You smiled and threw your head back—I knew again that you had heard every word in
my thoughts. I turned back to look at the demons, they glared at me with their reddish-purplish eyes,
staring me down from head to toe. Every hair on my body stood up. How could I chase
these things away?
You looked at me again and said, “I have given you the authority to.”
I looked back at you and whispered, “I can’t. They’re too powerful.”
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me,” you said.
I didn’t fully understand what you meant but I didn’t probe further.
As I continued walking with you, I realized the basic truths; you were Jesus, the Son of
God, in you I live and have my being, and that you have overcome the world. Some of
the words about you were easier to believe, while I struggled still with others. I reflected
on these words you had been telling me, the ones I could believe and my confidence
began to grow.
I decided to take a leap of faith to get rid of these demons once and for all. I took a bold
step forward from where Jesus and I were sitting. I could feel the demons getting closer.
My body began trembling and the hair on my body tingled. I was going to back down
but I kept remembering your words I had been meditating on and suddenly, my hands
felt heavy.
I looked at my right hand and saw a sword. My eyes widened. When did you give me this? I asked. Jesus smiled “You’ve always had it but couldn’t see it, but now that the veil is off you can”.
What veil? who put it there?” I asked while looking around for it.
“You put it there by your lack of faith. But by constantly hearing my word and meditating
on it, you were able to pull it off.
“Oh nice”, I said while weighing the sword on my hands.
Fear launched at me, choking me and making it hard to breathe.
I began trembling more. Fear hissed. Despair circled and kicked me on my knees till I fell. ‘You are worthless, you think you can wield that sword at us, pathetic.
I tried to raise my hand, but fear slapped me really hard. Despair jumped at me, kicking me multiple times. Depression circled around my head and whispered “give up”.
As if like an obedient child, I gave up and the sword fell off my hands. The demons
hissed and left. I began to cry, first, small sobs, then full tears. I scratched myself, pulled my hair, hit the wall hard till my fists started hurting. I couldn’t see Jesus. Where was He when I needed Him the most.
I wept bitterly till I had no more life in me. Then I decided I was done.
I would not take another day of this. The demon did torment me, but He has not
delivered my life to them. I was pressed but not crushed, struck down but not destroyed
because he has not delivered my life to death. I raised my head up with a determination
like never before. Then I heard Jesus say “When you become restless you will break
the yoke from off your neck” I didn’t want to ask where he was but I understood it may
have been a veil again. This was a fight he wanted me to do through the authority or
resources he had provided.
So I picked the sword and I said teach me how to fight. Jesus smiled and suddenly, I felt like someone was holding my hand. And I felt like I was being moved, gently swaying on how to use the sword and where to attack.
Bible verses kept coming to my head. “You have given me the necks of my enemies such
that I destroy those who hate me”. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
I kept repeating the verses, kicking, jumping high, piercing the air with my sword.
The showdown was coming. I could feel it.
I saw the demons peeking in—quiet, calculated. The whispers came softly, almost convincingly:
Did God really say that?
Those promises are for more mature Christians, not you.
You think that’s enough to stand against us?
For a moment, the doubt lingered—but only for a moment.
I knew this was a defining hour. I wasn’t running this time. I was facing it head-on.
And then I asked myself—what really is the worst that could happen? I couldn’t see anything different from what had already happened.
I would stand.
I would believe.
And I would trust that what God spoke was still true—even here.