FACE YOUR OPPOSITION: STAND YOUR GROUND

In 1942, while pastoring in East Texas, I had a test in my body. I didn't tell anyone about it except the Lord. I prayed and believed He would heal me. Then I stood my ground. In the nighttime I would be awakened with alarming heart symptoms, and I would get up and pray. I battled that thing for about six weeks.

One night I had great difficulty in getting to sleep. Finally, after praying, I drifted off, and I had a dream. I am satisfied that God has spoken to me only four times in my life through dreams, but a dream like this one was no coincidence. It was from the Lord. When I woke up, I knew immediately what it meant. (If you don't know the meaning of a dream immediately, forget it.) In this dream it seemed that another minister and I were walking on some kind of parade ground or ball field. There were stands on either side of us. As we were walking along talking, the man jumped and exclaimed, "Look!"

I turned and saw two ferocious, roaring lions. The man started running. I started running with him. Then I stopped and told him we were too far away from the stands to reach safety. We'd never escape those lions. I stopped dead still, turned around, and went back to meet the lions. They came toward me with their fangs bared, roaring. I was trembling. I told them, "I resist you in the Name of Jesus. In Jesus' Name you can't hurt me." I just stood there. They ran right up to me like a couple of kittens, sniffed around my ankles, and finally frolicked off, paying no attention to me.

Then I woke up. I knew exactly what God was saying to me. The Scripture in First Peter 5 came to me. It says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith___" (vv. 8,9). The physical battle I had been fighting was won right then. Instantly the symptoms disappeared and I was all right. I had stood my ground. I wouldn't give in. I had won. Ephesians 6:10 says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Kenneth E. Hagin)