If looks could kill.

... and how I wish they could!

I'd use my look-powers to zap the annoying person who messed up my day.
It seems like some people have the gift of 'weight.' They walk into your day and when they leave your heart and mind feels 'heavy.' We find that our thoughts keep coming back to that awful conversation... to that event we'd rather forget. We find ourselves being distracted and thinking of them instead of our work.
And then I get annoyed at myself for being so foolish as to give my opponent so much of my 'thinking time.'

It's like that song I heard on the radio: "I just can't get you out of my head..."

Ever see the movie 'The Mask?' Like him I've dreamt up some very creative ideas for death and destruction.
(Hell, fire and brimstone - just to keep it biblical.)

After trying in vain to settle this battle in my head, I finally get a prayer shot off to heaven; "God, you've got to help me here - this is starting to consume me..."

It was then (I'm sure it was inspiration from above) that I decided to let it go. I chose to. If I was going to wait for a feeling to come, it would take much too long. I'm choosing to let it go! The feelings can come later if they want, but for now it's a choice. And I'll keep choosing to let it go every time that person pops into my mind.

Come to think of it... maybe that's part of my weapon arsenal as a child of God. I have the fruit of the Spirit at my disposal. I can bombard my enemies with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23.)

Paul wrote in Romans 12:20-21 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." (21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I think our opponents hate to see us at peace, full of joy and not being effected by their onslaughts. And worse yet, to attack them with kindness will be a blow they didn't expect.

So here I go into battle with the weapons of God!

Pastor Joe

P.S. Just in case you know me and you're trying to work out who I'm writing about, I wrote this a year ago in my journal :o)