April 7th, 2024
This morning, I asked God what he wanted to say to me and He had me turn to Matthew 7, and I started to read, “Refuse to be a critic full of bias towards others, and you will not be judged. For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you. Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own?” (v. 1 – 3; TPT)
Ever since we moved into our house, the neighbour’s daughter, has chosen to park at least half her vehicle in front of our house, which causes us to park partially in front of our other neighbour’s house. If I am parked in front of our house, she will back in as close as possible to my vehicle, sometimes within inches of my front bumper. This is the fruit she wants us to see, the neighbourhood to see and God to see. You will know the person by their fruit. Just before Easter, I was out front when her mother and her were dropped off by the grandmother, and I asked if she could please pull ahead a little, as no one is parked in front of her, because we had company coming for Easter. Her mother asked her immediately what I had said, and she then commented, “the street is public parking, and they could park anywhere they pleased.” They also responded by parking other vehicles in front of our house and leaving their space in front of their house vacant.
The Message says, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.” I was not wrong in asking my neighbour if she could please pull ahead to allow parking in front of our house. I was not wrong in responding to their “it’s a public street, and we can park anywhere we want too,” with saying, “what comes around, goes around.” Of course, if I were to park in front of their house because they are parked in front of my house, they would come out screaming and shouting, that you can’t park there.
I have often asked God, as I look out the window and they have once again parked inches from my front bumper when no one is parked in front of them, “why?” I hear in my spirit, “you know why. Demonic spirits. They hate you and know this irritates you. The neighbours are showing you their fruit, now pray for them.” As I write this, I glanced down at my bible and this popped off the page, “What is required is serious obedience – doing what my Father wills.” (v. 15; MSG)
Last night as my daughter and I looked out the front window, we talked about this situation. My daughter said, “I hope she gets stretch marks,” as the daughter is pregnant. We both quickly repented, as I confessed that the thought pleased me, but we knew it was wrong. “The measurement you use on them will be used on you.” (v. 2b; TPT) The thought of revenge, or criticism, will have a boomerang affect. You reap what you sow. I don’t want my fruit hanging out for all the street to see, as evil. I park in front of my house, leaving a couple feet for my neighbour to park correctly in front of her house. They have two vehicles, both driven by the daughters, to park in front of their house. We have two vehicles and can park correctly in front of our house, leaving our other neighbour with their front street clear.
Now you might be thinking, this is pretty lame, talking about the public parking space in front of your house. It is not lame to God. Sin is sin. And sin is what happens in your heart. We are told not to judge other people’s hearts, to pray for our enemy, and not do evil for evil. If you can’t be faithful in the small stuff, how are you going to be faithful in the big stuff? “First acknowledge and deal with your own ‘blind spots,’ and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ on your friend.” (v. 5b; TPT) The NIV says, “take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
I tell God I am irritated and frustrated with this issue. For a short while she will park properly and then it starts all over again, parking inches from my front bumper. I do know why, demonic influences. When I lived with my alcoholic husband, I chose to leave, because I grew weary in dealing with demonic influences. My choice here is to either continue to pray over my neighbours or move. When I pray over certain things or write and publish certain things, that is when she starts to park in front of our house again.
I have learned to take authority over demons and keep them off my property. I have angels and hosts standing guard around our property. I commission them to protect me at work, while driving, while shopping, anytime I am off my property. When I lived in an environment that I had to share with someone who invited the demonic in with their sin, it was a constant battle. It is true, that when you cast them out, they bring back their friends. Cast those out, and they bring back more, and they are even more powerful. It’s not that you don’t have the power of authority to cast them out, yet there comes a point where the fierceness and dominion of the demonic is pressing against you so hard, it weakens you to the point of surrender.
The slightest crack in your armour will be attacked. The littlest sinful word of criticism or judgement will be written down and taken into the courtroom of Heaven and a harvest will be demanded. Your harvest will be given to Satan and used against you. God told me the demonic know this irritates me, and they use it, to get me to sin. I can speak the truth, but I cannot judge their heart. I can see the evil fruit, call it as it is, but I have to be careful not to criticize or judge them, because what I sow, I reap.
My job is not to repay evil or evil and to pray for my enemy. I admit I have desired to park in front of their house just for spite. I have wanted to yell, scream, and call them out. And I have repented more than once over this. My job is to be kind, loving, and not do evil to my neighbour. This doesn’t mean I allow evil in my yard or home, to occupy my space, it means I use my authority to hold back evil and do good.
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