By Margaret Knight 

       In March 2020, I worked night shifts in a Covid field hospital. We were asked to support a local hospital in Italy that was dangerously overcapacity. We had four wards and one intensive care unit (ICU), all of which were in tents spread across a parking lot. In the ICU, the patients were very sick. Most of them required almost the maximum amount of oxygen that we could provide. It was a constant battle just to keep these patients alive. 

       It seemed that almost every morning between 0300-0500, ‘something’ unplanned would happen. Over the month that I was there, we had the tent fall (partially deflate), almost collapsing on patients as they tried to sleep, freezing temperatures, power outages, equipment failures, you name it… We expected there to be bumps in the road, but for our small night shift crew, we seemed to have an endless barrage of problems to navigate. 

      One morning, shortly after I walked into the ICU section of the hospital, the oxygen supply to one-half of the ICU failed. I remember thinking, “Oh no, this is bad.” Without the oxygen supply, the ventilators also failed, so the team provided ventilation by hand using bag valve masks (BVMs). While this did allow the patients to breathe, without working oxygen we were only giving them 21% oxygen (the amount in ambient air) vs the almost 100% they were getting before. I remember feeling anxiety rise as we scrambled to try and figure out what to do. Connections were checked, and phone calls were made, all the while keeping a close eye on the patients. I remember thinking, “If we don’t get the oxygen working these patients will die in front of us. After all, they have been through… to die like this?!” Then all of a sudden, a loud deep voice from one of the doctors broke through the noise of the chaos. In the middle of the room, he stated, “Everyone stop! I don’t know what’s going on, but we need to pray right now!” I don’t remember the words of his prayer, nor was it very long, but I believe what he did saved those patients’ lives. I vividly remember fear shifting and hope rising up. The shift in feeling from, “I don’t know what to do, these people are going to die, too God’s got this…somehow”. Sure enough, within a few minutes, the oxygen supply was re-established and it was as if nothing had happened. All the patients were still alive, with no major setbacks. To me, this is one small example of how we as Christians have the power to cancel the devil’s assignment. The person in this story wasn’t a pastor or a preacher, he was a doctor who recognized the enemy’s attempt to create chaos and destruction and he took authority in the name of Jesus. 

       Rom 8:38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

       You may not be dealing with life-and-death situations like working in healthcare, but you can do what the doctor did. Whatever the devil’s assignment is in your case, it must be broken off and prayed against. Maybe Satan’s assignment in your life looks like depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, sickness or grief in either your life or someone close to you. Nothing is too big or small for God. Rom 8:11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. 

       2 Cor. 10:4. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. What are God’s weapons? A few that come to mind are prayer, worship, fasting, the armour of God, communion and the declaration of scripture. Romans 8 says that the same power that was in Jesus lives in us. You have what it takes to rise up and slay the giants in your life through Jesus. Rom. 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 

      Instead of accepting these labels as part of who we are, let’s face those giants with God. Let’s talk to Him about it. Let’s get real with God so He can show up in His power. Transformation isn’t an event, it’s a lifestyle. Some giants you slay once and they stay dead, others are deeply woven into our lives and require grit to overcome them. You have that grit! Don’t let the enemy fool you into thinking you are not tough enough, because with Jesus all things are possible (Phil 4:16). So my question is… in what areas of your life does the devil have an assignment over you? God wants you to rise up, take authority, and cancel it!