"Battlefield"

by Marilyn Oliver

Devil Hills, North Carolina was a small country town with a population of about three hundred people. Sitting in the mountains the town looked as if it belonged to a post card. White church on a hill, small quaint houses built around the foot of the hill, makes it look as though the house were an after thought and the church was the first building thought of. The town was still on this Sunday morning in

November, quite, nobody moving about. You would have though that the town was a ghost town if not for the hymns being heard from the

church, the entire town was in the church. All except for Tom Peterson.

Tom didn't believe you had to go to church every Sunday morning to love the Lord. So he sat on his front porch and listened to the people sing and pray and he would hum and he would pray there all by himself. Tom was a man of about forty years old and he was a loner. Standing a

head taller of most folks he was 6 foot 8 inches tall and weighed about 240 lbs.

In all of his forty years he let no one get close to him except for Jinni Jackson, and she walked away from him because he didn't attended the church every Sunday like was expected of them. He just didn't see why the church was the center of everyone's life.

Jinni Jackson was a woman of beauty and she was the center of the church, with her choir and the Sunday school class she had very little time left for anyone. She was a slim woman and shorter than most, only 4 foot 3 inches tall and weighing about 100 lbs. she could wear a child's clothes. But don't let her size fool you. When forced to wag battle for her church she could hold her own against anyone, and usually did.

This morning was no different than any other Sunday morning, the church was full and the music was loud. But there was something in the air and even though everyone felt it, no body said a word. It was like they were waiting for the bomb to drop. If only everyone was there, Jinni wanted for Tom Peterson to come in. But she knew that he wouldn't, he didn't believe the ways of their church.

When the service was over everyone started to leave, and when the deacon went to open the door to let everyone out he couldn't. It was as if someone was holding the door closed. So he went to open the back door and again the door wouldn't open, and he tried the windows but none of them would open up. Everyone started to panic now, they were crying and praying and screaming to be let out. But there was no way they could see to get out of the church.

Just then they heard Tom Peterson screaming for someone to get away and to leave the town alone. But they couldn't see what was happening. Tom was running around the church screaming over and over again "Leave them alone". It was only their imagination of what could be happening.

Soon it got quite and they tried the door of the church again and this time it opened. And what they saw mad their blood run cold. There was Tom Peterson sitting on top of what looked like a wild animal and the thing was what appeared to be dead.

The pastor of the church walked up to Tom and asked him what had happened. And Toms reply was terrifying.

"Well it's like this Pastor, All this time those prayers you guys have been saying in Hebrew. Well they were prayers to Satan. And God told

me to stand and watch for him and when he came to ground him under my heel, like Jesus had done when here on earth. And so today he came and I saw the thing coming over the hill. When God sealed the door to the church I went to work. There was no way he was get you, God and myself wouldn't hear of it. God wouldn't let your ignorance of what you were doing harm you, so he used me to stand guard and watch. It's over now, Pastor but do be careful about what you pick up and teach, The Lord protected you this time through me, But what if I had been in there with you?"

All this time the town was condemning Tom and the whole time he was to save them from themselves. Jinni and Tom got married the next year in the church which now reads and teaches only from the word of God.

MORAL OF THE STORY||

The words of God are the only teaching needed and if you follow every word therefore you will not and can not be led astray.

Scripture's to support this story's moral

1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer [4] nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. [5] The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [6] Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. [7] They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, [4] he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions [5] and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. [2] Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. [3] And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. [4] The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [5] For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.