Introduction

I almost didnt write this book for fear Id be under such attack from the Enemy that I wouldnt be able to survive it. But then I realized thats the exact reason I had to write. I grew up in a denomination that taught me very little about spiritual warfare. If ever I asked about the reality of spiritual warfare, the adults in my world raised their eyebrows, drew me close, and whispered, We just dont talk about things like that. I wondered why we were whispering. Because little was said and even less was taught, I adopted my own theology of spiritual warfare. It went something like this: What you dont know cant hurt you. Only people who are a bit wacky want to get involved in that kind of thing. And, just dont go there. But after twenty-plus years as a pastors wife, many of those spent in discovering the incredible power of prayer, my theology of spiritual warfare has proven to be not only wrong but grossly false. In fact, Ive come to realize that the exact opposite is true: What you dont know about spiritual warfare most certainly can hurt youeven more because it catches you off guard. People who are reasonably sane are also targeted for attack. In fact, I discovered that the best qualifier for spiritual attack is simply being nave enough to
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start taking God at His Word. And as far as going there, you dont have to. The Enemy is aggressive and hell bring the battle to you. Then God gave me the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Dr. Neil Anderson (Freedom in Christ Ministries). Dr. Anderson is a theologian, a pastoral counselor, and a world-renowned teacher. Just the fact that I was having lunch with him at Chilis across the street from the Williamson Memorial Gardens was amazing enough. But as we ate, my husband and I listened to Dr. Anderson ramble. And when Dr. Anderson rambles he says more than most people say when they deliver well-prepared messages. In the midst of his rambling, he asked us this question: Wouldnt it make sense that we truly worship that which we most fear? I thought for a moment and agreed. Yes, it does make sense that what we fear most we worship. Our fear drives us to adjust our behavior so that we honor the object of our fear. I nodded in agreement and thought of the people in India who feared Shivathe god of curses personified in the form of a blue snake. They brought Shiva gifts, bowed down before idols of Shiva, placed this image of Shiva in their homes, and wrapped Shiva around their necks. The Hindu people in India worshiped Shiva out of fear. As I was thinking of Shiva, Dr. Anderson brought his point home with this: Many Christians fear Satan more than God. Wham. Ever have that happen to you? It takes the wind out of your sails, doesnt it? Makes you want to sit down and try to shake the impact. Do I fear Satan more than I fear God? Just as I was trying to wrestle with the thought, he continued, And that which you fear most becomes a god to you. Images of idol worship came to my mind. And suddenly I realized that in avoiding the subject of spiritual warfare, I had inadvertently become a worshiper of idols. I had allowed my fear of the Enemy to supersede my worship of God. I was guilty of allowing my fear to drive me to worship a lesser god.
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So Im writing this book. Im writing this book because I am not afraid. Im writing this book because you shouldnt be either. Im writing this book because women have lived far too long battered about by an unknown foe. Im writing this book because Im tired of standing far from the action, merely bandaging the wounded. I wrote that part of my introduction in February. On March 1 I was diagnosed with colon cancer. On May 1 our church was flooded (when middle Tennessee experienced rainfall of biblical proportions), causing $275,000 worth of damage to our worship center and childrens classrooms. And on May 31 my firstborn daughter (age eighteen, just graduated from high school) moved out of our home and into a tiny apartment with her boyfriend, leaving behind numerous scholarships at a great Christian college. I found out on June 18 that she is pregnant. (As I write this, she doesnt even know that I know.) Today is June 21 and Im still writing this book. Why? Because I refuse to worship a lesser god. I believe more today than I even knew to believe in February that I serve a God who reigns. He alone is supreme; there is no other being in heaven, on earth, or under the earth that is more powerful than He. I am confident that as I write this book He will continue to prove himself faithful to His promises as He brings glory to himself in and through my life and the lives of those I love. Im still writing this book because I am convinced that He will do the same for you. God is Godand He will BE HIMSELF as He wins the battles in your life. I smile as I realize that He was not willing to let me lead you on this trek simply out of the battles Ive already won. (Something I was more than willing to do.) Instead, in His sovereign wisdom, He chose to allow a mess that is current so that you would have a teacher from the trenches. Im not a decorated war hero. Im a soldier whos fighting as I write. Now Im faced with the challenge of sharing these powerful truths in a way that communicates them to you. I am a pushover for beautiful
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Introduction

packages. I love a well-wrapped gift. When someone takes time to wrap a present and decorate it with a bow, they are saying, I want to make you smileand just you wait until you see what Ive gotten for you! I want my books to make you feel the same way. I especially want a book on spiritual warfare to be wrapped in such a way. That is why Ive organized my book in four parts. In part 1, I want to help you discover the incredible inexhaustible love of God. In part 2, I will expose the Enemy for who he is. This package might not seem as pretty as the first, but it will prove to be tremendously valuable to you (like the vacuum cleaner my thoughtful husband bought me one year for Christmas). In part 3, we will take a more in-depth look at the specific areas of a womans life that the Enemy targets for attack: our marriages, children, friends, health, and churches. Then in part 4, I will show you how God has already equipped you to live triumphantly while you do some serious damage to the spiritual forces that dare to come your way. Each chapter begins with a verse and concludes with a prayer. Throughout the book I have sprinkled fictional visits with biblical characters. I hope they will bring Scripture to life for you. Be sure to check my integrity by looking up the biblical references and reading the actual Scripture that inspired my imagination. Be careful to allow these fictional visits to serve as illustrations of truthnot truth themselves. On the last page of each chapter you will also find a section called Sharpen Your Sword. This includes a list of truths Ive gleaned from Gods Word and the Scripture verses that support those truths. Following those truths is a practical hint on how to commit Gods Word to memory. The Word of God is your most powerful weapon against the Enemy. You will read more about that throughout this book and especially in chapter 13. Jesus called Satan a liar. Satan is the worst kind of liar. He doesnt merely lie; he deceives by twisting and contaminating truth. Your best defense against the lies of the devil is the Word of God. When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He prayed, My prayer is not that you take
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them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. . . . Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:15, 17). When you develop the spiritual discipline of Scripture memory, you develop the skill to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This one discipline will give you a great advantage in winning the battles you face. My prayer is that as you read this book you will unwrap a powerful understanding of how much God loves you. For Scripture teaches us that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18 esv). I hope that as you learn to recognize the schemes of the devil you will grow in your ability to stand firm against him so that you might boldly advance Gods kingdom on earth. I hope that you discover who you are in Christ, and what you are already equipped to do.
Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.1

And thats what spiritual warfare is really about. Its all about love. The warfare, the battle, the victories, and the defeats; they are all driven by Gods relentless pursuitfueled by His uncompromising love. God loves you. And in His love Hes invited you to face your fear, for there is another who loves you not. What do you fear? What do you worship? Isnt it time you took your worship to a whole new level? Isnt it time to stop bowing to a lesser god? It is time for me! I want to start winning the battles for my home, family, and friends. Dont you? You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
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THE MO ST POWE R FUL WEAPON OF ALL the Love of God

C haPTer oNe

God Is Love

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. ZePhaNiah 3:17

If you are reading this book because you want to learn more about spiritual warfare, you might be wondering why the first chapter begins with the love of God. Were starting here because this is where the battle begins; God loved us, and Satan didnt like it. In fact, you wouldnt even be reading this book if God didnt initiate a love relationship with you. You are reading this book right now because he first loved us. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 As you learn to identify and embrace Gods love, you will then be ready to learn more about your Enemys ways. In fact, you do not have to be an excellent student of evil in order to avoid it. You simply need to develop an attraction for all things good. For
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when you do that, the mere hint of evil will become apparent (and disgusting) to you. The best place to anchor your understanding of spiritual warfare is in the firm foundation of Gods constant love. And God loved us first when He created us. So we will begin our discussion of Gods love in the beginning. CrEATEd by GOd Scripture tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. I love how Genesis 1:12 sets the stage for the creation story:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

That is the part I like, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Isnt that a powerful thought . . . the Spirit of God hovering? I cant help but wonder where the Spirit of God hovers today. However, Genesis 1:331 tells us that the Spirit of God didnt hover for long. The Word of God spoke and the Spirit of God created.
Let there be light, and there was light. . . . Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. . . . Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so.

You get the idea. Gods Word created our world. Then, Gods Word created us. But God did more than simply speak when He created man. God breathed his own breath into Adam and Eve. The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and
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breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7). Remember the hovering Spirit of God? The same Spirit that hovered over the waters breathed life into man. Life came from God. Your life came from the breath of God. Now look at the sweet description of the creation of woman:
The Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the mans ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. geNesis 2:1823

Throughout the creation story everything was good until Genesis 2:18. And for the first time the Lord God declared one thing to be not good. It was not good that we (women) had not been created. Isnt that great? Only after God created Eve did He finally rest and declare it all very good. God created man in His own image and then gave him dominion over the earth. It was as if God created all the rest (the birds of the air, beasts of the field, sun and moon, stars and water, fish and plants) to sustain and support His crown creations, us! David pondered this thought during his quiet time one day and penned Psalm 8. Read Psalm 8 and wonder with David at the love God has toward us. God created us to love us. Genesis 1:28 and 2:1517 paint us a picture of Gods original design. God blessed Adam and Eve,
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encouraged them to have plenty of children, to rule over all the other living creatures, to take care of the garden of Eden, and to stay away from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told Adam that if he ate of that particular tree he would surely die. Can you imagine life in the garden? I can. In my imagination, everything there was perfect to sustain life. The fruits and vegetables grew in abundance without any blemishes or thorns or weeds. The temperature ranged between 72 and 80 degrees both day and night, the ground was soft like a cloud nine bed, and there was never any rain (or thunder, or torrential downpours that flood churches and homes, or tornadoes or hurricanes or snowstorms!). All Adam and Eve had to do was take care of the animals, feast on the food, and enjoy each other. Then in the cool of the day they took pleasure walks with God (Genesis 3:8). Life was good in the garden, but not void of spiritual warfare. SpIrITuAL WArFArE bEGAN IN THE GArdEN Satan made his first appearance in the garden of Eden. Scripture doesnt give us much to buffer our understanding of the strange phenomenon of talking serpents. Genesis 3:1 almost implies that talking with the animals might have been common in the garden of Eden. But more significant than a serpent with a voice is the conversation that took place: Did God say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? Satan took an interesting approach with Eve. Rather than speak truth or blatantly lie, he simply cast shadows of doubt. This is what he most often does. Satan rarely ever tells blatant lies when he initiates his conversations (although his native language is lying; see John 8:44). He usually uses a remnant of truth, then distorts it to plant a seed of doubt. Of course the distortion makes his statement a lie. And his cunning process of twisting truth leads to deception, which is far more dangerous than simple
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lies. You will see how this strategy unfolded for Adam and Eve in just a minute. The serpents question to Eve provoked an immediate response with an obvious answer.
We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. geNesis 3:23

Satan wasnt concerned with the answer to his question. He wanted to divert Eves attention from what she could have and place it on the one thing she couldnt have: fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. He still does this today: If you are married, God gave you your marriage so that you can enjoy all that life has to offer with deep intimacy and unashamed love in a blessed covenant relationship with your husband. You can enjoy everything intimate with him! But . . . did God really say you couldnt ever have an intimate relationship with any other man? Because you are a woman, God gave you the unique gifting to nurture, love, and care tenderly for your family as you manage your home. You have the power to create an atmosphere that provides nourishment physically, emotionally, and spiritually for your family. But . . . did God really say you couldnt spend freely on credit cards to transform your home into a magazine picture? Wouldnt new furniture, window treatments, and stainless steel appliances meet the needs of your family? These are just two examples of Satans cunning lies. Advertising agencies charge top dollar to tap into our felt needs all day long. Their goal is to remind us of what we dont have and stir us up until we find ourselves in a place of dissatisfaction so that well spend money, time, energy, or effort on their clients products or
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services. Its amazing what we are willing to give up when the Enemy focuses our attention on forbidden fruit. Why did Satan start his conversation with Eve in this way? My imagination tells me that Adam sat Eve down, perhaps on the first day that they met, and explained to her Gods instructions for life in the garden. He showed her all the plants and animals (hed thoroughly toured the garden already), and shared with her his enthusiasm for his neighborhood. When their stomachs rumbled, he rushed over to his favorite fruit tree and chose for her the best fruit on the tree. Perhaps it was a tree-ripened mango. There is no other fruit that can rival fresh mango, in my opinion. As they ate their mangoes, Adam continued his touroffering Eve a large leafy fern to wipe the juice that dripped from her chin. They came to the center of the garden, and Adam pointed to the forbidden tree. He said, Eve, thats the one, the one God said to leave alone. Dont go near that tree. Its best to stay away from this part of the garden altogether. Then you wont accidentally pluck the fruit and eat it. Eve might have said, The fruit looks good. And Adam might have responded, Maybe it is, but well never know because we wont be eating from that tree. And with that they walked on by and continued to enjoy their mangoes. When Satan questioned Eve, he knew Gods rules, but he had to do something to attract her attention to the forbidden tree. As he spoke, he might have walked subtly toward the center of the garden. Eve most likely didnt even notice him move as she followed him there. With the tree in view, the serpent responded, You will not surely die. . . . For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:45). That is when he blatantly lied. Satan told Eve she would not dieand she did. He also told her that she would be more like God if she ate the fruitand she wasnt. In fact, in her sinless state of life she was more like God than she was after she sinned. But in
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The Lure of Satan Satan is a liar! Jesus called him the Father of Lies.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your fathers desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44

Satan is a subtle liar. His motivation is deception. He longs to deceive you with half truths and shortcuts. We will discuss this later, but for now understand this powerful truth: Satan is a liar!

true form, Satan didnt tell an absolute lie; that would be too easy to identify. Instead he buffered his lies with a bit of truth: Your eyes will be opened and [you will be] knowing good and evil. This was only partial truth, for Adam and Eve already knew good, they just didnt have anything to compare it to so they didnt know to call it good. But evilSatan was right, Adam and Eve had no understanding of evil until after they ate the forbidden fruit. THE GrEAT dIvOrCE Scripture calls what happened next the fall of man. But I like C. S. Lewiss description of it as the great divorce. The moment Eve took Satan at his word and plucked the fruit from that tree was the moment she divorced God. Adam followed suit quickly thereafter. Even though hed received specific instructions to never touch the fruit on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:1617),
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Adam ate the fruit that Eve plucked and he too divorced God. Both Adam and Eve turned their backs on Gods instruction and chose their own way over His. Sin is as simple as that. Satan will try to convince sinners that they were not to blame; he will try to cloud them with stinkin thinkin. But the truth of the matter is thissin is a personal choice to reject Gods instructions and go your own way. SIN ANd SHAmE
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. geNesis 3:7

Sin brought immediate shame to Adam and Eve. I dont know how long they had been romping in the garden in their birthday suits, but prior to their decisions to divorce God, they were in complete harmony and oneness with Him. They lived in complete harmony with one another too! Not only did Adam and Eve live in intimate oneness with God and each other, but they also lived in perfect community with the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish, and all other plant and animal life God created. They didnt need blankets at night or toothbrushes in the morning. They werent concerned about their weight or their body mass index, their shoe size or blisters. Genesis 2:25 is a powerful verse: The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The fact that Adam and Eve lived naked proved that they had no shame. Think about that for a moment. The two of them had such a relationship, not only with one another but also with God and all of His creation, that they experienced no shame. The other night my husband and I took a walk. It was extremely warm and the air was thickunusually hot and humid for June even in Tennessee. We were walking because wed just heard that
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our daughter was pregnant. We needed to process our news. As we walked, the fireflies put on a great show in the pastures that line the street in front of our house. When we returned home we were the only ones there. Our son was out with a friend, our daughter Kaleigh was in Mexico on a mission trip, and Mikel . . . well, she was with her boyfriend. The day was just about done, and it was dark enough for me to say, Do you think we could skinny-dip in the pool and get away with it? Tom grinned at the idea (and more so that I was the one to come up with it) and told me he needed to check with TJ to see when he was coming home. So he said, Go on in. Ill be right there after I text TJ. I was hot and sticky and in desperate need to do something wild and crazy, so I slipped out of my clothes and into the pool. About two seconds later Tom joined me. We were naked and we were not ashamed. That is intimacy. Of course my adventurous spirit waned about fifteen minutes later, and I told Tom I needed to go in. Tom and I had just wrapped our towels around our naked selves when we heard a car in the driveway. I took off running. TJ came into the house. Mom, can Mikala and Kaitlyn . . . MOM! What were you doing?! You and Dad were skinny-dipping! Uh-uh! Can you imagine my fifteenyear-olds surprise when he caught his parents skinny-dipping? When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they were immediately ashamed. The intimacy they shared with each other, the oneness they experienced with God, the harmony they shared with all of Gods creation was ruined. The harmony and oneness they had taken for granted was destroyed. When Adam and Eve divorced God, all of creation fell with them. Intimacy shattered and it would not be reestablished until Jesus came to earth thousands of years later and died on the cross. Notice that Jesus spoke of this very thing in His prayer the night before He died.
Im praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The goal
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is for all of them to become one heart and mindjust as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so theyll be as unified and together as we areI in them and you in me. Then theyll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that youve sent me and loved them in the same way youve loved me. JohN 17:2023 (The Message)

Praise God that the intimacy that was destroyed in the garden was restored at the cross. But back to the great divorceit was not long after Adam and Eve stitched together their fig leaves that they were confronted by God. God cursed the serpent, Eve, and Adam, and then explained the magnitude of their new reality (the only reality we have ever known). Read Genesis 3 and be reminded of what sin cost. GOd HATES dIvOrCE God hates divorce. In fact, by Genesis 6:6 God was sorry Hed ever made us: The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. Sin gives birth to shame and pain. Dont ever forget that. Sin always comes with a price tag. Sin always costs more than you want to pay. But even in Gods grief, He allowed His mercy to temper His justice. And rather than wipe out creation altogether, He partnered with Noah to save a remnant of His creation on a very large ark. And so, we are still today descendants of Adam and Eve, and then Noahwho spent many unimaginable days cooped up on a floating zoo. Unlike most divorced couples I know, God never gave up on man. God never gives up on you! No matter how often you disobey Him, no matter how many times you disappoint Him, as long as
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you are living He will continue to initiate a relationship with you. Why? Simply because God loves you. The Old Testament records Gods initiative in establishing and maintaining a personal relationship with His fallen creation. Rather than turn His back on us or destroy us, God pursued us. This is what I call the great pursuit. THE GrEAT purSu IT The great pursuit began with Abraham and culminated with Jesus. God made a promise to Abraham that He fulfilled in Jesus. While Abraham (then called Abram) was minding his own business, God called him to follow Him.
The Lord had said to Abram, Leave your country, your people and your fathers household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. geNesis 12:13

Thus began Gods personal interaction with Abraham and his descendants. What followed is an amazing love story filled with adventure and intrigue, scorned love and passionate reconciliations. The only constant is Gods relentless pursuit that culminated in the birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew 1 traces the genealogy of Christ all the way back to Abraham, thus connecting the dots between Gods promise to Abraham and His fulfillment of that promise in Jesus. John summed up the great pursuit in the introduction to his gospel.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
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Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. JohN 1:15 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. JohN 1:14

From the very beginning God put His plan in motion. The great pursuit continues today.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. JohN 3:16

THE GrEAT purSu IT AS SEEN IN THE LIFE OF SArAH Now that weve spent time with Adam and Eve and have been reminded of the impact of the great divorce, lets go on a fictional visit with Sarah, who followed Abraham at the beginning of Gods great pursuit. She was a woman who experienced Gods love in the midst of spiritual darkness. Sarah was the wife of Abraham. When God initiated his relationship with Abraham, his name was Abram and Sarahs name was Sarai. I think it is interesting how Abram and Sarais names were changed as they grew in their knowledge of God and as they experienced His activity in their lives. Sometimes I think God should change my name too.
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When God called Abram to go to the elusive land I will show you, Sarai went with him. In the following story you will hear how Gods love might have penetrated Sarahs heart. Isaac! Put that little lamb down! You are going to break his leg! Sarah reprimanded little Isaac as he set the terrified lamb on the ground. She took a deep breath and rested her head on the pole that held the tent in place. Her gray hair pressed against the dark canvas as a reminder of her age and Isaacs miracle birth. She was sharing her story with Adah, a curious young woman whod heard of the old couple and their miracle baby. Adah met Sarah at the well this morning and traveled home with her to hear her tell her story. You were telling me how you knew, I mean really knew God loved you, Adah politely prompted Sarah to continue her story. Oh yes. Well, I didnt understand Gods love for many years. I mean, what was Abram thinking? He just popped in one day and said, Sarai, were following God to a land He will show us. Pack your things; were leaving in the morning. What would you have done? Sarahs eyes sparkled as she lifted her head, leaned forward with excitement shining in her gaze, and challenged Adah with the question. I, uh, I dont know. I guess I would have packed, but who ever heard of going to a land that God would show them? Adah admitted how hard that must have been. Sarah nodded. Exactly. I packed and we went. Then along the way Abram started telling me the other things God told him. He said God promised to make him into a great nation. He said that God was going to bless him with so many children that he wouldnt be able to count them. He told me to look at the stars and then to look at the grains of sand. He said that God said we would have more children than even those. Adah grinned. It was apparent that Isaac would most likely be Sarahs only child. For she was old, and to have him at such an old
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age had to be more than most women could handle. While Adah glanced at Isaac, Sarah interrupted her thoughts. Adah, dont you see how old I am? Sarah smiled and Adah noddedshe was thinking that very thing. Why was God heckling and teasing my husband? What was He thinking?! Abram even told me that God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, father of a multitude, and that He changed my name from Sarai to Sarah, princess. Here God was promising Abraham that He would bless the entire world from my Abrahams descendants, and then that same God allowed me to be infertile! The deep longing and heartache of infertility that Sarah had experienced for years rose up in her voice as she spoke. Suddenly a kindred emotion kindled in Adah. She and Naphtali had been married for five years and also had yet to conceive a child. Adah remembered how she felt just last month when, after praying desperately for a baby, she was bombarded by those familiar cramps, and even on this day she was fully aware of the desperate void in her own barren womb. Im afraid I would have thought the same thing, Adah said softly. Yes, well, I was foolish not to believe and I made a royal mess of things. When I laughed aloud at Gods angels (they came for a visit one day just to encourage Abraham that God was going to make good on His promise), I thought for sure the Lord would strike me dead. I was so ashamed that they heard me. But, amazingly enough, God just smiled and declared that He would have the last laugh. He said that He and the entire world would laugh with me when He fulfilled every promise He ever made to Abraham. Sarah winked at Adah and they both chuckled. So when did you know God loved you? Adah asked. Her own heart was filled with renewed hope that God would give her a son too. When Isaac first moved in my womb. Sarah smiled. I was old! I mean, really old. My monthly cycles had ended long ago.
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I dreamt of carrying a child for so many years and Id imagined what it would feel like. But in all my imagination, I cannot tell you how different it really felt when it actually happened to me. The first time I sensed the flutter of his life in me, I knew God was the one true God and the Lord of Lords. I knew that no matter how impossible His promises might seem, He would be faithful to fulfill each and every one. I bowed down and worshiped God. Even with Isaac moving in my womb, I pressed my head to the ground and half expected God to chastise me for my unbelief, but instead He covered me with love. Gods love felt like prickles on my skin and warmth in my soul. From that moment on, I understood the love of God. Tears welled in Sarahs eyes as she rubbed her tummy and glanced over toward Isaac, who was sitting in the dirt sorting pebbles. Let me rephrase that. Im not sure Ill ever understand the love of God. But that was when I experienced it. Sarah smiled and Adah laughed. GOd IS LOvE Perhaps you are like Sarah. Youve watched as others have spoken of having a personal relationship with God. They tell you how He speaks to them, directs them, and gives them encouragement when life becomes difficult. But, like Sarah, you just dont get it. You read the Bible and hear the promises but they dont seem to apply to you. I had a very close relative say to me once, Leighann, God just doesnt work that way in my life. She was referring to the way Id encouraged her to trust Him to bring good out of her suffering. She went on to say, Youre His favorite! Do you sometimes feel like God has played favorites and youre not one of them? Sarah could have very well felt that same way. She watched her husband live his life led by God, but
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The Most Powerful Weapon of Allthe Love of God

until she actually conceived Isaac, she had a hard time believing in a God of promises. However, the day came in Sarahs life when God made good on His promise. And Sarah was just one of many women whose personal experiences with the love of God are chronicled in the Old Testament. If youve never read the stories of these womens lives, I challenge you to do so. Read of Rahab, Ruth, Gomer, and Esther. As you read their stories, see if you can find the many references to Gods love for them. Study the dynamics of the way God interacted with them, and see if you can trace the path of His great pursuit. I guarantee that God is pursuing you too. He does play favorites and He chose you! The Old Testament is filled with many other stories taken from the lives of both men and women who were chosen by God to partner with Him in His kingdom plan. Although Scripture has been canonized, and the whole of Gods Word has been bound into sixty-six books, that doesnt mean you and I cant play a significant role in His world today. As you allow God to love you, the story of His love continues to be written. God still works through people and He still loves the world. God loves youand He created you to receive His love. We are most human when we rest in this truth.

God Is Love
Read Hosea 2:1420 aloud. Ask God to show you the ways He allures you today. Thank Him for each of these ways that He actively loves you today. (You might consider how He provides for you. How He gives you much more than you need. How He opens doors of ministry for you. How He never tires of hearing you ask for forgiveness.) Think of ways God has been a husband to you. Thank Him for loving you.
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God Is Love

Think of how God has betrothed you to himself. Thank Him for His love and compassion. Consider the love of God as demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. How might you acknowledge God today? Begin your prayer with this: Father, I know that I divorced you. I was born with the sinful nature passed down to me from Adam and Eve. And then when I was old enough to choose, I chose to sin. Even now I choose my own way over yours and fall far short of your plans for my life. Please forgive me for this. I long to experience your love. I want to be a woman of victory. I want to rise above the circumstances and walk in such a way that I bring glory to your Name. I love you, Lord, because you first loved me. Thank you for loving me. SHArpEN yOur SWOrd God loved us first. 1 John 4:19 Your life came from the breath of God. Genesis 2:7 God will always tell you the truth. Isaiah 45:19; John 8:32; 14:6; 16:13 God loves you and He created you to receive His love. You are most human when you rest in that truth. Psalms 36:5, 7; 63:3; and 86:13 Commit the Word to memory: Choose one of the verses mentioned above and print it on an index card. Print the verse on one side and the reference on the other. Carry your index card with you wherever you go. Pull it out when you are waiting for the doctor, the cashier, or your children. Read the verse aloud five times each time you look at your card. Then practice saying the verse without looking at your card.
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