The bushes scraped against my face as wave after wave of nausea washed over me.  How did I end up in this position?  A group of silver-haired slow moving church mothers comes to my rescue.  As I rose to meet them, one prepared to anoint my head with oil, and another handed me a bottle of water.  “This is so bizarre,” I kept thinking as her weathered, oily hand brushed my forehead.  I had not felt a single moment of sickness before this moment.  I had no idea what brought this on and why these women were all worked up about a natural illness.

Nausea returned suddenly and violently.  The mothers prayed while laying their hands softly on me.  Others supported me in moments of weakness.  I felt a little better with each step toward the old historic, southern black church.  I was fine until we reached the entrance.

This untimely illness was messing everything up!  This speaking engagement meant much more to me than anyone would ever know.  Still determined, I cleaned my face and turned to walk in through the glass doors.  That’s when a palpable feeling of dread assailed my thoughts.  My steps faltered, and I doubled over to clutch my stomach.

This group of people was near and dear to my heart.  They had invited me to teach them about food freedom in Christ.  They wanted to fight the epidemic of obesity that had their congregation in its deadly grip.  This talk was their chance to start their journeys, and it looked like it might fail.

When I rose again, I sipped some water, a loving hand held out towards me.  I don’t recall how I made it into the building.  But the feeling of fear and intimidation was overwhelming and paralyzing.   The church mothers surrounded me, and I found myself in their prayer circle.  No one asked if I would be able to honor my speaking commitment.  Instead, they told me, “God is going to make a way,” and “I need to fight the enemy.” Fight what enemy?” I wonder.  My mind continued to whirl with confusion and fear.  I whisper a quick prayer that got lost beneath the voices praying over me.

Somehow an inner determination welled up.  I stood a little straighter, feeling the prayers and strength of the Godly women surrounding me.  I opened my eyes and locked gaze with one beautiful older woman with soft, sagging cheeks and kind brown eyes.  She looked near me then her gaze shifted past my shoulders.  She forcefully spoke in that general direction and commanded the spirit of fear to leave.  She told it to take its hands off me.  Scripture poured out of her like water as she prayed with power.  I stood there awed and amazed.  Something washed over me.  I still have no words to explain what happened.  A cold sensation whooshed across my skin, and every hair on my body stood up.  The sickness and nausea stopped instantly as if it had never happened.  A stillness settled over our little prayer group.  The mothers who saw victory began smiling and praising God by calling him “faithful” and “almighty.”

I watched and wondered what had just happened.  How is this real?  My thoughts were a jumble of shock and relief.  I had so many questions.  How did I not know that all of this was caused by a spiritual enemy?  How did these women recognize that the real battle wasn’t my natural sickness symptoms but an age-old enemy?  How often have I chalked up situations as natural occurrences rather than a devil at work?

That evening, my talk went on as scheduled.  I shared with my audience what I had learned and lived concerning food freedom.  Much later, I was told several members of that congregation had formed their own ™God’s Perfect Size group and were collectively shedding body weight and food obsession.

What I taught that night would never compare to what those women taught me.  They opened my eyes to an enemy I had been blind to.  An enemy that is always running amuck with malintent for God’s children.  Those women also modeled godly authority.  They showed me how to pray with power, interwoven with scripture.  They saw what I could not see and did what I was ill-equipped to do.  That encounter changed my life, my fight!  God’s Perfect Size evolved because of them.  The pillars of what I teach have always been faith in Jesus, with prayer and praise.  But now, I know warfare is an integral part of the plan.  The mothers showed me that when fear enters the room, I can command it to leave in Jesus’ name.  And when Gluttony whispers to my flesh.  I have the authority to silence its voice lying voice.  They opened my eyes to the reality of spiritual warfare.

I won’t blame you if you think this sounds fictitious.  I thought the same before all of this happened.  I would have gone one step further and called someone like me a religious fanatic and weirdo.  But it happened, and I am forever changed.  The way I speak and see natural circumstances have changed.

If you’re wondering why I’m telling you all of this, it’s for you.  If this helps you fight an unseen enemy, my testimony is worth it.  You are worth it!

Blessings

Listen to God’s Perfect Size on Apple Podcast Here