It was Bernice, timidly making her way toward the young pastor and his new flock. By the quiet surrender in her eyes, Tal could see she was ready. Soon the angels would be rejoicing…
The General asked with pleasure in his voice, “Shall we be going?”
Tal was looking at Hank when he said, “Just a moment. I want to hear it one more time.”
As they watched, Bernice found her way to Hank and Mary. She began to weep openly, and spoke some quiet but impassioned words to them. Hank and Mary listened, as did the others nearby, and as they listened, they began to smile. They put their arms around her, they told her about Jesus, and then they began to weep as well. Finally, as the saints were gathered and Bernice was surrounded with loving arms, Hank said the words, “Let’s pray…”
—This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti
The above quotation is from one of my husband’s and my favorite Christian novels. In it, the characters go through a major spiritual battle and ultimately come out victorious. Interestingly, much of the story isn’t told from their viewpoint, but from that of the angels. The reader sees the battle between angels and demons, God and Satan. The Christians in the story never see the full scope, but this quotation from the last page gave them a glimpse. They fought a huge battle, and one of the fruits was Bernice’s salvation. I’m working toward a point, not merely reviewing a book.
Think about that person who shared Christ with you. What kind of day do you think they had?
This person, knowingly or not, was being used of God to lead you out of darkness into Light (1 Peter 2:9). Satan hates that!
The devil and his demons don’t know everything. They’re not equal in power to God (who is all-knowing), but I believe they see God working and fight it.
1 Peter 5:8 says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Ephesians 6:11 says we need the armor of God to stand against the devil’s schemes. Satan is a schemer who has been fighting God from the beginning (Genesis 3). Revelation 12:10 says Satan is our accuser. John 8:44 refers to him as the father of lies. This enemy is fighting God as He works in our lives, and that includes those who actively share the Gospel with us.
Think about what God was doing when you were saved. He was softening your heart, bringing truths learned to memory, preparing you to hear and receive the Gospel. And think about what He was doing in the life of the person who shared with you. He was preparing their heart and mind to be ready to evangelize, perhaps bringing Scripture to mind that they would use to share with you.
Satan can’t see and know all God is up to, but I believe he saw you that day, and he saw the person who was going to share with you. I believe he had an idea of what God was brewing and wanted to fight it.
Maybe he put a stumbling block or temptation in that person’s life. Maybe he discouraged them. Maybe he whispered lies to their mind that they struggled not to believe. Maybe he used someone else in their life to disorient them. Maybe they had been through the battle of a lifetime, like the characters in This Present Darkness.
I can just see that person, feeling defeated, and then coming across you. It’s as if the Holy Spirit whispers to their heart, “This is My plan for you right now! Go in victory!” And all the battle-weariness and defeat falls away for the moment. They tell you about Jesus. You listen and believe. You trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary for your salvation (Acts 16:31). You are a child of God, never to be lost again (John 1:12; Luke 15:24)! Angels rejoice (Luke 15:7), and your name, which had been written in Heaven from before the foundation of the world, has a new fulfillment there (Philippians 4:3; Ephesians 1:4).
For the rest of your life, you think of this person who introduced you to Jesus. In your mind, they are a hero, standing ten feet tall! They obeyed the Great Commission and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
What you don’t know is how defeated they felt, how the enemy leveraged their weaknesses against them. How they were close to despairing of life. The Apostle Paul shared that about his experience during ministry in 2 Corinthians 1:8: …that we were pressed beyond measure, beyond strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.
Years ago, in my early 20s, I was in a very deep depression. A man I had planned to marry had betrayed me and in doing so had broken my heart, spirit, and mind. The Christian community around us at the time took his side, and I was left in the gutter (so to speak), despised. I woke up every day asking God to take me home to Heaven before the day was over, because life hurt more than death. No one understood. My chest was heavy all the time, and it never let up. I felt alone. Any time another person wasn’t in earshot, I was crying.
Satan threw all kinds of fiery darts at me. One particular day I got a gossipy letter about this ex-boyfriend that really hit my weakest point. Another day I received a Christian magazine featuring a story about him and how great he supposedly was. Those things put me in the lowest of low places, and I struggled with suicide. I needed the armor of God deeply and had to believe God over the defeat around me.
In the midst of this, I was leading a group of summer missionaries doing 5-day Bible clubs. One girl on the team, Heather, was enthusiastic and fun, and I loved having her. What I had no idea about at the time was that she wasn’t saved. She thought she was. She was a member of a good church, but she had never understood the Gospel for herself. Through doing a 5-day club and sharing the Gospel, she received Christ as her own Savior. As the truth dawned on her, she began to cry, and the kids in the club began to cry. Several received Christ that day, and as Heather led them to Him, she led herself to Him too. I just thought, “Wow, she’s passionate.” But she was actually getting saved. I was in charge of that team and was involved deeply in her early discipleship as a new Christian and future missionary.
Satan hated what was happening. I didn’t even know what was happening until much later. But now, seeing that battle and victory in Heather’s life, is it any wonder Satan was attacking me so strongly then? Is it any wonder I was pressured to the point of despairing of life? I went through tons of battles that summer, but it was all worth it for Heather to know Christ, and for her to have the thriving family and ministry she now has. I had no idea what God was doing. No one looking at me knew my internal battles either.
That was long ago, and God has long since brought healing to my heart over that situation. I am eternally grateful I didn’t marry that past boyfriend. Walter is perfect for me and the one God had for me all along. All the same, that was a hard season, though long gone. But new situations arise.
I’m going to be open here. The first half of 2026 was a nightmare for me. I had to be very careful what I said at the time, and I am still going to be careful, but I want to share my story. Names will not be used, nor will revealing details. This is my story, told honestly from my perspective. This is how I experienced it, but I am not attempting to assign motives or expose anyone.
I had been in a situation where I impacted some children with the Gospel. Over the course of two years, thirteen professed saving faith and really grew spiritually and showed evidence of salvation. Several were baptized at their churches after their salvation, and I was invited to watch! A few different parents thanked me for sharing the Gospel with their children. I continue to have wonderful relationships with most of these families.
All was not well with everyone. One family accused me of harming their child by teaching him about Jesus—claiming my influence was so dangerous it could lead to serious harm. They even suggested I was creating some kind of widespread risk among the children by encouraging them to love God. The way they said it, the tone, the finger-pointing—it was humiliating and ugly. Some of what they said was even meaner than I can bring myself to repeat here. A lot of it felt like mockery to me.
By itself, this confrontation led to weeks of regular nightmares and total humiliation. But it didn’t stop there.
A series of events led to me falling from favor in that ministry setting. I was confronted about how I had handled the situation, and the feedback I received felt far heavier than the situation warranted. I believe I was held accountable beyond what my responsibility was. I addressed the concerns raised against me with clarity, logic, and evidence. I honestly believe the truth was on my side. In the end, I lost my place in that particular ministry.
The remaining time was marked by distance and silence from those in leadership. My son also felt the rejection. It has taken a summer of therapy for me even to be able to write this much. Our whole family was wounded. If I’m being completely honest, I’m still limping spiritually.
God always has a place for us to land, and He provided one. We are well and even thriving now. But the cost was real.
Those thirteen children who placed their eternal hope in Christ alone are worth what happened. Just like Heather years ago, I know eternity is worth it. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
We are fighting a battle when we win souls for the kingdom. We have an enemy. Pray for those who share the Gospel. And as you share, put on the armor of God! Remember, as Elisha pointed out in 2 Kings 6:16, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” In that instance, the enemy was coming to attack God’s people, and Elisha’s servant was terrified, but Elisha spoke the truth, and then he prayed that God would open the servant’s eyes, and He did! The servant saw chariots of fire—God’s warriors, fighting for His people! That is true for us today. There are more with us than with our enemies.
One final reminder. Fellow Christians are not our enemies, even if the real enemy uses us against each other. Others who know Jesus are worthy of our forgiveness and love, no matter what. Being close may not be possible, but forgiveness is. Even non-Christian humans are not our enemies. Ephesians 6:12 says that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. Look at the real battle, and cling to the Savior who defeated him.
