Death is a hard thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my mama passed, it was significant. I’d never known that kind of loss, emptiness, grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was numb, just moving through life without feelings. Even when I worshipped:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I <\/a>loved God the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believed in Him like always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was as grateful as I’d ever been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was no emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I raised my hands. Spoke words of adoration. I meant them! But I experienced no joy, no awe, no… anything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I remember the exact moment my emotions returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband and I were driving along Route 52 to pick up our son from basketball practice. Out of nowhere, a MASSIVE hail storm hit. The sound was deafening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we came to a dead stop, fear gripped me like I’d never known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember reaching for the door handle to flee my entrapment…and experiencing even greater fear with the realization that I couldn’t escape without being pummeled by the baseball size ice boulders falling incessantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I frantically sought to climb into the middle row of the van as my husband was saying he was afraid the enormous hail was going to break through the windshield. I worried about being rear-ended; because, you couldn’t see a thing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, as quickly as it began, it ended. But the fear didn’t. It was significant and lasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loud noises caused me to jump to alert. The forecast of a storm brought on uncontrollable anxiety. There were times I stood gasping for breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as I’d prayed for God to return my emotions after mom’s passing, I prayed every bit as hard for God to release me from the torment of fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it had startled me back into life. But it was sort of a back-handed answer to prayer. In an instant, I’d gone from one extreme to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t understand. I just wanted a middle ground. I longed for… normalcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For an entire year I battled it…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I prayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I begged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then one day, I took authority over it in Jesus’s name. I declared that Satan couldn’t have my peace. I told fear it didn’t belong. And I stood my ground in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the day I was set free. Sure fear tried to creep back in at times; but, without fail I reminded the enemy that God was my defense & deliverer. And I drew a spiritual bloodline around myself that Satan & fear were not allowed to cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ’s blood is power. His name is power. And the enemy is defenseless in their presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotions can be a powerful influence in life. Death can steer them in crazy directions. But Christ is the answer. Always!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to know who you’re listening to– faith or fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll choose the voice of faith every time….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u26f2 #BrendaDillon #ChristianBlog<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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