CAMPBELLTON, New Brunswick, June 28, 2023 – [Sound of a phone ringing and then the click of an answer:]

Hello.

You’ve reached the voicemail of God.

I’m sorry I’m not here to take your call personally, but please feel free to leave a message and someone will get back to you before you die.

Alternatively, you can press “666” at any time to speak to an A.I.

Thank you for your patience.

This is a recording.

[Sound of a long beep and then silence.]

I am not a fan of this world. I’m grateful to God for allowing me to be here to get right with him and to learn my lessons, but the world is a cold and dark place that is growing colder and darker by the day. I can’t sugarcoat that. I can’t look past it and pretend it isn’t so.

For the past few decades, I’ve been tending the graves of my two grandmothers. Both graves are now starting to be desecrated. One of the headstones was knocked over last year, and when it was repaired (set on a new foundation), someone twisted the headstone sideways before the cement had time to harden. In the whole graveyard of thousands of headstones, my grandmother’s is the only one that has been turned sideways. This is the headstone of the grandmother who prayed for me for 36 years before I was reborn.

But I’m sure the vandalism was just a random act and not targeted at all.

In another graveyard with the remains of my other grandmother, the flowers I lay for her at each visit have been torn to shreds and scattered around the headstone. When this first started happening about a year ago, I thought it must be the wind or birds or some other animal doing it, but then I noticed that only my grandmother’s headstone is being attacked. The flowers on the other headstones are undisturbed.

When you become a born-again follower of Jesus, you get God’s seal on your soul. You can’t see it and other humans can’t see it, but those in the spiritual realm can see it, like they can see the mark of Cain. You become known in the spiritual realm when you’re reborn. You gain extra spiritual protection because of it, but you also become a target of the evil ones who use people to accomplish their aims.

The evil ones are ramping up their attacks lately, and God is permitting it. What God permits we need to submit to. Still, I cried when I saw the headstone turned sideways, just as I cry at each visit to the graves when I see the flowers mangled and torn to shreds. I feel like I’ve brought this on my grandmothers, and the fact is, I have.

*****

When Jesus stepped out of his comfort zone and took his place as the Messiah, he immediately became the target of the devil. If you want to get the devil’s attention, stand your ground as a believer, even when you face persecution. The devil doesn’t bother with those who claim to be Christians but live like the rest of the world. He knows they’re his already, or nearly his, and that it won’t take much to get them to capitulate. But take a stand for God as a born-again believer and the devil makes a beeline for you.

As I mentioned, whatever God permits, we need to submit to, and the devil can only do what God permits. This to me is a comfort, as I know God would never allow me to suffer anything that I can’t overcome with his help. The same holds true for punishment (at least while we’re still here on Earth). God would never allow us to be punished beyond our capacity to endure spiritually with his help. How you know whether God is permitting you to be tested or permitting you to be punished is that when you’re being tested, you want to draw closer to God, whereas when you’re being punished, you want to hide.

The past week has been one test after another, and just when I think I have time for a breather, I get hit again. Each time, the test comes via people. Most of them are heavily tattooed or identify as the opposite sex, so it’s kind of a given that they’re spiritually messed up and easy prey for demons. Some may even be purposely invoking demons. My response, after the initial impact shock, is always to pray for these people. At the same time, I pray for me too, that I respond like Jesus taught us to respond. The temptation is very strong to be outraged or go into self-defence mode or (worse) try to reason with the messed-up souls. You cannot reason with these people, as Paul found out the hard way. You can only get up, wipe the dirt off yourself, pray for them, and move on.

Silence in the face of false accusations and bullying has never been my strong point, but I’m learning. Jesus had to learn, too, and he did so to an exemplary degree, as he demonstrated during his trial. His earlier run-ins with the Pharisees and Sadducees and all the resticees were good practice that stood him in good stead when he needed it the most.

I sure am getting good practice now.

I can’t claim to be acing my tests, but at least I’m improving. At least I hope I’m improving.

God is never far from me during the testing. He doesn’t intervene and he doesn’t interfere, but he lets me know he’s there – not watching from a distance (like from the bleachers), but standing right behind me, close enough to whisper in my ear. He’s my coach, reminding me to apply to the present what I learned in the past. Sometimes he brings specific scripture to mind as guidance. He can’t interfere during the tests, he can’t tell me what to do, but he can bring to my mind what I already know. He can cheer me on. He can be there for me.

I can’t imagine going through these tests without knowing God is right here with me through his Spirit. Jesus is with me, too. What a formidable team they make! It’s humbling to know that I’m on their team.

The tests will continue during the rest of my time on Earth, and it looks like things will only get bleaker from hereon in. For every believer who dies, evil increases: That is spiritual math. (So is counting your blessings.) Yet God reminds us not only to count our blessings but to see things for what they are. Jesus told us to watch, not look away, so I’ll watch even if it makes me cry.

I thought about getting my grandmother’s headstone reset, but I know that even if the vandals don’t get there before the cement hardens, they’ll do something else to it. My response to their provocations needs to be like Jesus’ response, which is silence. I’ll pray for the vandals but give them no further cause to condemn themselves.

The next time the devil comes a-callin’, he’ll just get my answering service.