The Adversary Always Comes Twice

Once upon a time I was living the perfect life... until I wasn't.

I can clearly remember the day that it all fell apart.

It was the day I received some of the worst news that I had ever been given in my life.

My phone rang and when I answered it, there was a woman on the other end telling me that my husband had been having an affair.

If that wasn’t enough, she also told me that he and his mistress had a baby on the way, due to be born in just a few months.

To make matters worse, he was serving overseas in Iraq at the time with no way of me contacting him to see if it was even true.

The word torture fails to fully describe how I felt as I sat for days waiting to hear from him.

I spent those days wondering what was going to happen to my marriage and our own little girl who had just turned 1 years old.

I also wondered why the Lord would allow this to happen to me when I thought that I had done everything right.

Well, after about a week, he called and it was all confirmed to be true, so after hanging up with him, I set myself on the path to improving myself in hopes of keeping my family together.

I began to get counseling, I bought new clothes and I deepened my study of how to be a good wife to a man that I had a hard time forgiving.

During that time, my dad told me something that changed my life and has continued to bless me to this day.

He told me that satan only ever comes twice in our lives.

Right before a blessing and right after.

I was so confused by his words and simply responded with “well dad, that would mean that he is always coming after me.”

To which my dad replied “exactly honey, that is why you must always be grateful for the good and on guard for the bad.”

Well, my efforts for saving that marriage failed and I found myself an abandoned single mother.

Fast forward a few years, past the pain, past the anger and past the healing.

I was now very happily remarried with 4 beautiful kids and a 5th on the way.

I found myself living the perfect life again…until the doctor gave us the news that baby #5 was terminally ill and most likely would not be born alive.

The first few days were blurred with prayer, hope and a little denial.

After that came the realization of our reality, and with it, the depression and anger.

How could the Lord allow me to go through such pain when I had already survived so much.

Why me, when I had been doing everything right.

That’s when my dads words came to my mind like a soft whisper from heaven.

The reminder that satan always comes right before and right after a blessing.

I realized then that I had been living the blessed life for so long, that I had grown entitled to that blessed life never ending.

I had forgotten that when we choose to live a life that honors and pleases the Lord, that there will not only be hardships due to living in a fallen world, but also attacks from an enemy that hates us with every fiber of his being.

His goal is to destroy any good work that the Lord wants to do in our lives because he knows that others will be encouraged to grow in their faith as they watch us fight the good fight.

Today as you go about your day my sister, remember that both your blessings and sufferings are a great and effective door for ministry that our adversary wishes to close shut, but our God wishes to use for his glory.

Remember to be grateful for the good things, but also, to stay on guard for the bad by staying near to Jesus.