To the enemy,
My country wants answers. We are angry and sad and tired of violence and cruelty and evil acts. We want a person to blame. We have a person in our sights. But I know there’s more to the story. Satan, I know you are real and I know you are such a coward that you hide behind men and twist their hearts to bend to your evil will.
And I am done with it.
I am done giving you what you want when you do awful things like the mass shootings in Las Vegas. I’m done listening to your lies when I know that my Father tells the truth.
I know you want God’s people to feel lost and wonder where He is and why He would let such a horrible thing happen.
Truth: I know exactly where my God is. He is on the throne. And He is alive in His people through His Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples who He was leaving in this world, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matthew28:20 NIV). And he meant it, for all of us.
He gave us His Holy Spirit as our guarantee that He would keep that promise. Our God never promised we would have a pain-free life because we live in a place where you, Satan, still exist. But God DID promise He would never leave us alone with you. That He would always be with us as we walk through your flaming arrows. And I believe Him.
I also know you want us to think our God is not powerful enough to stop you because the things you do seem so big and horrible. You want us to feel small and overwhelmed.
Truth: Jesus said, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33 NIV) and I trust that Jesus already did triumph over you. Even if you are causing pain, Jesus has already pinned you down and I can rest knowing that somehow it can work together for His glory and our good. I believe in that.
I know that you want to silence us — to cut us off from relationship with our God. You want us to feel like our God doesn’t hear our prayers.
Truth: “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’” (Matthew 26:36 NIV) Scripture is full of examples of Jesus praying to His Father, sometimes in thankfulness and sometimes in sorrow and need. In His darkest moment of despair before crucifixion, Jesus prayed. He prayed because He knew the Father is ever present, ever listening, ever loving and ever faithful. I believe we too can trust God with our prayers as we cry out in despair and confusion.
I know that you want to corrupt our hearts with hatred and anger. And you want God’s people to divide and lash out at each other as we try to understand such awful things. You want us to split into pro- or anti-gun camps instead of standing firm in the love of God and giving grace to each other as we grieve and pray.
Truth: But Scripture says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” (Romans 12:21 NIV). So I will stand next to my brothers and sisters in faith no matter their political opinion and I will love them and give them grace when I disagree during hard times because we are Christ’s ambassadors to the world and God’s family needs to love each other, especially in times of grief.
Lastly, I know you want our faith to waiver. You want us to wonder if we matter to God and if He is still with us and loves us.
Truth: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35 NIV)
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (vs. 8:37-39 NIV)
Enemy, you may have cut us deeply, but nothing you do on this earth can ever take away the love the Father has for us. It is already finished.
Signed,
A Daughter of the King
Andrea Chatelain 
❤️
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