reminding me that the devil does know that it’s about the Lord over here! And yes, our Savior always puts him in his place! Thanks for cheering me on!
I’m your Cheerleader!!! Way to GO!
Love to you, sweet Cordy! Thank you, friend!
Thank you, far-away-friend, for writing this wise blog. I will learn more from you!
When I read your original article about submission and then some of the responses to it, and now this article, where you mention that the battle that was going on had nothing to do with you…well I can just say: you’re exactly right. I have been following your blog for a while now and I was surprised by the huge (negative) response that one article got, because I felt like it wasn’t even your most ‘extreme’ or ‘passionate’ argument for submission in marriage. I honestly thought it was written rather ‘neutral’, which only goes to show God’s hand in the matter. HE chose the article to reach people and you know what, if only one woman’s heart had been touched by it, it had been worth it. But as I can see, several women could’ve been helped by your words, and that is pretty amazing!
My heart broke for you as those people where attacking you, because even if it wasn’t ultimately about you, the pain they caused was very real. I am happy to see how you handled it in a godly manner!!
By the way, when I read some of the horrible comments from some women, I felt like I understood where they were coming from. When I first heard about biblical submission, I felt sick. My world view of the oh-so-strong female was being threatened and I was scared to death! But I have come to realize that real female strength is a beautiful, subtle,quiet strength (but don’t let that fool you, it is powerful!) and that usually the louder a women proclaims her ”strength”, the less substance there is to it.
Keep your good work up, you’re helping so many people, lots and lots of whom are not even commenting!
God bless you!
Hi Lena,
Yes, I would agree with you about the article. I didn’t feel like there was much in there either! In fact, I had to go back and re-read it because I remember when I wrote it thinking it wasn’t a very deep post. Like you said, ‘neutral’. And like you said, God moved that post. I just wrote a few simple words and the Great Almighty used it to reach the hearts of His daughters (and even plant some seeds). And yes, even though the article had nothing to do with me, the attacks were directed towards me. And of course, like any human being, their unkind words hurt. But God, He is where I get my worth. And I too understood their comments because I used to think like them.
Thank you for your encouraging words, Lena. God used you to minister to me and I’m thankful for that!