Saturday, February 03, 2007

Update on my sister Debbie: she's doing very well. She did not need a pacemaker, and is back to her old routine. Thanks again to everyone who prayed for her.

My Dad lost his little niece, Sissy, when she was 12 years old (he was 10 and the baby of the family). We think she died of this same heart defect. So . . . what a time we live in today, where heart surgery like this is possible and saves so many lives. I'm very grateful to see this day.

I was reading something so encouraging yesterday by a man who had a great deal of courage--Dr. Kurt Koch (sounds like Coke). He was a pioneer in the field of the Occult; investigating, writing, teaching and participating in exorcisms, he trained thousands of people in spiritual warfare. As I was reading a fascinating book of his, Demonology: Past and Present, I came across a section that spoke to my heart.

Sometimes, I feel weighed down by the sheer power of evil, and by the fact that it spends the vast majority of its time trying to destroy us. It is so shockingly coldblooded . . . with centuries of practice; it seems incapable of any emotions but hate and fear.

Fighting against it is draining, to say the least. It has even driven some people mad. That is why it was so wonderful to read this section from Dr. Koch's book:

In my own life I have often experienced times when I have felt downcast and almost in despair. At such times, however, the Holy Spirit has somehow brought certain passages of the Bible home to me with renewed force.

Joel 2:21 - Be glad and rejoice, the Lord has done great things.

Mark 6:50 - Jesus said unto them, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."

Isaiah 66:2 - This is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

Deuteronomy 1:29, 30 - Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you.

Nehemiah 8:10 - Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.


Dr. Koch makes his point quite eloquently: Our power is in the Lord God of Israel. His joy is our strength. We have already won.

Praise is a powerful weapon . . . like water for the soul . . . it soothes and strengthens.

I have felt this joy continually since I began working on The Kingdom of the Occult. It is a book I never thought I would write, but I feel so grateful to be writing it. Fighting evil is never pleasant, but every single one of us is called to do it.

And if we are wise, we obey.


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