Soul Blockers: Evil Forebodings

You might think the antithesis of this month’s topic, a positive attitude, would be negative but I’ve decided to address one form of negativity…evil forebodings. Evil forebodings will zap any amount of positivity as well as mental and physical energy. So why do I address this instead? …I had to deal with it, not once but twice this week.

As a young girl I would have imaginings of my ailing mother dying. I’d hear sirens and cry for fear something had happened to her. As an adult I transferred some of these irrational thoughts to my husband and then to my children. I would sit and imagine what seemed to be for hours, thoughts of some catastrophe that would take them from me.

This may stem from my own abandonment from my father leaving then learning my mother was dying when I was ten. But I believe there is more to this. My (step) dad was very negative and as much as I tried to not be like him, what was on him got on me. Many years ago I dealt with my negative attitudes in all its forms so when I had an attack this week I found it odd…and debilitating. I spent the day imagining some horrible catastrophe was going to happen and with nothing to prompt these thoughts. Often when we teach something we will experience the same issue, the enemy likes to challenge us. It happened again today but through the grace of God I overcame it quickly.

Evil foreboding goes beyond a negative attitude and engulfs the sufferer in imaginations of catastrophe. And there isn’t necessarily any precursor to such thoughts. The individual doesn’t choose to sit and think the worst. What is the root of evil foreboding, and many negative thoughts? John Eldredge in Waking the Dead explains it perfectly

“…most of the time we don’t recognize it as an attack. At first it tends to be vague – not voices in the head, not an obvious assault, but more of a “sense” we have, an impression, a feeling that comes over us. The power of suggestion. Now, if some demon were standing in front of us, telling us, ‘Here, drink this rat poison,’ we’d tell him where to go. But because we do not live as though we are at war, well, we just assume these impressions are our own, and we accept them, agree with them, live under them like slaves under a task master. Listen carefully: any movement toward freedom and life, any movement toward God or others, will be opposed.”

Epiphany! I no longer had to work on my “problem”, I didn’t need to focus on “self-help” formulas; but I was entering the fight of my life. I was at war in a battle for my mind, my peace and my joy.

Trouble mind = no renewal, no restoration (Ephesians 4:23)

No peace = troubled hearts (John 14:27)

No joy = no strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

Evil foreboding will steal your positive attitude so how do we protect ourselves? Recite Romans 12.2 – be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Be in continual contact with the one who heals, restores and renews. By keeping such verses in the forefront of your mind you will break the strongholds in your life. As John further explains…

“…a believer can have a stronghold of Satan in his life. It’s not just about anger; it can happen through all sorts of issues. The Devil will try to use your wounds and unresolved emotional issues to pin down your heart under a spiritual stronghold.”

Fight, fight hard. You’re at war and you are the prize. Identify the areas where you’re the weakest. What routinely steals your peace? Ask yourself, what is the root of the problem? For me evil forebodings are rooted in abandonment issues and that is where I needed to go for healing. Not just once, as you read above. Even areas once conquered and long gone can come back to haunt you…be aware and be on the lookout for the enemy roams like a roaring lion seeking to someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

“If it doesn’t bring freedom and it doesn’t bring life, its’ not Christianity. If it doesn’t restore the image of God and rejoice in the heart, it’s not Christianity.”
~ John Eldredge ~

Related posts
Soul Blockers: Negativity, the secret sin

Healing Hearts

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3).

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing
in its wings. (Malachi 4:2)

He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those
who needed healing. (Luke 9:11)

For some reason this has been lost in the recent offerings of the church.
Perhaps it has been our pride, which has kept us from admitting that we are
broken. Lord knows I’ve done that for years – probably am still doing it now.
Perhaps it is our fear of getting our hopes up; it seems too good to be true.
Perhaps it’s been the church’s almost total focus on sin and the cross. But the
Scripture is abundant and clear: Christ came not only to pardon us, but to heal
us. He wants the glory restored. So, put the book down for just a moment, and
let this sink in: Jesus can, and wants, to heal your heart. What does that
rouse in you?

John Eldredge ~ Waking the Dead

Photo taken at Shakamak State Park, Indiana

The Church Organism

Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, its how we think of it. “I go to First Baptist.” “We are members of St. Luke’s.” “Is it time to go to church?” Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all. When the Scripture talks about church, it means community. The little fellowships of the heart that are outposts of the kingdom. A shared life. They worship together, eat together, pray for one another, go on quests together. They hang out together, in each other’s homes. When Peter is sprung from prison, “he went to the house of Mary the mother of John where many people had gathered and were praying” (Acts 12:12).

Anytime an army goes to war or an expedition takes to the field, it breaks down into little platoons and squads. And every chronicle of war or quest will tell you that the men and women who fought so bravely fought for each other. That’s where the acts of heroism and sacrifice take place, because that’s where the devotion is. You simply can’t be devoted to a mass of people; devotion takes place in small units, just like a family.

We have stopped short of being an organization; we are an organism instead, a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary. A group is the right size, I would guess, when each member can pray for every other member, individually and by name.

This is the wisdom of Brother Andrew, who smuggled Bibles into communist countries for decades. It’s the model, frankly, of the church in nearly every country but the U.S. Now, I’m not suggesting you don’t do whatever it is you do on Sunday mornings. I’m simply helping you accept reality – that whatever else you do, you must have a small fellowship to walk with you and fight with you and bandage your wounds. This is essential.

John Eldredge – Waking The Dead

Beauty is the essence of God

The first way we know this is through nature, the world God has given us. Scripture says that the created world is filled with the glory of God (Isa. 6:3). In what way? Primarily through its beauty. We had a wet spring here in Colorado, and the wildflowers are coming up everywhere-lupine and wild iris and Shasta daisy and a dozen others. The aspens have their heart-shaped leaves again, trembling in the slightest breeze. Massive thunderclouds are rolling in, bringing with them the glorious sunsets they magnify. The earth in summer is brimming with beauty, beauty of such magnificence and variety and unembarrassed lavishness, ripe beauty, lush beauty, beauty given to us with such generosity and abundance it is almost scandalous.

Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Stop for a moment and let that sink in. We’re so used to evaluating everything (and everyone) by their usefulness, this thought will take a minute or two to dawn on us. Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses. Nature at the height of its glory shouts, Beauty is essential! revealing that Beauty is the essence of God. The whole world is full of his glory.

John & Staci Eldredge, Captivating

Photo: Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park Wyoming