As I move down the other side of the ridge, the Shield of Faith is still glowing. I come upon a cave and there is a light coming from inside. I enter the cave and there is an angel standing there. The angel says, “Welcome mighty warrior, highly favored of God. Come in and rest and eat.” This is a large cave there is a pool of water that is being fed by a stream of water coming out of the wall and food cooking on the fire. The angel speaks again, “Please, take your rest. I have been send to you, to refresh you and reward you for the good you have done. Come take off your robe and relax. Enjoy what I have prepared for you, mighty man of God.”
As I begin to sit down, I take a quick glance into the Shield of Faith. The refection of the angel is shown and it is no angel. It is a demon, its true nature revealed by faith. In one swift move, I draw the Sword of the Spirit and pin the demon to the wall with the tip of the sword at its throat. “I command you to reveal who really are.” Immediately, the light fades away and before me stands a creature of darkness. I can see the hate in his eyes and the absolute contempt for me on his face. He dares not move, for the sword still has him pinned and I now have the Shield of Faith between us. I speak again, “Who are you? What is your name?” The demon begins to speak, “I am…” I quickly can tell he is going to try to lie. I press the sword a little harder against his throat and say, “The truth.”
The demon says, “I am one of the spirits of false acceptance and this is my oasis,” Then I say, “You were sent here to deceive me and keep me in this cave.” It answered, “yes.” I say, “This is going to cost you. I command you to go where Jesus would send you.” With that command the demon vanishes. I kick over the food. Then I reach for one of my canteens and pour the water from the River of the Spirit of God into the pool of false acceptance. The ground begins to quake, the rocks in the ceiling begin to fall. I quickly, run out of the cave. The cave collapses into a pile of rubble and dust.
I realize the dawn has come and as the sun rises, I see a large portion of the mountain, all the way up to the ridge, has collapsed. I move clear of the dust and rubble and take time to refresh myself with water from the river and the fruit from my bag.
I climb down the mountain and get back on the trail and quickly move away from the mountain. I stop to catch my breathe, when I hear a rumble and then an explosion. I look back and see the whole mountain is on fire and lava was pouring down its sides. It was going to be a very long time before that place could be used for deception again.
As I walk away, I begin to mediate on all the recent events of this journey. The oases of indifference, procrastination, wealth and false acceptance, I realized were deceptions that I had in my life at some point. I drop to my knees, crying out in repentance. I ask Jesus to forgive me and to wash me and restore righteousness to me.
As I was praying, a cloud appeared in the clear sky and the rain began to fall. It was as refreshing as a spring rain. It washed off all the dirt and grime from where I had been. I immediately begin to praise the Lord for His Love, Forgiveness and Refreshing. Even the earth around me benefited from the shower. All around me there were beautiful flowers. I knew I could not stay there long. I ate and drank and with a new determination, I set out for my next destination.
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