A few days ago, I heard a story that stirred something inside me. An old college alumnus shared a story on Instagram that brought to light a way of living that seems forgotten in the middle of challenging situations.
My friend lives in Texas and works at the Lifestyle Christianity School. I’d encourage you to go follow him on insta if you are looking to place inspiration in your life. His handle is @chrisdonald.
Chris and his wife were pregnant with their third child. One afternoon, his wife calls him at work and says that she needs to go to the emergency room because something is wrong. Chris rushes over to the hospital and his thought as he is rushing over is, “If the enemy is going to send me to the ER, I’m going to make him pay”. My friend is a Christian and believes there is an enemy of our soul that looks to kill, steal, and destroy. This enemy typically goes by the name of ‘Satan’.
As Chris arrives at the ER, he immediately goes to see if his wife is okay and then, with her consent, begins praying for every person in the ER. They went home that night and had a miscarriage. Due to all the things involved with that, they had to go back to the ER.
As they are in the ER for the second time, Chris’ wife says, “If the enemy is going to steal from us, let’s steal from him.” So, Chris calls a friend to meet him at the hospital and they, once again, begin to pray over those in the ER and to share their testimony. This time, a woman who was in distress, both mentally and physically, was completely healed of pain in her body and was no longer in distress. The woman couldn’t believe it and God was glorified in that moment.
Chris goes on to share in his testimony that he encourages all Christ followers not to cower back in the face of challenge. There is a war we face. Not a war in the physical, but in the unseen spiritual principalities of this world (Ephesians 6).
He concludes by saying, “We made the enemy pay for touching our family.” And he encourages all Christians, when things don’t go well, to take it as an invitation to crush hell with the authority Christ has given to His people.
The truth is, being a Christian isn’t all about butterflies and rainbows. It’s very clear that we will face difficulty, that people will hate us, and the strategy of Satan is to destroy our faith. We will face these things, but we must remember that they don’t have to be the end of the story.
I shared this testimony with a Christian friend who just lost her daughter 2 months ago. As I began to share, I saw her countenance change. There was a rekindling of faith as she responded, “I needed to hear that.”
I’m sure there are many Christians facing difficulty that need to be reminded of that as well. Challenge should be an indicator to press forward in faith, not to settle for the hand that was dealt to you.
I’ll leave you with the words God said to Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous…”
Blessings,
Pastor Chad Fagundes
Men’s and Outreach Pastor
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