Lime Green Tennis Balls

This week I have been sorting through some of the over 1250 articles I have written for my blog.  In the process I came across this one written in 2012, and decided to re-share it with you readers.  

In the dream I was sitting in my home church sanctuary, which was quite large. Behind me was a big balcony. While in the pew, probably the 5^th pew from the front on the left side where we always sat as a family, I kept getting hit with tennis balls. Lime green ones. I kept looking around to see where they were coming from but could not see anyone throwing them. Finally I asked aloud, "WHERE are these tennis balls coming from??" A voice answered, "Satan". I looking up behind me as another one came down and hit its target~ ouch! While glancing over my shoulder I also noticed that many of the tennis balls never made it down to me, but were stuck in mid-air!

In my sleep I immediately thought, "I really need to change this dream".....so as the tennis balls were reigning down on me, I heard myself say, "Satan, in the name of Jesus and by the authority given to me as a believer who is 1/3 wall to wall Holy Ghost, I command you leave this sanctuary! You cannot stay here!" Of course he left. He has to!

I awakened from the dream and as I lay in bed, I started pondering the meaning of it. Very quickly I heard a voice inside me saying, "YOU are the temple of God, YOU are the sanctuary of God and Satan has no authority over you. A light bulb moment ~ the sanctuary in the dream was actually me.

“You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you?

No one will get away with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that.

God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.”

I Corth 3: 16,17

The Message

I continued to lay quietly in bed and ponder the tennis balls. Satan was hitting me with tennis balls....hmmm What does that mean? First of all, tennis balls are not rocks! They can hurt but not really harm me. They certainly cannot kill me! Even if they could,  death has no lasting power because we have eternal life!!! AND all those balls stuck in the air?? I realized that they were the ones that God kept from reaching me. I was protected from many of Satan's "fiery arrows" that came in the form of lime green tennis balls!!

The Lord was taking care of me even when I did not know I needed it! God is always watching over us. I fell back to sleep thanking the Lord for his protection, thanking Him for giving us the Holy Spirit within and the believer's authority to tell Satan to take a hike. Thanking Him that Satan has NO authority and runs from the name of Jesus. Thanking God that I am being pelted by tennis balls and not rocks.

Lime green tennis balls? Who would have thought I would find comfort in such a thing....but I did. God can use all things for our good, even a dream about tennis balls!

** Much has happened since this dream eight years ago.  There have been more of those lime green objects tossed my way and I would say a few rocks too.  In fact, I would venture to guess that in 2020 we have all had more than a few tennis balls thrown our way, finding their target in the process.  But God is aware of every one of them.  And His Word still holds true.  It may be wise to carry around a tennis racket to return those balls to the sender!  We can do so as we speak to our mountains and remember, we are His sanctuary.  His temple.  His child.  And 1/3 wall to wall Holy Ghost.