I would like to say hello here, and thank you for stopping by. I feel led to start writing here so this is where I will be. I will still be posting on Instagram, I just feel like in a world of censorship and cancel culture, I need to do this. I have a really important story to share with you, I have been waiting for the right time, and its now.
A few weeks ago, I was attacked by a religious spirit in my shop . If I had not asked these men to leave , I feel one of them would have been violent with me. The anger I saw in his eyes was something I had not had seen in a very long time. Not even my husband had this look in his eye in his darkest days.
My best friend had a dream the night before. It was a warning of the exact scenario down to every detail and she was so good to tell me right away. This happens to us often but never this exact and personal and I am so greatly appreciative to the holy spirit who warns us of things to come. We were able to talk about it all day and I had no idea that it was going to come to pass so soon. literally just several hours after she told, me.... it unfolded.
Two men walked into my shop , they looked just like my husband in fishing shirts and hats and flip flops. It was so unassuming and comfortable to me that I didn't think twice. They looked through my art and I started to make conversation about my fish paintings. I told them something that eluded to the fact that I was a believer and it immediately escalated from there. I was asked where I go to church. I explained that since we left our church in California, my husband and I have not really found a place of worship that believes the way we do. I received a very passive aggressive rebuke and condemning word about how I was forsaking the assembling of the believers and that I needed to find a church. I explained more in detail about how I DO have a community of believers in my personal life and spend the majority of my day in fellowship and in the word .
I was then asked what I believe that Christians don't. I explained that we believe that God is good and he doesn't give us bad things to teach us lessons and that we have the holy spirit and the authority of Jesus to overcome in life. I mentioned for a brief time how I had been healed and set free pretty radically in my life and how I have been able to lay hands on many people in my shop and see them healed. The conversation turned very quickly from healing to SIN. And I was not the one to bring it up.
One of the men proceed to explain to me how we DO NOT have power over sin because of our sin nature. The holy spirit began to just flow out of me and I was able to recall and confirm all the word I know which tells us that we have a choice. Because even though we are forgiven for past present and future sins, sin is a choice. Satan isn't making us do things and for goodness sakes if God judged Jesus for our sin, it has to be a choice. the bible clearly says that all of our temptations give birth to sin via the lust of the flesh. We have to be able to choose. We dont suffer the eternal consequences for sin any longer such as a broken relationship with God, but we DO have a choice nonetheless . I am not going to explain everything that was said here because I could go on and on forever. But Paul and his struggle was brought up and later the Holy Spirit showed me such a revelation I couldn't even handle it. There are some translations that say " he cant do what he wants to do " and some say " he doesn't. " there is great revelation in the difference of those two words.
It was then that the man turned the conversation to lust. I was so wrapped up in the moment of hearing God and being able to have an answer to what I believe that I did not discern at this moment until later that he was probably dealing with pornography or cheating on his wife etc. The Holy Spirit in me was trying so hard to assure him that he had a choice and that God was merciful and kind and wanted to help him and everyone dealing with things but he kept wanting to defend his non ability to make a choice and not experience the power of deliverance.
I was told 5 times total that I was not a good christian for not attending church. The conversation kept deflecting to my behavior and lack of being a good christian and he did not want to talk about the inside of his glass at all. Just the outside works that I needed to do to be right with God. I was also told that my speaking truth to him even though he did not perceive it as truth was " not edifying" and that I was again, a sorry Christian.
His anger at me a and tone started to become scary at this point. He walked closer and closer and had a look in his eye that he wanted to kill me. He reiterated over and over that he did not have a choice to sin and that men experience lust more than women. I laughed. I said wait just a minute here because you are looking at the adulterer! That was me! He was so angry that I said that. There was absolutely nothing he could say even though he wanted to prove me wrong so bad. At one point i said, lets call your wife and tell her that you are arguing with another woman about the fact that you don't have any control over your lustful feelings as a spirit filled believer , lets see what she says. because not having self control doesn't even hold up in court.
So much more went on here but the point is, I feel like I need to bring this up to my fellow sisters in Christ to have a conversation with your husbands. my best friend reminded me that most churches have accountability groups within for men and most teach that your lust is your lust and you just have to deal with it. And i am here to tell you that our entire testimony is the Lord delivering me from that mess and me NEVER having a desire to cheat on my husband again. Ever again. and since the day that I told the Lord i wanted to make the right choice, he has helped me with his power, to overcome. I could not do it in my own power.
You can read our testimony if you are new here but basically my husband was a drunk and I was a cheater , physical and emotional, to cope with my husband being all the things for so many years... But God has completely delivered us both and healed us without even a day in counseling or anything. Just holy spirit and alot of seeking God on my own and standing in faith.
I had to ask these men to leave. It was so sad, because the holy spirit wanted so badly to minister hope and forgiveness to this guy who was clearly dealing with something but I spoke so much word to him he really had nothing to say. The religious spirit there was speaking right through him and it was so intense. It went on for so long and so much more was said but for the sake of time at the moment I will just share my main point.
The thing is, God IS MERCY AND FORGIVENESS and these guys wanted to focus on the things I was not doing " to be a good Christian" and not focus on the inside things within them that were dark that God wanted to bring to the light and HEAL! I just kept thinking thank you God that you have forgiven me for my sin and blessing me and my family and he was looking at me like " thank God I am not a bad Christian like her who doesn't go to church " .
I would encourage you to have a conversation with your spouse. A simple conversation such as " hey, I just want you to know that I love you and if there is anything you are dealing with I am here and would love to work through it with you...and seek the Lord and receive his forgiveness and love together. We are one flesh and if you need help , I am here to agree with you and also help you experience the power of Gods word and deliverance!"
You dont have be angry or lustful or an addict ... you dont have to be anything that you dont want to be with the power of God available to us all.
This religious spirit has been attacking me my whole life. It has been telling me that I am not good enough , never right with God, not good enough to be this or that, not a good this or that, not a good Christian, telling me to not argue or speak up and just keep the peace and the list goes on. I know this thing so well . And I am done with it.
If you need the gospel, if you need prayer or healing, if you want to worship or study the word, come find me at Melissa Lyons Art where there is " church" going on there every single second that I am there.
Shalom!