2 ½ years ago when I was on life-support and in a coma I endured extreme suffering.  While experiencing physical pain, I experienced the most intense spiritual pain I hope and pray I will never feel again in my life.

While fighting for my flesh to stay alive, I was in an intense spiritual warfare battle.  Even though it sounds strange, I believe there was a war going on to win my spirit and others around me.  While in a coma I felt like I had no hope.  I had no future.  I was in a constant state of terror, fear, panic and frustration.  There was no love.  There was no peace.  There was no God.  Friends, I’m here to tell you that I experienced hell.  It’s very difficult for me to put in words, other than it was some form of hell because my spirit was absent from the presence of God, or that’s what it felt like to me.

When I read the following scripture, that is when the flashback of my coma came rushing back in my mind.  “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

I am here to tell you that the enemy is REAL and is constantly trying to win us over.  I want to challenge you to think about who you are fighting in this life.  I don’t know about you, but when I think someone in the flesh is trying to harm me or someone I love, you better believe I will standup and fight till the end for what I believe.  And what I’ve come to realize is, this very thing is going on around me in the spiritual realm as well.

Honestly, I’m not exactly sure why I encountered some of the things that happened to me while I was “sleeping” for 3 ½ weeks, but God revealed one thing that is very clear to me now…HOPE.  In the midst of the hell I was enduring He sent an angel to me that spoke words of peace that calmed my spirit and gave me a glimpse of Hope for a moment to give me strength to finish the fight.  I won’t share all the details at this time about what took place that night, but it was my defining moment in my fight to stay alive.

My Hope today is that this can be a wake up call for all of us to the truth.  And the truth says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.” 2 Corinthians 10:3 The truth is we are not just fighting fleshly desires, but we are truly in a spiritual battle against the enemy.  And the greatest blessing of all is that God has provided us with the most powerful weapon in all of creation to win this battle…His Word, The Bible.  So my question for you today is, what will you use to fight your next battle?