I hate him.

With a passion. He is conniving, evil, devious, deceitful, rebellious, prideful, hateful, cowardly, and mean. He preys on the weak and even tries to weaken those who are strong in their faith. The Bible says that he roams about the earth like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. He doesn't like it when we take a stand, and he absolutely hates it when we pray together.

Mrs. Lisa and Bro. Johnny have been talking about prayer in Sunday School and how effective it is. The Scripture teaches us (in James, I believe), that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (woman, couple) availeth much (for the good of the Kingdom of God). They mentioned to us last week that Satan has been attacking their household--their family--their foundation--because he doesn't like what they're trying to do. Apparently he moved to Covington after he left Loganville.

I hate it the way that he plays on fears, anxieties, our past failures, our own self-esteem (or lack thereof), our tendency to self-preserve, and I hate how he attacks those that are trying to do right. I hate him for his desire to steal, kill and destroy... but I'm thankful that I have The Mighty One to do battle for me when I can't defend myself. I'm so blessed to have a husband that is humble enough to pray over us both and beg God for protection when we sense satan's claws creeping up too close to us and even more grateful to have married someone who recognizes such attacks for what they are.

I'm here to put Satan on notice.

Dear Satan,

I see you. I hear your attacks. I have seen you destroy families, tear marriages apart, and weaken the bonds of faith through your efforts. I am sick and tired of it. I feel your presence in the conversations and daily temptations we experience and in the pessimistic thoughts that result from them, and I will not let you win. I waited too long, sought God's will too hard, and care too much about my marriage to let you get a foot in our door. You cannot have our children. You may not have my husband. You will not destroy me or the testimony the Lord has given us. No matter what it takes, we will keep praying. We will keep begging God for help. We will continue to rebuke you in His name. We will pray over the precious children God has allowed us to borrow for a time--we will pray that they will be mighty warriors, sold out for Our Father, and hedged in with the protective wall of prayer we have built around them. We will fight you with every ounce of strength that is in us, and, when that's not enough, we will cry out to Our Creator (and yours too, in case you forgot) for help. We will claim the promises that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Please don't forget that your days are numbered. You may have won small skirmishes in my life or in the life of my family, but you will not win this war.

Sincerely,
Becky

Whew. I feel better. What a joy it is to know that, according to the Love Letter the Lord wrote us (aka the Bible), we win. satan loses. simple as that.