I was asked yesterday to describe how it felt to experience the AOL home page placement of the article about my testimony phenomenon. The best description I could come up with was it reminded me of a tsunami. It swept into my life with tremendous force and then when the advertisement for the article was removed from the home page it exited almost as fast. The story yesterday and today remains buried deep within the business section, and now is generating subdued interest with about 50 e-mails yesterday, but nothing like the onslaught of that first day.
I can only imagine what it will be like when I begin my marketing campaign for the book in earnest and (prayerfully) start appearing on shows with an even wider audience like the “Today Showâ€, or “Oprahâ€. Unfortunately with the positive achievement of having my testimony reach people that otherwise might not receive it to inspire them to seek Jesus, there is the negative of those who viciously attack me on the online forums for it with an intensity that is disturbing.
Many of my friends were angry and appalled at some of the disgusting and vile commentary that was leveled in my direction. Me, I didn’t pay any attention to it at all. A couple of years ago I was preparing to go offshore fishing in my boat. I decided to check the weather before I left, (just in case), and when I clicked on Explorer to access the weather, I saw my smiling face in a photo accompanied by a similar INC magazine story that was being carried on MSN. Unlike AOL it remained there for several days and then went to Yahoo, and AP picked it up and it went all over the world, (literally). I experienced pretty much the same thing with the positive and negative.
As any Christian soon discovers, although spiritual warfare is unseen, it’s absolutely real. The Bible speaks of spiritual warfare in many places. We are warned in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the worldâ€.
Satan attacks us in a number of ways, even if we are somewhat prepared and even if we expect his attack he still lands some tough blows. Initially I was taken aback and OVERWHELMED by the tremendous response and I was somewhat discouraged by the sheer volume of work facing me. But when I got over feeling sorry for myself at my little pity party, (poor little old me), I went to work. I separated the e-mails into categories and methodically began answering them and am making great progress towards answering every one of them personally. I viewed the project as being similar to eating the proverbial elephant. Even though it is a LARGE undertaking, it can be accomplished and it will eventually be finished, albeit I can only do it by eating one bite at a time.
I replaced my discouragement with work. I routinely preach this message to people who are discouraged: “Work don’t worryâ€. Worry will not achieve anything positive. Jesus stated in the Bible that worry is a sin and warns us not to do it. The bottom line: Spend your time trying to “work†yourself out of the mess rather than “worrying†yourself into a deeper one. Nothing positive comes from worry.
Regarding the crazies that spewed atheistic anti-Christ venom and lies about me, consider another analogy from Africa. This time it is the lion. The Bible compares satan to a roaring lion. Hmmm… I just happen to remember reading somewhere that a roaring lion can be heard from a distance of five miles. Jeez… that sucker is loud eh? I’m not smug about him though. The sandpaper quality of the tongue of an African lion can lick the two inch thick hide right off a cape buffalo prior to its devouring it with fangs that can break bones like us snapping a toothpick.
Yikes! I cannot underestimate this enemy. Fortunately however according to the Bible our task is defensive and not offensive. Those who would attack satan do not understand his power, or God’s plan. It is not “we” who will defeat satan, but “Christ”. Our duty is merely to resist him, not to remove him. Christ will remove him in due time and as Johnny Cash wrote about Folsom Prison, “And that’s what tortures him 
We resist satan and his powerful hordes by putting on the full armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:
1.We must take up our sword, the Bible, and read it daily
2.Have faith
3.Clothe ourselves in righteousness
4.Have fellowship with other Christians in Bible study groups and church
5.Pray hard and long
The Bible commands us to put on the FULL armor of God that we might withstand satan’s vicious assault on our lives. That means ALL of it, not just bits and pieces as we feel necessary.
Okay are you ready to suit up for today’s battles? Then do it today; this hour; this minute; heck, time’s a’wastin’, why not this very instant?
Romans 13:11-14
And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts