Daily Devotion from Terry at Across All Borders
May 14 - Why Going is a Good Idea
2 Corinthians 10: 4-5 "The weapons we fight with are not the
weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up
against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ."
In Guatemala there are spiritual forces of darkness that have been at work
in the lives of people who live there. They are not the same evil spirits and
forces that are at work where you live. You have not been beaten down for years
by those spiritual forces that have afflicted the people you are going to meet
on the mission field. The people who live there have become so familiar and
accustomed to life with the influence of these powers of darkness that they
might not even recognize the way it is influencing their thoughts, life styles
and community.
When Christian guests come to minister at your church from other parts of
the world, they recognize strongholds in our culture that you and I see as
normal and seem powerless to change (materialism comes to mind). They are able
to speak into the situation with a clear vision, power and strength, having not
been weakened by it themselves their whole lives.
God knew what He was doing when he said, "Go." Because you do not reside in
the place which you are being sent, you will sometimes sense certain things
about the spiritual atmosphere. If you have ever been on a mission trip before,
you may know what I am talking about. When evil is present, you can sense it.
Long before I knew all of the details about the village we work in, I sensed a
darkness I could not explain. It wasn't long before I understood what I was
feeling. It was the presence of evil. Many families in the village practice
witch craft, what they call "black magic". You truly can feel evil when you are
standing in the middle of it. You may recognize that some people are griped with
spirits of fear, despair and impurity and you may be the one that is able to
bring a clear word of faith and hope to them.
You may sometimes even feel that you or your team are coming under some
spiritual attack when in reality the devil's forces (which have a stronghold on
many parts of Guatemala) are trying to put you under such chains. Instead of
thinking you have to fight off these uncommon and strange patterns of thinking,
recognize and rejoice that the devil played his hand. The Holy Spirit is
allowing you to see the strong forces of darkness which are at work on the
mission field. With God's help, you can help set people free from those chains.
You can be used by God to set captives free!
Father, give us a sensitivity in our hearts and to your voice, that we
may discover the spiritual forces at work in the lives of those we will work
with in Guatemala. Thank you that your weapons (your truth, your Holy Spirit,
your name and your armor) are not feeble, but mighty for pulling down
strongholds. Use us to minister to others by setting them free from the enemy's
lies and oppression.
With Gratitude,
Sondra
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