But against spiritual enemies in unseen places.

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

In the months leading up to March 2024, I was greatly overwhelmed. I was exhausted and ill for months. My prayer life became non-existent, and I did not even have it in me to turn church on from the comfort of my bed let alone make it to the house of God.

Then on March 11th, the straw that broke the camels back fell. I hit my breaking point. I was in a form of spiritual paralysis you could say starting that day. I felt like a prisoner in my own body. Completely numb. I wasn’t even able to form a complete thought. I was on autopilot.

I felt like I was in a deep, dark pit, naked and alone. I couldn’t understand anything of what was happening. All I could do from the bottom of that pit was whisper “help” on the inside while looking toward the top, which I couldn’t see.

The decision was finally made for me to take time to recover from my severe sleep deprivation. I slept for over two weeks straight. Day and night. Then coming into the third week, I began to feel more human. I could “stand” in that pit, but nothing else really changed. As the days went by and my strength came back to me, I remember having the thought of how did I get here?

It was close to the end of the fourth week and my thoughts began to return to me as I called out to God. My pathetic whisper of “help” turned into “Lord, help me”. I felt like a child learning to talk for the first time on the inside.

One afternoon, as I walked about the homestead, I was stopped dead in my tracks. I had a strange feeling come over me. You know the feeling, when you sense someone is nearby that you once knew and don’t now. It wasn’t standing there physically, but I could definitely feel it in the spirit. After a few moments of silence, it dawned on me. “I know you”.

It was that dirty, nasty, depressive spirit that had plagued me my whole life, the one I had cast off my life in September 2022 by the power of the name of Jesus Christ. I said, “What are you doing here??? You’re not supposed to be here.” I reminded him he was already under my feet and had no authority in my life. I told him I threw him out once, I will do it again, and this time, it would be for good. He would not find me asleep the next time he came around.

“When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest; and not finding any, it says, ‘I will go back to my house (person) from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the place swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in [the person] and live there; and the last state of that person becomes worse than the first.”

Luke 11:24-26

From that point on, I immersed myself in as much preaching, teaching, and fellowship as I could. To say it was rough would be an understatement. The more I pressed in, the harder I was attacked. I remember being so tormented, I would want to run out of wherever I was and throw myself in front of a vehicle. But I knew that is what the enemy wanted from me, and I was not going to give him the satisfaction.

When a lion attacks, it goes for the vulnerable, the easy prey. I had let my guard down. I allowed the cares of this world to drive a wedge between me and my God. The devil hit me with his best shot, and he lost, again, because he is a chump and an eternal loser.

If you do not know the source of something, you will constantly be putting out small fires, which will leave you exhausted and overwhelmed. Depression, anxiety, fear, these are all tools of the devil. Furthermore, they are spirits and need to be dealt with as such. Jesus gave us power over all the schemes of the devil and when you are covered in the blood, they have no power over you: unless you give it to them.

Your words are powerful, and you need to watch what you confess over your life. The Bible teaches that whatever we loose and bind on earth, God will do the same in heaven, meaning He will back it. You have God on your side. He has voted for you; the devil has voted against you. You get to cast the deciding vote.

Wont you turn from sinful ways today and follow Jesus Christ? His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He came to give you life and give it to you more abundantly. He loves you and cares for you. Don’t be a door mat for the devil. He belongs under your feet.

It is hard to hit a small target. It is impossible to hit a target you do not know.

Jonathan Shuttlesworth

I give all the glory to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ took me out of that pit and put my feet on the rock to stand. He has given me life and given it to me more abundantly. With every breath that is in me, I will praise the Lord.

Please know that He is no respecter of persons and what He has done for me He will do for you.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Put Him to the test. Try it and let Him prove it to you.

Until next time, my friend.