A Bad Dream

I had a bad dream last night. I don't often recall my dreams. But half an hour after I had woken up, I still had the dream-scenario playing in my mind. I could feel it weighing on me with thoughts like, "What if that had really happened? What would I say? What would I do?"

Then I remembered to take those thoughts captive. I quickly and quietly prayed and asked the Lord to take them away and to take away the heaviness. And He did.

The enemy loves to mess with us when we're vulnerable. When we're sleeping, he will introduce nightmares. When our bodies are fatigued, he will introduce a virus. When we're grieving, he will try to insert a spirit of depression.

But remember, the enemy always overplays his hand. He's always bluffing.

The nightmare is real... but if I call his bluff by refusing to engage in the speculation / divination that it offers, it's actually powerless over me. The virus is real, but if I call his bluff by refusing to isolate and refusing discouragement, God promises to use my weakness to His advantage! The depression is real, but if I call his bluff by offering my grief to the Lord (read the Psalms for examples of how to do this), He will show me in a tangible way that He is indeed near to the brokenhearted!