The day before had been busy, and though I was exhausted, I didn’t sleep well. After my workout I went on a bike ride and felt invigorated. The time I spent in Bible reading felt obligatory at best, but I had prayed on my ride and felt connected with the Lord then.
After lunch, I prepared to bake Coconut Lime Loaf from a recipe I got as part of the paperwork from a set of loaf pans, I bought a few weeks before to replace the old Teflon ones that were no longer safe to use. The ingredients had been in the fridge long enough, and I had just enough room in the freezer to save the loaf for a church potluck scheduled in a few weeks. The recipe called for a good amount of lime zest, so I scraped the limes on the grater, then squeezed the juice from them and mixed it into the egg and sugar blend. I measured the dry ingredients into one large bowl and added buttermilk alternately with the egg and sugar mixture into the flour and soda. I had to refer to the recipe frequently to be sure I didn’t forget anything. Finally, the loaf was baking. With dinnertime sneaking up I shoved the mess of baking things into the sink and started boiling water for the green peppers I needed to slice in half for stuffed green peppers I planned to serve with a side of boxed macaroni and cheese.
The loaf cake tested as done, so I set it on the cooling rack and took a bathroom break before sautéing the rest of the ingredients for the stuffed peppers—ground turkey sausage, pork and beans, and spaghetti sauce. As I looked at myself in the mirror after taking a bathroom break, I could see how exhausted I was and thought of all the dishes I’d be doing. I suddenly yelled angrily at myself. I heard my own berating words about me and everything else for a few moments. I felt as if I were being attacked by Satan, the enemy of my soul, and it brought me nearly to tears and caused my face to redden and scrunch up. I turned quickly and hurried out of the bathroom to my desk and sat down, flipping my Bible open to find a copy of a prayer that a friend had shared with me:
“Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, I come before You and declare that every hidden plan of Satan is exposed, canceled, and destroyed. Every curse—spoken, hidden, or generational—is broken before it can begin. Every plot formed against me, whether seen or unseen, is already defeated in Jesus’ name.”
As I continued to read aloud the rest of the prayer, my heart stopped pounding, and my breathing settled down. I thanked the Lord for His love for me and all in my home. I felt graciously surrounded by God in that moment.
I realized that weariness played a part in what had happened that day and determined not to overdo it every time I could see things that needed to be done. When we take on more than we can handle, we pay the price and learn lessons the hard way. Thank You, Lord that You cover me with the blood of Jesus Christ.
