Running with the Devil

Those who have been following my life via Facebook or my now deceased website (TPM RIP), know that I’m rocking the Couch to 5k program. Today I am due to start Week 5 (which is daunting, mind you), but that’s not my point today… my point actually revolves around my last run and spiritual warfare.

So, now you are saying, “How does Justin’s Week 4 Day 3 Couch to 5k run have anything to do with spiritual warfare?” Valid question, and the honest answer is probably, “Not much!” However, let me explain why my run lead me to write this today…

I use a great Android app called Run Double to track my runs and keep me on point. One of it’s great features is that is plays any playlist that you wish it to. On my last run, I used a playlist of upbeat worship music… Insyderz, POD, Supertones, MxPx… a solid playlist of great tunes that would help me to use my run time as both a physical workout and a spiritual battery charge. What happened, however, was that I felt my legs get heavier than normal and there seemed more resistance than any recent run I’d had.

It got me thinking, “Could Satan be making my run tougher and causing me resistance because of the playlist?” And, as ridiculous as it sounds, I honestly feel like this was happening to a certain degree. Praying and pushing, I made it through the run; however, it reminded me how little and big battles in the spirit world happen all day, every day.

I remember many instances where spiritual warfare was undeniable in my life. Two profound experiences occurred in the presence of large groups of Believers. One such occurrence was when I attended a National Baptist Youth Gathering where day after day I was reminded how Satan was trying to break up the group’s cohesion and common purpose. Without getting into particulars, a disproportionate number of members of my group were taken with sudden illness and/or had tragedies occur back home.

Another such instance that comes to mind was actually at a worship concert, where I walked in and could actually feel evil presence surrounding the group, almost as if is was trying to get in but couldn’t. Weird… profound… but, most of all, real!

So, even when we are doing something as small as going for a jog, remember that devils are everywhere and spiritual warfare is happening all around us.

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~ by thepaintedman on July 19, 2012.