Get ready to laugh your heads off!  Are you ready for this?  I really don't think you are, but here goes. 

I want to bring home the point that the devil gets all out crazy when God's ready to do a work, and he tries right up til' the 11th hour to stop it!  (But he can't, he's defeated!) 

Well, our church is really coming into some promised land living...I mean, we are seeing God do great and mighty things.  And we started a revival week this past Sunday.  Well...no surprise, last week was just nutty for me.  The devil was just trying to beat down our whole staff...everybody.  My assistant, Lindsay, says, "Things are really getting bizzarre around here!"  Uh huh!  Well...first I got a cold...right before revival, and that's the worst, having night after night services and feeling sick, fever, chills, cold.  And then I just had a lot of petty problems to deal with this week, out of the woodwork.  Like, why is this stuff happening THIS WEEK?  Our youth pastor and his wife felt like they were being attacked physically and otherwise...and then...just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...

I have my ladies class (my ultimate favorite time of the week) on Sunday mornings before morning worship.  I really prepare and teach my heart out.  I come busting in right on time to start class this week (our worship rehearsal ran over) and I come sniffling in with my cold and say, "Can somebody make me a cup of tea?  I need it for my throat, but i gotta start teaching right away as the clock is ticking."  Well, on my way down the aisle to teach a lady stops me.  She's relatively new to our church and to be honest she's sort of (well maybe a lot) off base, nutty.  But we still love even the off base nuts, they are our nuts, and we shepherd them and lead them.  Anyhoo...she stops me and says, "Pastor Deanna, I have to talk to you."  I said, "No, I have to start class, but let's talk after church."  She emphatically says, "NO, I want to talk NOW."  I said no that wouldn't be possible, and then (in front of my whole class which is like 40-50 people) she says, "LISTEN, SOME THINGS BETTER CHANGE AROUND HERE OR I'M LEAVING THIS CHURCH!  I HAD BETTER GET SOME ANSWERS FROM THE PASTOR, OR I'M OUT OF THIS PLACE!"  And then she goes on to shoot all this negative stuff in my way and again -- this is in the open in front of my class of these precious ladies who are more important to me than life.  I felt all the color drain from my face.  And then I thought, NO DEVIL, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WIN.  First of all, this lady is a nutcase, there is nothing going on, there is no scandal here.  This is just a fabrication from the devil.

I said to her, "Where does this come from?  From God?  Does God put these types of thoughts in people's heads?  Does God tell people to say these kinds of things?  Where does this talk come from?  Is God the author of confusion and disorder?  No, he's not.  This is all from the pit of hell!  You need to bring these thoughts and these words into captivity and stop RIGHT NOW.  We are NOT going to talk about this at this time.  I am going to go up and teach, and that's the way it is."  I turned on heel, walked up the aisle, grabbed my bible, and the lecturn in front of me.  My ladies were looking at me like, "What now?"  I think they were rather shocked, perplexed.  Some were just walking in, had no idea what was going on. 

I grabbed the lecturn, took a deep breath and smiled, and I think the spirit of T.D. Jakes hit me!  I said, "Well ladies, this has been the week from hell.  But that's okay, because ALL HEAVEN IS GETTING READY TO BREAK OUT THIS MORNING IN THE SANCTUARY!"  At that, they broke into shouts of, "HALLELUIAH!  Praise God!"  And they were clapping, shouting.  The spirit of boldness and might came upon me...I shared the teaching that day that was one of the most powerful ever.  Guess what it was on?  The subject of "blessed are you when people revile and persecute you, for great is your reward in heaven..."  (Satan had no idea what God had up his sleeve for our teaching that day!!!)  It was great.  I was practically jumping out of my skin teaching it.  I was ready to hop over a few chairs.  (I've been known to stand on them and shout at times if I'm under the anointing!) Everyone was shouting and praising God.  (And the woman sat there crying.)  Even this woman's friends were amen'ing and shouting me down! 

Then we went into the sanctuary for the service and just like I knew would happen all heaven broke loose in the place and we have had a move of God the past weekend like we have not seen in 2 years...more incredible than anything!  The power of God is so strong, saving, healing, and changing people. 

This "last ditch effort" by the devil was quite truthfully comical to me.  I thought, "what a dumb thing for him to try."  It was so non-sensical because this woman doesn't have a leg to stand on.  There is nothing negative going on, nothing for her to dredge up.  Basically our church is a love-fest and I'm not kidding.  It's true Christianity in action where people really live it out and love one another.  Larry and i are just sick of pastoring a church that lives any other way (we just simply refuse to do it anymore - sick of playing games we did in years previous before we came here, pacifying carnal saints, dealing with church politics gone wild...we're through with that.)  We just want the power and presence of God and love among His people.  We've got that here.  And Satan hates it.  He hates the love, he hates the unity.  He hates what God is going.  This woman is off her rocker.  Well, GET THIS...

I come into the office this morning.  After a cup of coffee and my assitant and I laughing over the weekend's events and the devil's stupidity...the phone rings.  She answers and tells me that the woman in question is on hold for me.  I said, "Oh dear Lord, I'm not putting myself in line for a beating on a Monday morning, just take a message."  She says, "No, actually she's calling to apologize and tell you how much you helped her to see the light yesterday."  I'm like, "okayyyyyyy..."

I come on the phone and the same woman tells me that God told her yesterday to lift me up in prayer every day, that she's sorry and that I have helped her more than I'll ever know.  Alright, God works in mysterious ways is all I've gotta say!

The longer I'm in the ministry, the longer I say, "it can't get any stranger than this." 

I just couldn't help but share my weekend with you...keep praying for us.  We have revival the next few nights and we're expecting so much from God...more than we've ever dreamed in our lives.

By the way, this won't happen in class to me again.  One of our staff members will be with me at all times for a while, to ward off anybody who might try to interrupt what God wants to do.  Sometimes you've just gotta get yourself a Holy Ghost body guard. 

Love you,

Deanna