Retaliation

After that four-hour Zoom call on Saturday afternoon (March 13th), I left a changed man. The enemy, however, did not like that. Starting early the next morning, a series of counterattacks against my children and family occurred over the following week.

By this point, my family and I had been hosting a small home fellowship on Sundays for a handful of months. I told our group I had a testimony I’d like to share the following Sunday. Since our start, I had frequently invited a longtime friend who had yet to show. To my surprise, he finally dropped by on March 21st, the same day I gave my testimony. Being divinely timed, he brought one of his friends who is a missionary to Haiti (Haiti is steeped in voodooism and other dark practices).

During our fellowship, I shared my testimony along with the details of the enemy’s counterattacks. Most people in my house seemed surprised by the events and experiences I had encountered over the past week and months leading up to it. To the contrary, the missionary’s eyes lit up with encouragement and excitement. Afterward, he relayed his gratitude that the understanding of spiritual warfare and God’s power through the Holy Spirit was finally being realized within America.

After fellowship, we collectively anointed our house and prayed declarative prayers full of power. The attacks stopped.

Revisiting this same initial week where the enemy bolstered his attacks, I also felt a greater presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Various confirmations occurred, indicating the Lord working through me. One key moment started that first Sunday night as I went to bed. Three days later, I was scheduled to attend an Army sexual harassment prevention brief. Lying in bed, I envisioned myself discussing the true root cause of said topic with an instructor as demographically opposite myself as possible. Subsequently, that night I rehearsed what I would say many times over.

The morning soon arrived. Sitting through a separate class first, I had an hour to dread the idea of my stepping up in front of these 300 people to deliver my testimony. However, when the instructor entered and walked to the front of the room, she not only met the demographic description but was also a well-known colleague of mine. At that moment, another powerful thought invaded my mind: It would be disobedient if I did not follow through with this.

Long story short, 300 people heard my recent testimony and the truth of the Gospel, all while I was shaking within my uniform. As I returned to my seat, my phone began buzzing with an unrecognized 50-50 pattern; my initial thought was an Amber Alert. After addressing the chaplain who followed me to my seat, I pulled my phone out, turned it on, and looked at the screen—no alerts, no apps running, and no logical explanation for the buzzing. It continued a full minute, then abruptly stopped.

A week later, after someone complained, I found myself in my commander’s office. While receiving the verbal reprimand, my mind returned to the Lord’s confirmation that I serve Him and not mankind first. I was reminded distinctly of my phone buzzing, which reassured me not to be discouraged.

This is just one of the many examples of the Lord’s tangible presence in my life since.