Day 18 Lent Devotion

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”

Romans 12:14

Have you ever had the opportunity to do this?

This week I did.

A stranger decided to make an obscene gesture to me

while I was sitting in the car and my husband was pumping gas.

I thought, “did I just see that?

Probably not.”

but as my eyes passed over his way again

sure enough, he was looking straight at me and did it again.

Fortunately, because I have been writing these

I was reminded to pray for my enemies.

And someone who is doing something to antagonize you

or put fear in you is an enemy.

So I began singing “may the Lord bless you and keep you,

make His face shine upon you, be gracious to you…”

He finally got in his car to leave.

The car was tattered and the windows were completely blackened out

and I did think, does he have a weapon aimed at us?

Why? Because he pulled up and paused a moment right across from me

and truly it felt evil.

I just kept singing.

My husband was unaware any of this was going on.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,

against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:12

Normally something like that would haunt me for days after.

Instead, I felt sorry for him.

How tragic his life must be that he would do something like that to a stranger.

I said “I wonder what would ‘possess’ someone”…

and then I stopped. It was not him.

It was not flesh and blood but demonic forces influencing him.

” Be alert and of sober mind.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion

looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

The weapons of war we have are spiritual and mighty.

Blessing those who hate us is very powerful.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

2 Corinthians 10:4

Satan did not get the reaction he was after from me this time

and it will be seared in my memory as a victory.

I felt total peace through it all,

and I pray I will remember it at every opportunity.

Play The Blessing – Kari Jobe