Passion

As usual I really enjoyed worshipping together with other believers yesterday. The worship was quite powerful and the message very pointed. The brother spoke from I Corinthians where it says that when we meet together everyone should have something to share, and thus edify the body of Christ. However, he went a direction that I did not expect. He said that for that to be possible we must be spending that time investing in our relationship with God. If not, we will not have anything to share when we meet together. He went on to speak about the importance of our time spent with God, passion for God, reading the Word, and praying. This is an area where I have made progress in the last months, but still lack much in the way of discipline, especially when it comes to prayer. I have really enjoyed reading the Word; it has come alive for me.
As another preacher said recently, "If we don't have passion for God, we will not have passion for the lost." How true. It is very humbly to take an honest look at myself and realize where my passions lie. Too often I am more passionate about things other than my relationship with God. Where do put my energies and what do I spend my time thinking about?
Think about it!

Faith

I think that, perhaps, in a previous blog I have written about faith, but it has been on my heart again recently, so here goes. It has been revealed to me, once again, that having faith and trusting God is an incredibly freeing thing. This has been on my mind as we look toward the future, after we end our term here with MCC in July 2010. My human, westernized, inclination is to try to “figure it all out”. What am I going to do, how are we going to make a living, etc. However, I have heard very clearly from the Lord, a couple of times, that he is asking me to trust him. The amazing part to me is that, instead of feeling more stressed about not knowing how things are going to work, I feel free. I know that He has an incredible plan for my life and I know that all the resources in the world are his. Why in the world would I have any reason to doubt that he will take care of us? I am excited to see what it is exactly that he has in store for us, but I am at peace waiting on his timing.

Que el Señor les bendiga grandemente!

Another lesson in rights

Just when I think that I have a good perspective on the things that are "mine" God sends another test my way to see just how tightly I am holding onto my possessions. On Saturday, as I was enjoying an hour away eating breakfast with my lovely wife, the jeep was broken into and the radio and a set of sockets were stolen. This happened on a busy street with lots of foot traffic. I never even dreamed that something like that would happen in that location. Anyhow, as in the past when various other small things have been expropriated, I was challenged, once again, to realize that all of the "things" that I like to think are mine, are really God's things. I can quickly judge just how tightly I am holding onto those things by my reaction when I found out that they have been taken. Do I rejoice or am I infuriated that someone would dare to do such a thing? Well, I wouldn't say that I rejoiced, but am happy to say that I have found that I can have peace even in such circumstances.
Here is the rest of the story: We had parked almost directly in front of an internet cafe where a friend works. We went in and said hi then walked 50' down the street to eat. A bit later the friend looked out and saw that someone was in the jeep so he said, "hey, isn't this steve's jeep". The kid said that it was someone elses and so, since he didn't see us anywhere, our friend went back inside to work. We returned to the jeep a bit later and quickly realized what had happened. I started it up to leave and, being that the power wire for the now nonexistent radion was shorted out inside, melted all the wires together that went to the positive battery terminal. After a quick "farmer fix" another friend accompanied me to our favorite electrician and he had it all fixed up before lunch.
On a side note, when I bought the jeep the ignition was so worn that any key in the world would start it. It was on my list of things to fix until a couple weeks ago a friend came to work and said that he had a dream that the jeep was stolen. Within a couple days I went and had the ignition replaced. What would have happened if I had not had it replaced? Who knows, but I firmly believe that God speaks to us in many different ways.

The Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and give you peace."

Unknown destination

Every time that I reread "the faith chapter" (Hebrews 11) I am struck by the incredible faith represented in each of their lives.
I am excited, as I look ahead to the next chapter of our lives, to see where God is going to take us. It appears, at this point, that the physical location will be back in PA, but I am more interested in where He is going to take us spiritually. What opportunities are we going to have to minister to the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans, etc? I find a tremendous in knowing that if we follow him wherever He leads we cannot possibly go wrong.

Fear

I realize it has been a long time since I have written anything, but this does not mean that God has not been doing anything in my life! Actually there have been a number of things going on, and I simply have not had the energy to try to put my thoughts together in coherent sentences.

God has been showing me recently how much of a problem fear is in my life. I have, for as long as I can remember, had trouble speaking up, making phone calls, going new places, meeting new people, etc. Recently we were listening to a tape of a message that we had heard a number of years back regarding "the Father's love". I was struck particularly by the verse from 1 John 4 that says, "Perfect love drives out all fear". In other words if I am comfortable with the Father's love I will not have any fear. If I know who I am in the Father, and realize deep in my heart, that He has made me just the way He wanted, and that He loves me just the way He has made me, I will not be bound by fear of man. I think I lay awake for a good part of that night repeating that verse over and over again, and basking in the peace and freedom that I felt with the realization that I do not need to live in fear of what others may think of me.
I am glad to say that since that night, a few weeks ago, I have been able to step out and do some things that I would have struggled to do before, and as I take those steps I enjoy an even greater release from fear.
I want to challenge you to honestly analyze your life to see whether fear may be keeping you from not only doing things that enjoy, but more importantly, keeping you from being obedient to God. Fight against that fear. Do not accept it! It is not from God! HE LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE! Why should you fear what ANYONE may think.

Blessings and Peace

Kingdoms

Here in Nicaragua there is always some kind of real news happening, often involving the government, that probably does not get any coverage outside of this country. Honduras has made the international news recently with its political machinations, but what has been going on here is probably just as newsworthy.
Thinking about this, and whether it was worthwhile writing about some of these things so that family and friends in other parts of the world could be informed, I was struck by the thought that all of the kingdoms of this world are the same. They (politicians) are all in it for the power and the glory. Even if they enter the political arena with pure ambitions they soon give in to greed, corruption, and the lust for more power.
From the, now-deposed, would-be dictator in Honduras, to the current president/dictator her in Nicaragua, and even to our own infanticide-supporting president of the USA, none of them is really interested in justice.
Why did Jesus say that His kingdom is not of this world? He had little interest in what the earthly kingdoms were doing. He was, and still is, more interested in establishing a heavenly kingdom.
What should this tell us? The church should not be spending its time trying to build righteous earthly kingdoms, but rather focus its energy on the heavenly kingdom. Rather than attending political rallies and protests, and arguing over whether a pro-war president is better than a baby-killing president; we should be proclaiming Jesus Christ and His kingdom. And, yes, He did command us to pray for our leaders!

Update from life

As you have probably noticed, I have not written anything in quite some time. Obviously, this is not because nothing has been happening in our lives. I have been up to my eyeballs in work for the past few weeks and, of course, the boys keep me hopping when I am at home.
Anyhow, I wanted to share a bit of some of the things that God has been lately. As I shared some time ago, we have decided not to return to the church that we had been attending previously. Not really relishing the prospect of looking for a new church home, we had been putting it off. Finally, this past Sunday my wonderful wife encouraged me that we should stop making excuses and go to the morning service of a church down the street. I had to admit to myself that all of the "good" reasons that I had for not going were really just excuses. So we went, and wow did it feel good to be back in a gathering of fellow believers to worship together and hear the Word. We (actually Colleen) noticed that, contrary to the norm in the churches here, there were quite a few couples and men in the church. Additionally, we enjoyed the message about the importance of being purposeful about the spiritual instruction of our children. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and will definitely return to the church.
I would like to share a bit more about the theme of marriages and families. We can see that the enemy loves to attack marriages and families. In our own lives he has been hard at work as well. I would like to say that he is never successful in his schemes, but that would not be true. However, I am happy to say that in the past weeks Our Loving Father has been at work revealing the lies of the enemy and restoring brokenness.
Our devotional for this morning was based on Psalm 50:21 "These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought I was just like you." The writer of the devotional challenges the readers to speak up in the face of sin because if we do not everyone will think that we approve of the behavior. At the end he asks if there is something that we could do to influence our sphere for Christ. Our answer was that we should support marriages and families. It is apparent that the church (universal) is not doing a good job of encouraging, admonishing, and supporting couples. Why else is divorce just as prevalent within the church as it is outside?
As I was working with a few fellows this week we were talking and in conversation the one Christian brother asked me a question that underscored the magnitude of the battle in this particular culture. "So, honestly, how many years have you been faithful to your wife?" Thankfully, by the grace of God I am able to answer that I have been faithful for the entire 9+ years that we have been married. How sad, that this seemed to surprise them. The enemy is hard at work here in that area and the strongholds are monumental. I believe that this is an area that the church needs to attack through prayer, more prayer, and more prayer.

Sorry for the rambling. I did not have my thoughts together very well.
One closing thought: If we really believe that God hears our prayers why do we not spend more time praying?

Pride and the Lord's Correction

Sundays are usually the busiest days for beggars coming to the door asking for food. This past Sunday was no different. In the morning one boy came and in the afternoon a boy of about 10 came with his 2 little sisters.

First they asked for food and I was able to give them some leftovers that we had sitting around. As it was raining and a bit chilly, they asked for t-shirts for each of them. And finally they asked for some toys for a little brother at home.

I asked them where they lived and the boy said they lived in a plastic house (which means a tiny shack covered with black plastic). I asked them where their parents were and he replied that they don't have a father and that their mother is sick and doesn't work.

After they left I was congratulating myself on my generosity and just I was to have given them all that stuff. Suddenly the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "But that gallo pinto (beans and rice) that you gave them was not what it could have been. You could have added that bit of cheese that you have. And the bread and cookies were old and you were not going to eat them anyhow. You were never going to wear those 2 t-shirts and the 2 of Zach's were his oldest, most worn t-shirts. The toys were not very nice that you gave. How are you any different than Cain; who did not give an offering that was pleasing to God?"

My self-satisfaction was quickly revealed for what it was, pride rearing it's ugly head. It made me think how much I am like the rich Pharisees who want all to see them put their huge offering in the offering plate.

I thank God that He does not miss an opportunity to teach me more about myself. I am also thankful that He is slow to anger and abounding in love and grace.

Justice and Fasting

If you read my blog last year you know that one of my favorite passages was (and still is) Micah 6:8. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I have spent a good bit of time thinking about justice and searching the Word for revelation about what it means to act justly. I still have many questions about what justice really means, but lately another scripture has been on my heart, and I would like to share some of my thoughts.

For many years I have enjoyed some of the passages in Isaiah, but it was not until recently, as I was thinking about the subject of fasting, that I discovered Isaiah 58. In my Bible the chapter is entitled "True Fasting", and the early verses talk about what a fast should not be. I like to begin reading at verse 6, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Some thoughts and observations:
We are told that this is the kind of fasting that God desires. However, reading on we do not see the "normal" fasting activities of abstinence from eating, and spending all day in prayer. Instead we are told to act with justice, help the needy, and set the oppressed free.
How, I ask myself, is this fasting? Perhaps because it means abstinence from our selfishness and apathy in the face of the needs around us.
In any case, there is something about this passage that speaks to my heart, as though to say, "This is what God wants you to do."

Recently I read a book entitled "A Seasick Doctor", about a doctor on one of the first Mercy Ships. I absolutely loved the book, not because it was an exciting tale, but rather because the calling of the doctor, to work with the poor and downtrodden, resonated with my heart.

I don't know yet what God has in store for us, but I am convinced that wherever He has us, we are called to minister to the poor, the needy, the sick, the orphans, the widows, and the oppressed.

Church difficulties

Being part of an assembled, cohesive body of believers has been an important part of our lives here in Nicaragua. We have, at times, felt fed, supported, challenged, and useful as part of a small Assembly of God church here in Matagalpa. We have had opportunities to contribute financially and serve alongside the members in the various ministries of the church.
Some of my personal growth has come by walking through difficult times with this church. We have seen the departure of two pastors due to corruption and greed. The upheaval during those times was draining, but God used them to show me that my peace cannot be based anywhere but in Him.
Just before we left for the States we began to feel with this third pastor that, as with the other two, there is a spirit of greed and a vision that does not place God above all else. It appears that he is only interested in having a big, beautiful church building, a large congregation, and overflowing coffers. Meanwhile, the hearts and spirits of the people are dying or being crushed by the pastor in his zeal to accomplish his mission of building another church (he has told us often that he has planted and grown at least 13 churches from nothing).
So that is the background. Now fast forward three months and we have returned. What do we do? Our hearts are not in returning to that church, even though our best friends are there. We do not feel that we can support the pastors vision and know that simply by being there we are seen as such.
Providentially, three days ago I took the same bus as a dear friend and brother in the Lord on the return trip from Managua (2 hours away). He is a leader in the church and has gone through much pain and turmoil through all of this. We were able to catch up on many subjects, and as we walked the few blocks from the bus stop to our house I finally found the courage to tell him that I wasn't sure we would be returning to the church. I thought that perhaps he would try to convince me otherwise, but was surprised when he said, "Jesus did not come to build a denomination, but to bring Salvation. It is not necessary to attend the "correct" church, but to worship God wherever we are." (paraphrased translation)
I have spent the last couple days mulling this over and thinking about what the Scriptures say on the subject. Hebrews 10:25 says: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...". Why exactly are we told that? So that we can exhort, correct and pray for each other. So if I accept the idea that we need to be part of a body; that leaves two options: return to the old church or find a different one. As much as I do not like looking for a new church home that is probably what we will do.
Please be in prayer that God would direct us in this journey.

Oh, have I mentioned how much I dislike the idea of denominations. Wouldn't it be so great to simply say that I am a member of the body (church) of Jesus Christ!

Reflecting on what is and what might have been

This week we will be remembering the fourth anniversary of the birth and death of our daughter, Alaina. So I wanted to reflect a bit on what all of this has meant to us, but more specifically to me because not all of my experiences are exactly the same as Colleen’s have been.
This anniversary obviously brings back some painful and heartbreaking memories, but I can honestly say with joy and peace in my heart that I am able to reflect on her short life without feeling like the pain or grief is unbearable. In fact, I find that it is almost gone and I am able to think of her tiny features, her blond hair, and the time I spent with her as cherished memories rather than with bitterness or anguish.
I firmly believe that this healing would not have been possible without the peace that Jesus said he would leave with us, and the knowledge that her death was not the end, but rather is beginning. I can say this because I have seen others who have walked through this dark valley many years hence, and without the comfort of Jesus as their personal Savior they are at the same place emotionally that they were on the day that it happened.
I rejoice in being thoroughly and completely convinced that God knows what He is doing, and that He does indeed have a plan for my life. I often do not understand what He is doing, but the knowledge that He is in control is sufficient. At this stage of my life, and seeing through the “dark glass”, I believe that I have an idea what God’s plan may have been, though I would venture to say that 5-10 years down the road I may have a better, or different, understanding.
I would never have described myself as a cold, unfeeling, or uncaring person. Quite the opposite, I would have said that I cared about people. However, after the excruciating experience of losing a child, I now have a compassion for the hurting that I never could have imagined before. When someone relates a story of some injustice, a loss, or some other experience that is causing them pain I get this indescribable feeling in my chest, almost as if someone was reaching in and twisting my heart. It can almost be embarrassing at times because I find myself getting teary-eyed about other people’s pain, when the same story does not seem to have much, if any, effect on most of the people around me.
My challenge to myself is to act on these feelings by bringing words of encouragement, and/or providing some sort of physical aid, if necessary.
I thank God that He is Lord of all, and He will always do what is best for me, even when it hurts.

Giving up my "rights"

I don’t know if I have written about this before (I apologize if I am being repetitious), but I felt today that I needed to reflect some on my “rights” and what God asks me to do in relation to my “rights”. Let me begin by saying that this subject is something that I heard a career missionary speak about, and it has caused me to evaluate my life. Instead of repeating what I heard I will attempt to reflect on my own life and struggles in this area.
As naturally selfish beings we are born with the belief that we have rights to many things. Additionally, our society, and even our very Bill of Rights, affirms that belief. We believe that we have rights to: various freedoms, long life, health, wealth, happiness, etc. Therefore, since we believe that we have these rights we often will fight for them or at least become indignant and angry when we feel that we are not being allowed to enjoy them. I, for one, struggle with anger when I see that the government is more and more infringing on my “right” to practice my faith.
Here, however, I would like to suggest that God wants us to give all of our “rights” up to Him. I submit that if we give all to Him we will receive more than we could imagine. Do not misunderstand, I am not suggesting that we give to Him in order to receive a blessing. For instance, if instead of clinging to our right to have affluence and never know need, we say to God, “I give up my right to a good paying job, job security, and the nice sum in my investment accounts” , the only blessing that we may receive is the “peace that passes understanding”. We cannot give up our rights with the expectation that we receive back even more, but instead give them up because they are not really ours in the first place, and knowing that God knows a whole lot better than we do how to take care of those issues.
I would imagine that Abraham felt like he had a right to keep Isaac for himself. After all he was his only son. How could God ask him to give up his right to his only son? How could God ask Gideon to give up the comfort and security of a large and well-armed army when heading into battle? How could God ask Joseph to give up his right to his good reputation and marry the unmarried and pregnant girl, Mary? In all of these cases, and many more in the Bible, God had a better plan in mind. Could we not suppose that the same thing is still true today?
Though I do not in any way claim to have arrived, I would like to say that when I have been able to give up my rights I have found that I have been overwhelmed with peace, knowing that I no longer needed to strive or worry about the situation. How much easier it is to trust that God will take care of me than to try with all of my might hang onto my “rights”.

Honoring those in authority

I find these times to very challenging to me, not because of the “economic crisis” or because I am worried about my job or retirement account. Rather, I find it very difficult to see the direction that this country is taking, and at the same time “Submit myself for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men” (1 Peter 2:13). Now I have to put my money where my mouth is. During the past administration I often complained that I wished that instead of spewing hate-filled words against the leaders people would follow the Biblical mandate and pray for them. Now I find myself on the other side and it would be very easy to allow hate or anger to creep in when I see that the leaders are taking the country down a path toward increased immorality and death. I am challenged to pray for them that they could make wise decisions and that God could touch their hearts.
I am reminded again that I do not identify myself with an earthly kingdom (which rise and fall), but rather with a heavenly kingdom (which stands for eternity). When I dwell on these thoughts and promises I am able to be at peace in the midst of the troubles that surround us.

What I miss...

It has been a while since I have written anything new, but I suppose that most of you know that the last weeks have been a bit hectic so you will have to excuse me.
Readjustment (even temporarily) to life in the States has at once been easy and also very difficult. It has been easy and enjoyable to be around family again and to be able to sit and have good conversations about life. However, I have found the blatant materialism to be excruciatingly difficult to come to terms with. A trip to the store is overwhelming because there is so much stuff for sale that one could very easily be convinced is quite necessary for life, but having spent the last year and one-half in a place where most of that stuff does not even exist, I would have to say that not only is it not essential much of it is completely unnecessary. Sure, there is materialism in Nicaragua, but it is such a different scale that it is hardly noticeable.
I find that I miss the sound and the cadence of the Spanish language, but much more I miss the warmth of the relationships that we have developed. As I read through 1 Peter this morning I read in 4:9 “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” I realize just how “far ahead” of us the Nicaraguans are on this front. An example: A couple weeks before we left for the States we stopped over at a friend’s house as it was getting towards dusk. The lady of the house (she was the one Colleen wanted to talk to) was not there, but her husband was. We explained what we were there for and that it would be short visit, but he invited us in and told us to be seated. He had been working on hooking the wiring up to his house so that he would have lights when it got dark. Now I don’t know about you, but if someone showed up at my house towards dark and I was working on hooking up the juice I would say, “I’m busy, this is important, I can’t talk right now”.
Being back here in the hustle and bustle (even though we are not doing either) makes me realize just how much I appreciate that about the Nicaraguan culture.

To Give or to Save?

Throughout our time here in Nicaragua, and especially in the past few months, I have spent a lot of time thinking about saving money versus giving it away. I have come to the conclusion that there are two paths that I can go in this regard.

1.I can save/hoard the money that I receive so that if something happens, at any time in the future, I will have the means to take care of whatever the problem may be.

2.I can give my money away to those in need and trust/know that if/when we have a need in the future God will provide for us.

I have come to the conclusion that it is better to lean more toward the second option. I have found it to be a tremendous blessing to help the needy around us. I am reminded of the verse that says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And the other verse that talks about the beauty of the lilies, how they do not worry about a thing.

Ah, the Irony...

Just the other day I wrote the blog entry about our lack of understanding of the power of the spirit realm. Well, here we are in a 3-day "spiritual" retreat with all of the Central American MCCers, and I am disturbed by what I have heard in the teaching session that I have attended.
The speakers have been brought in from Chiapas, Mexico to lead us through the retreat. One is a native Mexican and the other is a Swiss lady, pastor/theologian in the Reformed Swiss church background. Apparently the two of them have been working together for some time in Chiapas.
They are focusing on the Mayan Christian traditions and rituals, and are leading the group through various exercises. I assumed that they were coming from a "normal" evangelical viewpoint and felt that I was open to hear what they had to say. However, the alarm bells started to sound when they started to lead us through gymnastics to "gather the power from the earth and sky", and bring it inward. They proceeded to talk about getting in touch with the heart of "Mother Earth" and to understand that God is in all of creation (not that we can see who God is, but that He is actually in the animal, plant, etc.).
Meantime they had created a traditional Mayan altar in the center of the room with various colors of flowers and symbolic candles. They proceeded to explain the "paths" from one candle to another: red to black signifies God's life and death, white to yellow signifies something (can't remember) to corn/plenty, and there were two others that I cannot remember. The three paths form a traditional Mayan cross. In the middle they place a small clay pot with burning incense. Each person lights a small candle and offers him/herself to God, through the candle.
OK, this is as best I understood/remember it. However, as they continued to talk about all of these things I became more and more filled with the conviction that this was not of God, and so I left the room before they performed the incense part of the ritual.
I keep asking myself if I am over-blowing the whole thing, but I cannot shake the feeling that they are entering the realm of the occult, and it is not benign! I opened my Bible to 1 John 4 (funny, I had a marker there) and read: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
This experience is at the polar extreme of ignorance of the spirit realm, but I fear that the spirits with whom they are dealing are not of God.
If anyone is more knowledgeable on this subject or has some insight I would love to hear your thoughts.
More to come as I process this.

Prowling Like a Roaring Lion

First of all, I have to insist that all of you (men especially, but women too) read a fantastic book called, Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge. He articulates so well some of the things that I have felt over the years and has helped me to understand myself and my role better. Anyhow, I say all of this because I am going to include an excerpt from the book to illustrate what I want to say.
It goes like this:

The invasion of France and the end of WWII actually began the night before the Allies hit the beaches of Normany, when the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were dropped behind enemy lines to cut off Hitler’s reinforcements. If you’ve seen The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan, you remember the dangers those paratroopers were facing. Alone or in small groups, they moved through the dead of night across a country they had never been to in order to fight an enemy they couldn’t see or predict. It was a moment of unparalleled bravery … and cowardice. For not every trooper played the man that fateful night. Sure, they jumped; but afterward, many hid. One group took cowardice to a new level.
Too many had hunkered down in hedgerows to await the dawn; a few had even gone to sleep. Pvt. Francis Palys of the 506th saw what was perhaps the worst dereliction of duty. He had gathered a squad near Vierville. Hearing “all kinds of noise and singing from a distance,” he and his men sneaked up on a farmhouse. In it was a mixed group from both American divisions. The paratroopers had found [liquor] in the cellar … and they were drunker than a bunch of hillbillies on a Saturday night wingding. Unbelievable. (D-Day)
Unbelievable indeed. These men knew they were at war, yet they refused to act like it. They lived in a dangerous denial – a denial that not only endangered them but countless others who depended on them to do their part. It is a perfect picture of the church in the West when it comes to spiritual warfare. During a recent church staff meeting, a friend of mine raised the suggestion that some of the difficulties they were facing might be the work of the Enemy. “What do you think?” he asked. “Well, I suppose that sort of thing does happen,” one of the other pastors replied. “In the Third World, perhaps, or maybe to thwart a major crusade. You know … places where cutting-edge ministry is going on.”
Incredible. What a self-indictment.

I think that this excerpt says it so well. The western church is asleep. We have swallowed the lie that the enemy is not really active. It is time that we wake up and start practicing some serious spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and the cosmic powers of this dark age.