Once upon a time there was a lovely young girl who had acquired a bad case of allergies. The girl’s parents loaded her up into the car and drove her to see an allergist. Through investigation, the allergist determined the girl was allergic to dust, mold, animals, grass, you name it, and a polyp was beginning to form inside her nasal passage and surgery would be required to remove it.

Fast forward approximately 26 years later.

It’s always been in the back of my mind that I might eventually need nasal surgery of some sort to remove “the polyp,” the one in which others would repeatedly remind me of every time I sniffed, or sneezed, or came down with a sinus infection. The phrase, “You’re probably full of it,” was used regularly when they commented on my nasal condition.

Now, I didn’t feel there was a problem. I was active, I could breathe well, and sinus infections were few and far between. Restoring furniture and home remodeling were two things I enjoyed on a regular basis, and I was none too cautious when sanding down various pieces of furniture or ripping up dusty old carpet. I didn’t need a mask; or so I thought.  I learned how to pray and whenever I felt anything resembling a cold or sinus infection coming on, I would combat it and it would leave immediately.

My husband and I, and our three children moved down South in 2015 to a place where bright yellow pollen covers the land like snow each spring, and not once did I have any breathing issues. However, every time we would drive to church, my attention was always drawn to the ENT sign for the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Allergy specialists in our area. The thought would pop into my head, “Hey, I could go there if I ever need to.” Now God tends to speak to me in this way a lot. When things jump out at me like that, it’s usually for a reason and I know enough to pay attention. There’s information there that I may need down the road. So I tucked it away and kept on going with everyday life.

This past October, the kids and I travelled up north to visit my parents and three days before we were to leave I felt trouble brewing in my sinuses. I began to pray against it, but to my surprise it didn’t leave. Two days after returning home, I had a full blown sinus infection. I asked the Lord what was going on and why it wasn’t leaving, and then I went to the doctor to get a round of antibiotics. I knew via Holy Spirit that the pills weren’t going to work, but I hoped that I had heard wrong and continued taking the medication. I’ve talked with others who were surprised that Holy Spirit would say something like that, but you can be sure He’ll tell you straight forward what’s up so you’ll know what’s coming, so you don’t get into fear (when you really know God knows, it’s a lot easier to deal with), and so you’ll seek Him for what He wants you to do next. I asked Him what to do and His reply was, “It’s time to go in and deal with it now.” I knew immediately what He was talking about. It was time for surgery. He had been speaking to me along through the sign, and in other various ways.

 I scheduled an appointment immediately and they confirmed the negative word that had been spoken over me for years – I was indeed “full of it.” The whole right side of my face was completely full of polyps and other assorted yuck, and I would indeed need surgery to remove it all.

Holy Spirit wasn’t finished talking to me about this situation however. Now you see my life has been like one big prophecy after another. It’s as if I go through it first, and then it happens to others. It may not always be a physical rendition, but a spiritual one.

I am a dreamer, and when I dream of a having a stuffy nose, I know that my discernment is off. My nose represents my ability to discern. Holy Spirit began to show me that all blockages that have hindered my discernment are being removed and I will be able to discern with a greater clarity than ever before. Double clarity on top of that! One night I dreamed I had another nose growing and developing above my other nose. I saw the nostrils forming, and I knew that the surgery I was to undergo would increase my capacity to discern twofold. This is not only good news for me, but I believe it is good news for the body of Christ as well.

The Lord continued to show me how He’s enabling His body to properly distinguish between the people and the demons that are hanging on them. Back in the Old Testament, in order to rid the land of the enemy, God’s people had to physically remove those who were being used by the enemy. Since Jesus was crucified, raised from the dead, and seated with Christ, He has given us power and authority over the enemy, so we can now deal with the spirits operating in the background without harming the individual.  It’s with this ability that the body of Christ becomes as sharp shooters, able to pick off the enemy at long distances without hitting the person. This in turn causes less damage, as we are not accidentally hitting and wounding the people as we attempt to deal with the issues at hand. We are able to clearly see and identify the enemy, and deal with him appropriately while we gently care for the people who are under attack.

Back to the nose job for a moment – last Friday, January 10^th, I went in for sinus surgery. I was amazed at how God had orchestrated everything. His presence was heavy and I could feel His watchful eyes upon me at all times. His angels were round about me, and I was one hundred percent at peace and full of joy (that’s another great thing about really knowing “God said.” The peace and joy are incredible). The anesthesiologist all of a sudden had a look in her eye, and I knew God was speaking to her. “Can I pray for you?” she asked. She and a few of the other ladies assigned to me gathered around my bed and prayed over me. How amazing is that?! The surgery went well, but the next night something didn’t look quite right (I’ll spare you the details), and so I went to the Emergency Room where I stayed until 3 AM.

I wasn’t surprised because the enemy has tried on numerous occasions to prevent me from being certain places at certain times, and I was due at church the next day for the induction of our new pastors. This was what I had been praying about for nearly three years. I had watched my prayers answered over and over, and we were at the end of what the Lord had shown me from the beginning. I was so excited and had expressed that I would not miss it for anything. I would make it even if I had to crawl.

The two large plastic splints that were put in during surgery were taken out, my sinuses were vacuumed out, and the doctor announced he would have to put in a “rhino rocket.” A rhino rocket is essentially a tampon for the nose. I call it a torture device as they shove it down your nose and inflate it to stop the bleeding. I cannot express how badly it hurt. Midway through pushing it into my nose the doctor stopped, touched my cheek gently and said, “It’s ok,” and then finished with the last little bit which hurt every bit as much as the first.

Do you remember what I said above about gently caring for the people under attack? This may or may not be a good example, but as the doctor was dealing with my physical attack from the enemy, he paused to show gentleness and compassion. It shocked me, bringing my mind off the pain and torment just long enough that he could effectively continue his job and help me. Instead of seeing the pain he caused me, I only see the compassion and his desire to help me. Dealing with the enemy may cause people pain, but it’s so much easier for them to go through if they know you care. It can be that simple act of compassion, that simple moment of gentleness that gives them the strength to continue on and become free.

I say all this to say that a greater discernment is coming upon the body (at least the part of the body that is associated with me). We will go forth with great compassion, healing and setting people free because we are able to distinguish between the enemy and who God created the people to be. We will understand they are being used, they are under attack, and we will not take things personally and harbor offense. We will clearly see what is going on behind the scenes and take down the enemy without causing wounds to the one we’re helping.

One final thing, pay attention to what is going on around you because God speaks in various ways. New strategies are on the horizon. The way we’ve always done things is over and He’s releasing new strategies to finish this thing. Yes, it appeared to be working in the past, things seemed to be going alright, but under the surface things have been festering and it’s time to deal with them. Get ready. Things are about to change.