This story is not in my own words, but it's from my husband's little booklet Golden Nuggets from the Streams of Life, Chapter 7:"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dog?". Rejoicing in another example of God's protection!
My fellow insurance agent had just sent me a notic of transfer. When he described the location, I thought I knew where he was talking about. It was my responsibility to find the people and talk to them before I accepted the transfer.
I left the office to find them and soon discovered that I had not listened very well. I went to the area I thought he was talking about, but it did not look like what he had described. I drove around a little while and decided I would ask someone if they knew the people I was hunting.
He had described a very long drive, but I thought he said it was dirt. There was a very long drive, but it was paved. It wound back around in some trees so that I could not see the house from the road. I thought to myself, "If this isn't it maybe they'll know them so I'll try it anyway."
The long drive ended in a fairly large parking area next to a very large house. I knew this wasn't the place, but I was determined to meet the people at this house. My last thought as I was getting out of the car was, "I hope I don't get eaten up." The thought that there was a real possibility of a guard dog at a house like this proved to be accurate.
I was probably 120 feet from the front door. The front porch and door were recessed. I walked toward the door down a long sidewalk. About 15 feet from the front door, I could see around the corner of the recess. As I stepped a step or two closer, there sat the biggest Doberman pinscher I had ever seen.
The moment he saw me, he came down off the porch toward me growling, barking, and gnarling his teeth. I knew enough about animals to know that I could not run. I would have to face him off and slowly work my way back to the car.
Being a Spirit-filled Christian, I would like to say I was full of faith, but the facts are, I was terrified. I knew I could use Jesus' name, so I said shaking, "In-n-n Je-Je-sus' name get back on the porch." I said it twice - scared to death! It seemed only to make him madder.
Then I remembered how the associate pastor of the church I had come from had been on an evangelistic visit when he was approached by a bad dog. He began to sing a praise song to the Lord. The dog quieted down and left him alone. I decided to try that, but evidently the dog didn't like my singing. It didn't worked either.
Fear gripped me and my mind was besieged by gruesome thoughts. I could see an ambulance pulling up in tat driveway with paramedics putting me on a gurney, a piece at a time. All I could do was to face him and take tiny side steps. Each time I moved, he gnarled and moved closer to me. After a few minutes of getting practically nowhere, I began to feel like it was futile. It looked like I would be standing there until someone came home and rescued me or the dog got me - one or the other.
But then deep from within, there were other thoughts that began to come. I began to see that dog as an enemy and that God had promised deliverance from our enemies. I thought of Psalm 91 and others. As I began to think about and meditate on His word, I could feel faith rising within me. As the faith rose from my spirit man, I could feel the fear literally leave my body. I looked at that dog, pointed my finger at its face (maybe not a good idea), and said, "In the name of Jesus, you shut up and get back on that porch!"
The dog stopped barking immediately, backed up about 10 fet, and sat down. It felt so good, I did it again. This time he backed up to the middle of the front yard and sat down again. Evidently he didn't know what a porch was, but he never barked again. I casually strolled to my car and got in.
Safely in the car, I inquired of the Lord, "Why didn't it work the first time that I used Your name?" The Lord spoke and said, "The first time you used my name in fear. My name is not a magic formula. Many people say 'in Jesus' name this' and 'in Jesus' name that,' but they take my name lightly. The authority comes when you exercise my name in faith. To use my name without faith is to take my name in vain."
I have shared this story many times. It was an experience that taught me much about God's word bringing faith and His word delivering us from fear. The Psalmist said, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." If there are fears in your life about certain situations, begin to meditate and confess God's word. Faith will rise within you and fear will leave. His name is a stong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe. ~ Herb Dean
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