F I G H T….that’s not a word I like very much. I tend to avoid conflict like the plague. There are lots of words one could use to describe me but fighter is not one likely to be included in the mix. But beneath the quiet voice and laid-back persona lies another often unseen force. I myself got a small glimpse of it Sunday morning when I found myself in a precarious position.
The day began like many others except that I stayed in bed later. As I was outside taking Bella for a potty break, I looked up to discover an intruder was in our yard. And, we were on the wrong side of the fence. A bulldog was in our yard growling and kicking up dirt at us. How were we to get back to the safety of the house, if the dog was inside of our fence and the two entry ways were accessible to him? For what seemed like an eternity but was actually just a few moments, I stood frozen in fear. How do I escape? How can I get help without getting bitten? No neighbors in sight and no cell phone handy. No way I can out run the dog. Do I leave my precious Bella as prey and try to escape myself?
A quick scan of my surroundings revealed only one dried up old stick. Armed with a stick and a prayer, I made my move to cross the ditch in an effort to reach the closest entrance way. When I moved, the dog moved too and charged out of the gate towards us. Needless to say that halted my movement but I raised my voice saying NO and GET BACK and that’s just what he did. I sounded like a crazy woman. Momentarily, he was distracted by our nearby neighbor’s dog, which allowed us to make it to the safety of our steps. Only to have him remember us and come charging back towards us full force. Luckily we did make it inside without being hurt but that dog had the audacity to not just come in my yard but upon my porch. Now I’ve had similar incidents with dogs like the one I shared in Shammah but the demeanor of this dog was more vicious. And, this time around the dog invaded more of my personal territory.
Now you know after my heart stop racing and I had time to reflect upon the incident, I gleaned some lessons from it.
- the enemy shows up when you’re not alert and least expect it
- there are times when there is NO human assistance available
- when God is ALL you’ve got, that’s enough to get the victory
- there is something down on the inside of me that’s willing to fight to protect what belongs to me
- if God could protect me from a natural attack of a dog, there has to be many other things I haven’t seen that He’s been keeping me shielded from
- some enemies, trouble, and circumstances you will have to face
Has the continual presence of a particular situation in your life threatened to take the fight out of you? Failure to confront the enemy will only lead to a loss of more territory.
This is a great reminder… I need to be more aware. Thank you 🙂
oh wow Wanda!! How scary! I could feel my heart racing as I read your post! I loved dogs dearly, but am afraid of such dogs as this one you encountered.
Is that him in the photo? What happened in the end? Did he just leave, or someone come to get him? Don't leave us hanging like this! LOL! You had me on the edge of my seat, girl!
I love the message you got out of this terrifying situation. When there is no where else to turn or no one to help us, we are positioned for His divine love and protection, Praise God.
Loved this post, or rather, the suspense, and the message.
Glad you and Bella are safe. And no, I doubt you would be the type to offer her up as the sacrifice to save yourself (even if the thought did cross your mind, as it would mine). 😉
Hi Wanda,
First, I thank God that both you and Bella were unharmed, safely escaping the attack of this dog.
As a child I was taught that dogs are 1) territorial, and 2) pack-oriented.
Territorial animals always look to establish a boundary perimeter belonging to them.
Pack-oriented animals will always seek to establish dominance over others in a group.
There are three ways to respond animals who display these actions, 1) You can be frozen by fear, this will usually initiate an attack action.
2) You can take a submissive posture, yeilding to the dominance of the agressive animal.
3) You can take an agressive posture, indicating your willingness to fight and establish dominance over the animal.
This knowledge has always served me when I've be cornered by strange dogs. In some instances I've have to fight, because dogs have a keen sense of smell and fear gives off a certain scent they detect; in those instances, I've had to speak to that dog in a firm voice not to come forward as I took an agressive posture.
I've said all that to say that in the spiritual realm, I've been defeated and I've cowered from enemy attacks because I didn't understand the nature of that spiritual enemy.
I'm learning these tendencies now. I no longer fear when I hear what sounds like a lion's roar. It's a red flag for me to take a stand and be prepared for spiritual battle.
Spiritual enemies are like dogs, they are territorial and they seek dominance. As a believer, Jesus has given me authority stand and resist demonic powers and spirits. Armed with spiritual knowledge, the power and authority of Jesus Christ, I will remain vigilant. There may be times when I'm not alert or unaware, but even in those instances, I'm equipped for battle, I can call on the name of the Lord.
For some time now, I've been encouraged and inspired by your words, I thank God for you my sister.
Blessings and peace.
MTJ
Dogs scare me!
I love this post my friend. It is fitting right now as the enemy is rearing his ugly head!
Thanks for the word!
Wanda, my soul is so touched. I spent some time in Judges meditating on Gideon this morning. There is no feeling like when you have to face something and it just seems like there is no effective help. I thank God that He is never useless and I thank Him even more for giving me the opportunity to put my trust in Him.
Just thankful all is well after an awful ordeal.
Yvonne.
Hi Wanda
I could only imagine the look on your face as the dog started to charge I had to smile,but I do thank God for protecting you and Bella,beautiful dog too.It's such a blessing to have God on our side at all times and to know that he is always watching over us.Have a lovely day Wanda.
Love ya 🙂
Mike, I have to be more alert too. Naturally I'm not very observant.
Amanda, I didn't mean to leave you hanging…lol. Nope that's not a photo of the actual dog but he looked very similiar to that one. Trust me I know time or interest in taking a photo of that enemy…haha. It's kind of funny who the dog ended up belong too.
MTJ, I certainly hope I don't encounter any more dogs but I'll definitely be armed with this new knowledge you've given me about 3 ways to react to them. Spiritually speaking I've lost many battles b/c of lack of knowledge and failure to properly dressed for the battle. But thanks be unto God who gives us the victory.
Beth, victory already belongs to you my sister. No retreat, no defeat…was something God dropped in my spirit several months ago.
Bluebutterfly having human support tends to make us feel better but having come out on the outside of a battle with you & God surely increases one's trust level.
Yvonne me too, my friend.
Pat, I can laugh it about now but I was terrified initially but acting like a wild woman in the end. Afterwards I thought if the neighbors seen me they'd think i was crazy.
Despite our fear it's best to keep a clear head and let God guide us. I try to face my fears with logic, trust in God, and the knowledge that God has always provided me a way out in the past although I have to take action and do what need to do.
Lee
Tossing It Out
I got goosebumps reading this! How scary. I love the insights you learned from an experience. God is protecting us more than we can possible fathom!
I'm so happy that you and Bella are alright. It's so awesome that out of this terrifying situation God had a word for you to encourage us with today.
Wanda this is so well writen Sweet Sis,, WOW..
And soooo TRUE your words about the enemy.. We must have our armor on at ALLLL times!!!
And do our best to pray without ceasing…
SS is my most favorite.
I sooo love sharing God with so many awesome women of His word!!!
May you know God's Love and His blessings from above~~~Hugs across the miles and web~~~Dena
Thanks for my note today!!!
Hi Wanda, what a beautiful blog. I love posts that come from every day experiences. They remind me of Jesus and the parables. It's life. There are lessons to learn from everything we go through on a daily basis. It makes me smile at God. What a Daddy we serve!
It also reminds me of one of my favorite books that's so simple. It's called, A Turtle on a Fencepost, (Sub-titled, Little Lessons of Big Importance) by Allan C. Emery.
Not without a fight! Though we don't want to fight, it's what strengthens us. Thank God we know 1) We do not fight alone, 2)We have the power to overcome each battle, and 3) Ultimately, we win the war. Halellujah!
God Bless.
Beverly
Hi Wanda –
…loved this piece and how you told the story. And my heart leaped at how you responded. Hallelujah!
I had a similar experience with a dog. Here is an excerpt from my blog comment about it (The blog topic dtd October 14, 2010 was "SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTERS WITH ANIMALS."):
Excerpt:
One day I was alone in the kitchen with the two boxers and one of them just, "out of the blue," started barking and would not stop. This was an "unusual" barking episode. Usually, I could quiet him but this particular day, he was not having it. Clearly, I heard the Lord speak in my spirit and tell me to take authority over the barking. He told me to, with authority in my voice, tell the dog to "shut up." I said it with Holy Ghost fueled authority. I shouted, "shut up" and said the dog's name. Immediately, I do mean immediately, the dog shut up.
I would have been terrified. So thankful you made it back to the house okay.
Oh, I know I'm so late, but I'm so happy I got a chance to read this post. The lessons you gleaned from your encounter with an "enemy" were phenomenal and quite timely for myself. I just whispered, "wow…", as I read. Good word.
Monica