What Frightened or Hurt You in Your Past That Paralyzes You Today?

My post today is taken from my daughter's post yesterday. It brought back so many memories of the night at 10:30 pm when I received the phone call to pray for Payton, my 10-year old grandson. Larry and Staci were downstairs and heard a blood curdling scream coming from Payton. Realizing this was not an I’ve-had-a-nightmare-scream, they bounded three stairs at a time and made their way to Payton who, they found, had a stinging scorpion under his pajama top – it had stung him four times and each of those places where he was stung was turning red and swelling up. Staci was on the phone to Poison Control when Larry called me.

Here is Staci's post from yesterday, along with the photo and video of my new grand-scorpion baby:

Seems we have a new pet, ELAH. There is a story behind this Emperor Scorpion and why we would allow such a beast in our home. When our son, Payton, was 10 years old, he was stung four times in the night by a scorpion. It was a crazy event that left us all a bit freaked out about going to bed at night, thinking there were more scorpions under our sheets, in our shoes and lurking like the boogie man ready to attack.

Over the next two weeks, we found 22 more scorpions in the rent house we were living in during a time my Daddy was in the hospital in his last days in Oklahoma. The "exterminators" said there is nothing you can do about scorpions unless you find the Queen and destroy her nest.

Needless to say we moved immediately, but the fear and mental picture of scorpions plagued our psyche for months. It was as if we could feel them on us. Our senses were heightened to the possibility of them everywhere. But worst of all, was our sweet son, who had never been introduced to FEAR, was not able to sleep at night. How do you tell your mind to turn off the mental pictures of what was seen, felt and perceived as intense pain?

As a mom, I wanted to make his fear go away, but I knew in my spirit that God was going to use this just like he did little David who was alone in the night tending sheep when he had to fight off the lion and the bear. I told Payton about that story and encouraged him that one day, he would use the victory over scorpions to slay giants.

Well, here we are, seven years later and what once enslaved my son's mind has become his slave and pet. Payton made the choice to buy this scorpion as a sign of dominion over that which the enemy sent to bring fear. Today, Payton has Elah in his room encaged in a large aquarium. He named it Elah because that is the location where David killed Goliath.

Payton knows life will bring greater battles than a scorpion will wield but as he grows in wisdom, courage and favor, ELAH will stand as a stone of remembrance that GREATER is HE that is in us than HE that is in the world (1 John 4:4). We were born for dominion.

What is it in your past that has enslaved the emotions of your present? Isn't it time to turn what the enemy meant to harm you into a weapon that gives you courage, strength and dominion? Like the old saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I'm so proud of my son for conquering giants in his life. I did, however, tell him snakes were OFF LIMITS!

What is Your Ultimate Protection Guarantee?

While Staci called Poison Control, Larry called me to pray for Payton (10 years old at the time) who had been stung by a scorpion four times and each of the places was turning red and swelling up. Immediately, I remembered our son, Ryan, was stung by a scorpion on his foot. I gave Larry the remedy that God gave us. Without even a second thought, my husband and I begin to pray and speak scripture verses over Ryan that applied to this very situation. “Behold! I have given you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall in any way harm you’ (Luke 10:19). Those are words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He was speaking about the authority He was giving them. And they were words that we had lodged in our hearts. And, I also remembered hearing – “apply ammonia immediately to the sting”! Within just a few minutes the pain that Ryan was experiencing ceased.

Taking the advice of Poison Control (“apply ice compresses to the sting, and keep a watch over him for a while) and Nana’s advice, within just a short while, Payton had calmed down and the pain had subsided. As you can imagine, his activist Mama Staci, was on the phone the next morning getting an extermination company to come out and rid their home of the enemy that had invaded their home.

Immediately, I began to think about getting my house exterminated – literally -- and spiritually. Spiritually, in the sense that perhaps little creatures of doubt, unbelief, offenses, fear, concern, worry may have found their way inside my heart. We have a responsibility to keep our spirits free of the enemy’s attacks. Remember how Jesus handled the enemy’s attacks during His 40-day fast? He spoke God’s Word of truth to him. That’s how Jesus conquered……and that’s how we conquer.

God knows exactly where the enemy’s traps are located. And when we study, memorize and cultivate God’s Word into our hearts, we will also know. Proverbs 4:20-24 says: “My son, attend to My words; consent and submit to My sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart, for they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.”

I was reading one of the extermination companies’ on-line guarantees. It said, “THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION® GUARANTEE -- Protect yourself with the strongest guarantee in the business!!” And, when it comes to God and His Word, that is truly THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION GUARANTEE!’ It’s time to take advantage of these guarantees -- to get busy with good common sense ways of exterminating the little creatures from our homes with bug spray, traps and deterrents…..and even more importantly, rid our lives of the enemy that wants to steal our peace and joy….with the infallible, sharper-than-any-two-edged sword -- Word of God!