It is a dark thing to feel the shadow of a hateful spirit, to know that a neighbor is muttering mischief against you and finding delight in vexation. You are like a man who has just caught the first whiff of smoke from a fire that may be creeping toward his door, you cannot see the flame, but you sense the heat, and your heart is uneasy. I do not wonder that you have cried to God about it, for the malice of the human heart, when set on fire by the enemy of souls, can make a little street in ### feel like a battleground.
But now, let me put a stronger, steadier hand upon your shoulder, and speak comfort into your ear. You belong to Christ Jesus, and that single fact changes everything. There was a curse that you had good reason to fear: the curse of God’s holy Law, which hangs over every soul that has sinned. That curse is no small thing, it is the malediction of the Almighty, the just sentence that must fall where sin is found. But hear this, and let it be like the sunrise to your dark room: Christ was made a curse for you. On the tree of Calvary, the spotless Lamb of God took that curse into His own body, and He bore it away forever. The lightning of God’s wrath struck Him, and now for everyone who hides in Jesus, the storm is past, and the sky is clear. What then is a neighbor’s whispered curse, or a muttered ill-wish, to a man who stands under the eternal benediction of the Most High? It is like a drop of vinegar falling into an ocean of honey, it is swallowed up and lost.
I think of Balaam, that hireling prophet, peering down upon the tents of Israel and trying with all his dark art to curse the people of God. But every time he opened his mouth, out came blessings instead, because the Lord his God was with him, and the shout of a King was among them. Child of God, the same King is in your midst. The grey car, the angry driver, the threats tossed out like stones, these are but empty noise against the shield of faith. The witch may weave her web, but the spider cannot catch the eagle. You are hidden in the cleft of the Rock, and no curse can find its way through the wounded side of Christ to harm you.
Do you remember how a little child, when the night is very black and the wind howls, will slip his hand into his father’s, and suddenly the terrors are gone? He does not understand what makes the shadows move, but he knows his father is bigger than any shape in the darkness. So it is with your heavenly Father. You do not need to know exactly what power this woman thinks she wields, nor trace the origin of every superstition that floats through the air of that street. You only need to know that your Father holds you, and that no one is strong enough to pry you out of His hand.
I would not, however, have you be content with merely escaping fear. What if this harassing is permitted by God to drive you closer to Christ? The ship finds its safest anchorage when the storm is fiercest. Pray for the poor, angry soul who troubles you, not with a prayer that clenches its fist and demands her destruction, but with the calm, pitying prayer that asks God to break the power of evil within her. She is still your neighbor, and love is still your duty. But loving does not mean cringing. You may love her and yet live with the serene courage of one who knows that the curse is broken, that the road to heaven lies wide open, and that every spell falls harmless at the feet of the Man of Sorrows.
So go about your day without dread. When you hear the engine of that car, do not let your pulse quicken with alarm, but lift a quiet thought to heaven: “Father, I am Thine, and no weapon formed against me shall prosper.” The serpents in the wilderness bit the murmuring Israelites, but for those who looked to the brazen serpent lifted up, the venom had no power. Look to Jesus, my dear friend, and let the poison of another’s malice be rendered harmless. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power, and of a sound mind.
O Lord Jesus, Thou who art the Way, the Truth, and the Life, draw near to this beloved one. Let the peace of Calvary settle deep into every frightened thought. Silence the noise of the wicked one, we pray, and if it please Thee, stay the hand of this woman so that the neighborhood may know quiet again. But far beyond that, grant an unshakable confidence that nothing in all creation, no curse, no spell, no rage, can separate us from Thy love. Let them sleep tonight as a weaned child rests against its mother, knowing that He who keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. To Thee be glory forever. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. Bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
