"I feel like a baby in my faith. I'm just starting to learn to pray again and you're talking about spiritual warfare. I'm not ready for this! I'm not you Elon. I don't understand any of this! I don't understand why God is exposing me to all of this! I'm not ready!"
I pulled her close to me and hugged her for a long moment and then I began to speak into her hair near her ear as she pressed her face against my chest, "Contrary to popular Christian belief, God does give us more than we can handle sometimes. People take that verse out of context too much. It is God's prerogative to test us, even overwhelm us at times, but the answer is still found in Him. He's promised to be there for us when life becomes too much for us to handle. That's a promise you can stand on. And it's really not about you being or doing anything special. It's all about letting go and letting God have His way through you in this coming spiritual struggle. You have no power of your own. It's only through the blood of Jesus that we have been given authority over the powers of this world. So why is God exposing you to all of this so soon, when you're admittedly not ready for it? I think the best answer is because He wants you to grow up spiritually and the way to do that is to learn to put your trust in Him. He is the way the truth and the life. He doesn't want you to take faith in how capable a person you are, but rather He wants you to rest in the calm surety that He's there all the time ready to do the impossible on behalf of you and others. You need relationship Maria, with your Heavenly Father and it's through experiences like this that build the faith that establishes the trust needed for true relationship. There is nothing to fear in this coming struggle if, you first, put forward the name of Jesus by whom you have been given authority by. There is no dark power that can overcome the Spirit of God's presence within the holy temple of your body. Through the power of God working within you are more than ready for the fight ahead of us."
She leaned her head back from me and regarded me for a moment with those mysterious eyes of hers.
Slowly she nodded and I stepped back, even as I claimed her hand again and said, "Come on we're going to miss lunch."
The big wrought-iron gate was before us already open. Beyond it gave way to the open courtyard of the expansive villa. I absolutely loved what had been done with the villa's landscape, but I glossed over my enjoyment of the surroundings too consumed with what was to come.