Battles Of The Spiritual Kind

I was chatting with our good friend Caralyn at Beauty Beyond Bones this evening regarding her post tonight about her spiritual battle outside Planned Parenthood in NYC.  I highly recommend you read the post as it will compliment this post–plus she is a cool sister in Christ who loves Jesus with a big heart!  What she experienced on Saturday reminded me of a spiritual battle I had back in February of 2018 just a month before I published my testimony.  I want to share what I wrote to my neighbors via Nextdoor.com.  The police also posted it on their Nextdoor page, which was awesome.  Keep in mind, this happened at a time when God was really working on my heart and calling me to write my testimony, which became “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life” published on 3-30-18 on Amazon.

Here is the message I wrote warning my neighbors about the violent man I had an encounter with on 2-27-18.

Message on Nextdoor written 2-28-18:

“Hello Neighbors, I wanted to take a minute to warn everyone about a strange and aggressive encounter I had at the Hilltop 7-11 gas station yesterday.  My wife and I have lived here for almost 12 years, and I have never had anything like this happen before.  My wife is a well known and respected teacher in the community as well, and this has always been a peaceful place for our family. 

I had picked up my kids from school and I stopped at the Hilltop 7-11 for gas.  It was just about 4:00 on the nose and it was packed as usual.  Every pump was being used, so I circled around a couple times and waited.  When the next spot opened, I pulled in.  There was a man who had just pulled into the lot who had circled around and I guess he thought I took his spot even though I had been waiting in the lot before him.  My 7 year old son says, “Daddy, that guy looks mad.”  When I looked up as I was getting out of my truck, I saw this angry looking guy staring at me.  I just ignored him and started getting the gas pump.

As he circled in front of my truck he yelled “F*** you!!!” at me.  He was only a few feet from me.  I was pretty shocked because this is my neighborhood and I go to that gas station all the time and I couldn’t feel safer.  I turned towards him and stepped a couple steps towards his car and said, “What did you say?  I have my kids in the truck man!”  He started mouthing off about the pump, and I said, “Hey man, I was here first fair and square.”  Then the guy says, “Don’t get in my face!” “Don’t get in your face?!” I said, “you are the one cussing at me man!”, to which he replied, “F*** you, I’ll kick your a**!”

I remembered Scripture at that point in Proverbs where it says, “A harsh word stirs up anger, but a gentle answer turns away wrath,” so I listened to God even though I was fuming mad, and I just kept my mouth shut and let him have his last angry word.  I stood my ground the entire time and he never saw my back.  My gas was still going at this point and I didn’t know what the guy was going to do, so I prepared to defend myself.  I locked the doors to my truck for the kids, and my adrenaline was peaking.  Kind of felt like being at the top of a huge run on my snowboard.  Massive butterflies and I was ready. 

Let me just say that I absolutely hate violence, but folks, this is OUR neighborhood and OUR community!  I grew up near Federal Blvd. in Littleton and spent High School near Chicago.  Don’t ever let anybody try to intimidate you here or anywhere else!  These are OUR homes, OUR streets, OUR schools, and WE are the ones raising OUR kids here!  We are the ones who support and pray for our police officers too! 

Just so you know, I am not some tough guy looking for trouble.  I am not that guy at all, but I am not going to be threatened or bullied and I will fight back.  I grew up playing ice hockey, so I can take a hit and give one when needed.  I love snowboarding, I love the Lord Jesus, I have a peace sign on my truck, and I just want to be left alone.  I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (no sob story here, just for a visual) in 2012 and it messed me up bad.  I am 6’1″ tall and only weigh around 140 pounds now.  I use to weigh around 160.  I am a very skinny sickly looking dude, but I manage in God’s grace.

The guy who was harassing and threatening me had a beanie, dark sun glasses, and a biker guy beard that was braided at his chin.  He looked to be about mid 50s and his beard was dark with a mix of grey.  He was driving a white sedan, maybe a Ford.  I didn’t get the make and model or the plates because I had tunnel vision on the threat and kept my eyes on the guy.  Adrenaline does that during fight or flight mode.

He circled around to the far pump and got out of his car.  He never came over to me.  He looked to be about 6 feet 180 pounds with a muscular biker guy build.  He thought he was real tough with his beard and his biker guy look.  I called the police when I got home and they will be looking for him.  You can’t just threaten to attack someone and get away with it.  What makes me the most angry is that the guy did that when my kids were in the truck!  He didn’t scare me (he’s just another coward Goliath ready to be defeated by one of God’s children), but he scared my young daughter and son, and that is why I am writing this even though my wife said let it go.  I am letting it go by putting out a warning regarding this violent man.

If you know this guy or you have seen him, call the police.  They want to talk to him.  Again, he is about mid 50s, 6 feet tall, 180 pound muscular build, with a dark and grey beard that is braided at the chin.  Looks just like a typical biker gang guy.  Drives a newer model white sedan with shape like a Ford.  I guess he thought he could mouth off to some skinny guy that looks weak, and he was pretty shocked when I wasn’t scared of him.  He didn’t know what to do and he never came over to me either.

I will be 40 this year. I have suffered Celiac Disease for 6 years, I survived torturous anaphylactic shock on 4-28-12, and I grew up in schools filled with violent gang members.  I was even stabbed in the chest with a good ol’ #2 pencil in High School.  Not much scares me anymore…except for the occasional giant wolf spider that gets in the garage! 🙂  Be safe out there my fellow neighbors and remember to stand up for yourself and each other and always always always protect your kids!

I told the police officer that I am sick of all of this violence and craziness.  People have lost their minds like its the end times or something.  It wasn’t until I got home that I thought what if that guy had a gun?  You just never know anymore!  People get shot for a lot less these days.  I pray the cops find the guy before he really does hurt someone.  It really makes me mad that he scared my kids.  I also told the police officer that if he had gotten out of his car and come at me, I would have defended myself and my kids like a lion.  The officer agreed, and said he was glad it didn’t come to that.  I said me too.  God bless you all!  Don’t ever live in fear!  Fear of man proves to be a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be kept safe.”

It was so cool that our town police forwarded that message to the whole town on their Nextdoor page!  The evil one did not want me writing my book, but what the evil one intended for evil, the Lord turned around for good and I ended up preaching to our entire town!  Praise God!

What happened to Caralyn on Saturday was definitely an attack from the evil one and so was that guy cussing at me while my kids were in the truck.  Like I told Caralyn, when you follow Jesus and decide to truly live for him, you will experience resistance.  Her example and my example are just two in a long list of spiritual battles Christians go through.  There are many more examples in my life and they are all testimonies of how God delivered me and gave me victory over it all!  The guy coming at me with the knife in Denver and the angel rescuing me is a big one!

Those who belong to Jesus are covered and protected by His blood and no weapon formed against us shall prosper.  Even in the heat of battle, we must stand strong.  Even if we are attacked, or hurt, or even killed, we know that we will be with Jesus forever and we keep our eyes fixed solely on Him.

To my friend and sister in Christ Caralyn: Well done praying outside the abortion building called Planned Parenthood!  Your courage is inspiring!  You stood your ground in the courage, grace, and love of Jesus!  I’m so sorry you had to deal with that stinky bird freaking out and flapping around in your hair.  What a day!  Thank God we have overcome the world through Jesus and He gives us the victory!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Jesus speaking in John 16:33

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.”

Jesus speaking in John 15:18-19

“…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

1 John 3:8

Don’t ever be afraid brothers and sisters!  Be strong and courageous!  The world will hate us when we follow Jesus, but we press on!  Set your face like flint and take up the sword of the Spirit!  Keep fighting the good fight until your very last breath!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Ephesians 6:10-12

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus speaking in Acts 1:8

Grace and peace to you all!

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2023 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved. View all posts by Ryan Callahan