By David Burnet
This is about two simple steps to take, just two, when conditions are difficult and confusing as is happening to too many of us now.
Not only confusing but too often painful with troubles that just grow and grow. Hard to understand, and even harder to know what to do. Such confusion can happen to you, to a friend or neighbor; it can happen to your family; even to large groups, such difficulties can happen.
And too few of us know what to do at such times, and too many of us who know do not remember.
The good news is that what to do is simple, easy to remember, and fairly easy to do. After doing this a few times it often becomes easier. (It's going to be easier to remember because:
-1. It's simple and clearly presented here for you.
-2. You have a context to trigger your memory.
-3. You will have simple tests to verify that this is the situation you are in, so you know exactly what to do and how to do it.
-4. It all comes down to remembering The One Thing to Do, which has two parts. Just two. Like dancing, first step in one direction, and then because you are dancing, step in the other direction. Two parts of the one and same thing. Simple and easy - once you know how.
So it comes down to remembering the One Thing To Do.
Just One Thing to Remember. (One Thing with two related and opposite parts. Just One Thing.)
When more than one confusing, difficult and very challenging thing is happening to you at the same time, it's a time of extra confusion. You are more likely to be overloaded and overwhelmed. And not understanding what is going on.
Confusion is not the same as ignorance. Ignorance is a lack of information and knowledge. Confusion is when you have too much information, knowledge, or both - and you have no overview. No grasp of how to order all this data. And when some of this important data is composed of feelings, overload and overwhelm happen more easily as well as more often.
There are many reports in these days of two things going on. Reports by ordinary people, as well as highly prophetic people.
-1. Many people are coming into a new level of relationship with the spiritual, with God. It's like coming into a place with more light than you are used to, and you do not know how to handle it all. In fact, your life can become so bright that you are blinded, as if blinded by bright lights shining directly into your eyes. This is sometimes called, "The Dark Night of the Soul" -- when there is so much new light that you have not yet adapted. You are blinded. You cannot see.
-2. Many individuals and even families and groups are gradually discovering or suspecting that they are being attacked, spiritually. Taking many different forms, attacks do not happen in just one way. Which makes it extra difficult to realize what is happening. The attacks are real, and have consequences that are even more serious and difficult. Attacks that happen to someone or to a group in areas where they are strong and alert may have little chance of being a problem. Sometimes they produce such little difficulty that it's not even obvious that an attack has taken place. At other times we are hit in areas where we lack experience, knowledge, or skill. We may be trusting too much. Loving too much in a romantic way. Believing someone too much. In areas where we are vulnerable - and there are a lot of different kinds of vulnerability - so you can be successfully attacked in many different ways. Ways that are difficult to predict or to understand.
A third thing can happen: the first two things that are going on can happen at once to the same individual, family, or other group - a group that is small or large.
-3. So coming into a new level of spiritual development and awareness which is like coming into light that is so bright you do not yet know how to manage can happen - and this can seem like a Dark Night of the Soul.
Coming under spiritual attacks in areas where you are vulnerable (we often do not even notice or barely notice attacks that come to areas where we are strong and not vulnerable) - can hurt. Can hurt a lot.
Both of these difficulties can happen at the same time. Which hurts, is confusing, we have little or no idea what to do.
Sometimes we understand what is happening to us. Too often we do not have a clue.
So...what are we to do when difficulties multiply and we have no clue what to do? You've come to the right place to learn what to do. What to do is simple, fairly easy, and very, very effective.
You may want to test, to verify what is going on.
Most of the time, when you have a difficulty or pain, when you try to handle it or manage it you can do so. At least to some degree, and while you are remembering what to do. You can manage a headache, an annoyance in the place where you are, almost any difficulty - you can manage and handle it some, at least for a while.
Sometimes, though, you cannot manage or handle a difficulty or pain. You cannot make even a dent in it. Not even for a little while.
When this happens, there is one thing to know. It's a surprising thing, to most of us. So be patient with me for a bit as I explain it. Here it is: it's not yours. It - is - not - really - yours -- even though it feels like it is. Then what is it?
It's one of two things that I've noticed. It's someone else's, and you are feeling it. You are empathic, a Highly Sensitive Person, or it's related to a Spiritual Gift. (More on these in other articles. This one is already long enough.) Consider it a call to Intercession, to pray for the other person. It's pretty much impossible to pray for someone else and their problem and to mistakenly identify with the problem and mistakenly believe it's your problem at the same time. Sometimes it literally is a call for Intercession, for prayer for the person or family or group who has the pain or problem.
Even if it is not a call for Intercession, praying for someone else cannot hurt you and it may help them. And you cannot do this and simultaneously mistakenly believe it is yours.
There's the second thing it may be. (This is going to be simple once you have all the background, it will be easier than it may now seem. Just keep going. Take a break and come back to this later if you need to. This is one fo the most important things for you that I've yet written.)
It may be hard to believe, this second thing. It may be outside of your beliefs - and that's okay. It will not be a problem - if you keep going...I'll explain.
It may be a demonic attack, an attack by one or more unclean spirits. It's not yours, that's why you cannot manage it. It's actually external to the real you. And if this outside your beliefs, that's okay - take it this way: this is the most useful paradigm I know of for situations like this. You can consider it a useful paradigm, a very useful metaphor or way of looking at things. Which is fine, you can do nicely with that viewpoint. Just don't stop. Keep on going!
Okay, so what's the One Thing to Remember and Do, that comes in two parts?
Simple. Easy. Just ask for help, with sincerity - you really want help. Ask Jesus for help. Or you can ask your Helper, Holy Spirit. (I do not write, "the Holy Spirit" because "Holy Spirit" is a name. If I call you "the Paul" or "the Sandy" or any other "the ___" it will seem impersonal, it will create distance, and besides, it's much easier to relate to someone by name.
Ask for help. Ask. Easy, I told you! Ask with sincerity, but ASK. It really is that simple.
Okay, but what about the two parts of this, the two parts that are opposite yet related, like stepping in two directions while dancing? That's easy too.
Here it is, in two parts:
-1. Draw close to God. God will come close to you. (That's a promise. It works, it really does. I can explain somewhat about how and why, but that's another story. You can test this for yourself and verify this for yourself - it's easy -- just do it and notice what results come.)
-2. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Drawing close is like sincerely drawing close to another person (which, it turns out, is what you are doing - but that's another story, too).
Resisting is like stepping away or pushing away.
Drawing close to God and resisting the devil (or evil, or the pain or problem). Resistance can be like pushing away. Drawing closer is like, well, pulling yourself closer. Equal and opposite movements, to equal and opposite persons.
And for now the persons you can consider to be a metaphor or a paradigm, a very useful and practical way of handling difficult and painful situations.
If you want, let me know - it's another story, I've told you several times. Any one of those - feel free to inquire. Or watch for future articles.
So...remember The One Thing: Call on the Name of Jesus. Just call. You know on the inside what it's like to call. (I could go into this more, but you guessed it, that's another story.)
Call on the Name of Jesus (or on Holy Spirit) - with sincerity. Your pain or difficulty can help you be sincere surprisingly easily. And then the two parts: draw close to God who will draw close to you, and resist the devil (or the evils, pains or difficulties).
That's it!
And you can not only do this for yourself, you can talk and walk someone else through this very simple process, especially when there is a pain or difficulty which when they try to manage or handle it or reduce the difficulty or pain of it even a little and for a little while - and nothing happens - do this One Thing, and the two parts.
Call on the name of Jesus (or Holy Spirit - you may get a wonderful additional surprise). And the two parts: draw close to God and God will draw close to you; and resist the devil (problems or pains, etc.).
That's it. Simple. Easy to remember. And fairly easy to do.
And when it hits the fan, do these things. It will help in many other situations that I have not yet mentioned or named. And you guessed it, those are other stories...feel free to ask about them.
Copyright by David Burnet, May 18, 2020.