I had something happen to me almost 29 years ago that taught me the power and the importance of the Word in my daily life. I was twenty years old at the time and had been walking with God for two and a half years.
The short of the story is that my Pastor, out of a desire to manipulate and control, said some caustic and biting things to me in a meeting that I had asked for to talk to him about some concerns (many years later, his behind the scenes misdeeds were exposed). The things he said to me almost sent me into a state of mental shock! Satan used his words to drive my mental state into a frenzy for well over a month. I was young and very impressionable, and my Pastors’ words carried weight with me. Day after day his words played over and over in my mind.
I learned the absolute power of the indwelling Word of God through this experience. When the enemy would remind me of what the Pastor said and accuse me so terribly, I would refute the overwhelming thoughts and feelings by saying Romans 8:38-39 over and over to myself. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The enemy would use the Pastor’s words and my fickle emotions against me from the time I got up each day until the time I went to bed! I seemed as though I was going to lose my mind as the thoughts and feelings bombarded me! This verse came to my rescue and became my life raft in the storm. The more I reminded myself and God of what He promised in caring for me and never leaving me, the less the thoughts and emotions from the Pastor’s words affected me. In fact, I was able to forgive him and walk in love toward him as God’s Word helped me endure the demonic accusations and look beyond the feelings to God’s truth about me.
One day, over a month later, the daily oppression ceased, and my inward peace returned. It was the power of God’s Word that sustained me. I found that God’s Word really is full of life and power and that the Word is stronger than any force that seeks to overpower me. God through His precious Word to me became my friend that sticks closer than a brother. It is true that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
When you find yourself in a hard place, take the Word with you! Don’t be caught without it. My hours and days of meditating on the Word before this experience sustained me through it. Build the Word into your inner consciousness, and you’ll be insulated from the assaults of the enemy. Forever, O Lord, your Word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35). …The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63) The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever! (Isaiah 40:8)
The other thing I learned from this experience is to never use my office of Pastor to try to control and dominate people. As a Pastor, I’m to be an example, not a taskmaster.
Each of us can recount an experience in our lives like the one that you have related. Someone that we look up to for counsel, nurture, or affirmation lets us down. I have found that indeed the Word does sustain me in those situations. Another thing I have found is that these people we look up to also have their demons, and they may be tainted and deeply hurt or convicted by false beliefs. They may believe what they are speaking to you to be true about themselves. Once I identify the Word that sustains and affirms, it may be my responsibility to share that with the offender. In addition to my own healing and wholeness, someone else may then be healed by the truth.
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