“He…disarms the mighty. He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.”  Job 12:21-22

Disarmed

My husband had a meeting scheduled with another man who tended to verbally bully others. Though they had never met face-to-face, the man’s reputation preceded him among my husband’s workmates. So in the days leading up to the meeting, my husband began to pray that the Lord would disarm the man. He prayed that the man’s weapons—his tongue, his wit, his opinion—would be quieted.

The meeting went well, and the man was uncharacteristically quiet throughout.

The next day, we had another chance to pray almost the same prayer, but this time the prayer was that the enemy of our souls would be disarmed. About a week prior, our disabled neighbor had taken in a homeless woman and her 9-year-old son to help around the house, and to give them a place to live. When heavy winds came up, a large limb of a eucalyptus tree fell on the power lines; the electric company came out and, instead of fixing the problem, they shut off the power to the house, telling them that after an electrician fixed it, it would need to be inspected, and then the power would be turned back on. Without electricity, they had no water, as they use a well.

No electricity, no water, no heat, no way to keep food cold, and no money. The mother and her son came to us for help, and we met the little boy who shook our hands and said very gravely, “I’m very disappointed that I am not allowed to open the cupboard in my bedroom because there is a ouija board in there.” His mother spoke up quickly about an experience she had as a child, and how much it had scared her and had impacted her life for all these years. She was flat-out afraid, and didn’t want her son to lay eyes on that “game.”

My husband smiled. “You know, the Spirit of God lives in me, and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I’d be happy to come over and get that ouija board out of there for you and throw it away. It has no power over me.” We talked awhile about it, and then my husband crossed the street with them and took care of the problem. As he went over, I prayed that the enemy would be disarmed—in the lives of my neighbors, in that “game,” and even in our trash can where it ended up (and belonged). I know the enemy does have power, so I continued to pray for his disarming all that evening.

My husband is now the fatherless little boy’s buddy—strong and unafraid, as men should be. We pray that the witness of this event will change his life, for God has brought the shadow of death to light.

“Father, Your power is unequaled. Disarm the enemies in our lives, and may we walk without fear, because You are greater. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”