The Power of a Thought!

This morning I was watching #TDJakes on #Daystar. He was teaching from his #Awakening Series and the topic was, The Power of a Thought.  I heard the Holy Spirit instruct me to share this excerpt from my new book, The Devil & Sister Ford. I pray that reading this will help you understand just how powerful and destructive a thought can be if it came from the wrong source, Satan! In this brief excerpt, I believe each women reading this can relate to the character Simone, who's being attacked by the enemy concerning her relationship with her boyfriend, Joe Jenkins. I hope that you enjoy this!

The next day, Simone was in the office she shared with Daniel, checking her emails. She really enjoyed working with Daniel, he had a brilliant mind when it came to the law, and unlike her and her former partners in New Orleans, he refused to compromise his integrity to win a case. She quickly realized that her boyfriend and his friends didn’t just talk the talk about being a Christian, they lived it, everyday.

Satan, again in the form of Beelzebub, was sitting on top of a bookshelf in the office, undetected, watching her carefully and invading her thoughts. Being a new follower, she couldn’t sense the presence of evil in her office, but she did feel uneasy. Suddenly she heard Joe’s voice in the hallway, and a sense of relief overcame her. She looked up and saw him chatting with Hannah. The two were standing very close to each other, sharing a laugh, and as Simone watched them, a twinge of jealousy stabbed her heart. Hannah had everything Simone wanted, a handsome devoted husband, a career that she loved, and carrying her first child.

Aware of what she was feeling, the evil fly smiled. He flew off the bookshelf and landed on the window behind her and began filling her mind with inappropriate images of Hannah and Joe, filling her mind with suspicion and insecurity. Why is Joe always hovering around Hannah, whispering and laughing? Where they talking about her? Laughing at her? A startled Simone caught herself, surprised at what she was thinking. She knew how much Joe adored her, and Hannah and Daniel were happily married. But still, she thought, as she watched the two of them, uneasily from her office. Was something going on between them behind her and Daniel’s back?

When Joe finally entered Simone’s office, she had an attitude! She wanted to tear into him, for spending so much time in the hallway chatting with Hannah. “Hey beautiful lady, are you free for lunch?” He asked, as he came around her desk and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. Simone’s anger melted, and she chided herself for thinking bad thoughts about him and Hannah. “I’m all yours, sweetie,” she answered, as she reached into her desk, and pulled out her purse. As they left her office, they passed Hannah in the hallway. “Enjoy your lunch, you two.” Hannah said. Joe grinned, “Would you care to join us?” He asked politely, as Simone stiffened beside him. Hannah waved a handful of folders at them, “Maybe next time, I’ve got too much paperwork to do.” Joe nodded, but Simone glared at Hannah, and reached out and took Joe’s hand. “C’mon honey, I’m starving” She said impatiently. As she watched them walked out the door, Hannah stared at Simone’s back with her eyebrow raised, “What’s eating her?” She mumbled to herself. Beelzebub watched the exchange between the two women and grinned. Now this was more like it! He flew off, eager to put the next phase of his plan to work.

A few days later, Ernestine had an appointment to meet with Hannah at the center, and she noticed tension between Hannah and Simone. She asked the Holy Spirit to reveal what was going on, and it wasn’t long before the Spirit revealed to her that Satan was up to his old tricks, playing mind games with an insecure Simone, about her relationship with Joe. Ernestine shared this information with her husband and together, the two prayed for guidance. Finally, the Holy Spirit prompted Ernestine to have a heart to heart with Simone, so Ernestine invited her out to lunch.

Once they were seated and had placed their orders, Ernestine got right to the point. “I noticed some tension with you and Hannah at the center. What’s going on?” She asked her. Feeling uncomfortable, Simone shrugged, and tried to play it off. “It’s nothing, I think we’re all on edge because of Reverend Rawlins situation.” She said evenly. Ernestine nodded and took a sip of her ice tea. The waiter arrived with their food and after serving them, he left. They dug in and both expressed appreciation for the wonderfully prepared food. After a couple of bites, Ernestine put down her fork, and gazed at the young lady seated across from her. “Simone, as the wife of a pastor, I’ve had to deal with my share of women trying to get too close to my husband. In the early days of our ministry, I allowed the enemy to fill my mind with all kinds of thoughts and images of Joel and other women. It almost drove me crazy, and it created problems in our marriage. One day, I was in a book store and the Holy Spirit led me to a book by Joyce Myers, the book was entitled, The Battlefield of the Mind. She’s an evangelist from St. Louis Missouri. When I got home and began reading it, I realized that the enemy was attacking my mind, filling my head with all kinds of lies! That’s when I really began to study Ephesians 6 verses 10-12 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”

I shared the book with Joel, and we read it together. Spiritual Warfare was something we had never been taught before, so we purchased hundreds of copies of the book, and made them available for our congregation.” She said quietly. She paused as she took a bite of her delicious baked chicken. Simone sat quietly, thinking about what Ernestine said. “Did it sound like someone or something was whispering things in your ear, and you just found yourself agreeing with it?” Simone asked. Ernestine nodded, as she took her napkin, and wiped her mouth before continuing. “Yes and sometimes a thought would just pop up in my mind out of no where, and within minutes. I would get angry at my poor husband, who hadn’t done anything wrong!” She laughed shaking her head at the memory.

Simone put down her fork and lowered her head. These crazy thoughts about Joe and Hannah, started just recently, and she realized that Ernestine was right, someone or somebody was messing with her mind! “So you don’t think anything is going on between Hannah and Joe?” She whispered.

Ernestine shook her head. “No honey. My son loves you, besides, he and Daniel have been best friends for years. He would never flirt or sleep with another man’s wife, especially his friends.” She said kindly. Filled with guilt and relief, Simone leaned back against her chair. “Wow, I feel so silly.” She confessed. Ernestine reached into her purse and pulled out a book, and handed it to her. “Don’t be. Remember, you’re a new Christian in Christ and the enemy’s job is to confuse and frustrate you. He’s going to try and make you think, that what God has for you, is not yours. I want you to have my copy of Battlefield of the Mind. Read what I put on the inside.” Simone took the book and opened it and read, “To my beautiful Simone, welcome to our family.” Tears glistened in Simone’s eyes and she held the book against her chest. “Thank you so much, I will treasure this forever.” Ernestine reached over and gave Simone’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re more than welcome!”

The huge black fly on the wall above them, fumed. Once again his plan to cause trouble had been prevented. Beelzebub glared at Ernestine Jenkins and flew out of the crowded restaurant.

  Excerpt from book 3 of the Invisible Enemies Series, The Devil & Sister Ford.

  You can download or purchase the series here: http://www.amazon.com/Lynda-D.-Brown/e/B003X8D4V8/