Evil Forces
When Leon married Jackie in Haiti, that pastor had no idea who he was dealing with! In the midst of all the devastating stories from Haiti, let me tell you a story about Jackie. She was kidnapped, which is kind of a stylish thing that seems to happen in that country. Jackie did manage to find a cell phone and she was able to contact her husband, Pastor Leon.
Leon said, “Tell me where you are and we will come and get you.” Would you believe that Jackie would not let her own husband come and rescue her! Shocked, Leon then said, “What do you mean you won’t let me!” Jackie replied, “Not yet, not yet. I’ll call you later.” She hung up the phone and waited a couple of days before she contacted Leon again. Once again, he asked if he could come get her and she said it wasn’t time just yet.
The next time Jackie called her husband she told him to come and get her. When Leon and those with him arrived at the destination where Jackie was being held by her kidnappers, they were stunned by what they saw. Jackie had all three of her captors on their knees asking for forgiveness and giving their lives to Christ. I just love it!
The power of the Lord is amazing. That power is available to all who know the Lord. He encourages us to be clothed in His power because that is the only way that we will be able to combat the evil forces of this world. Read Ephesians 6:10-13:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
We may think that the only battles we will fight in this life are against other people. However, these verses tell us that there are real forces that we cannot see that strive to do everything in their power to turn us away from the Lord. We can be certain that evil will come our way in this life but we can be equally certain that with the power of the Lord we can be more than conquerors.
