I've been reading the Psalms lately..mostly because I have felt attacked, discouraged, and just plain icky (yes that is a real feeling).
Spiritual warfare is not something that most of us recognize because in the states most of the time it's just little stuff Satan uses, like too many commitments, impatience, or sickness to pull us away from God. But since I started this journey to follow God to Africa I've been attacked. I'm not talking about little things. I'm talking about mentally ill roommates that try to get you kicked out of school, an apartment complex that robs you, paperwork being lost so that we can't be over here sooner, more paperwork being lost, being stalled because someone was too lazy to look at his desk, more mentally ill people, and now a man who is coming out here in June. It's a long story but basically this "Christian" man was here before alone for three or so months, did some things that were not good, spent too much time in the wrong places and left a very very bad image. We found out what was going on and since he was coming back tried to correct the situation via our leadership, but now he is mad (although we have been assured by many around us that we handled the situation correctly and maturely) and is sending us threatening emails and is probably going to come here and not be very nice.
All this to say that I have been reading Psalms a lot lately, especially chapters 54-62. The psalmist writes about how men attack him and do evil and seek to drag him down into the depths. He cries out to God asking Him to deliver him and destroy the enemy. Asking God for faith and proclaiming his trust in the Lord. This has been my source of comfort these last few days....knowing that God is my Savior and He has great things planned for our town, great things planned for our people. Crying out to God to deliver me from the hands of men, from evil things that men do to destroy His name and trusting that God is faithful as He always has been in the past.
I think God has great plans for me, for my husband, for the people here and for this town. I think this because Satan is trying desperately to make me defeated, to make me give up and go home. Why? Because God is working here, moving fast and hard and Satan is losing his foothold in this area. Because we are called to proclaim His name and His saving grace and do great things for God's kingdom. Please pray for me, for us...to be faithful even when we don't feel like it... to be obedient even if we are hurting....to shake off this fear, hurt and anger and boldly proclaim Jesus' name...and to not let Satan win this battle when this man comes in June.
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Spiritual warfare is not something that most of us recognize because in the states most of the time it's just little stuff Satan uses, like too many commitments, impatience, or sickness to pull us away from God. But since I started this journey to follow God to Africa I've been attacked. I'm not talking about little things. I'm talking about mentally ill roommates that try to get you kicked out of school, an apartment complex that robs you, paperwork being lost so that we can't be over here sooner, more paperwork being lost, being stalled because someone was too lazy to look at his desk, more mentally ill people, and now a man who is coming out here in June. It's a long story but basically this "Christian" man was here before alone for three or so months, did some things that were not good, spent too much time in the wrong places and left a very very bad image. We found out what was going on and since he was coming back tried to correct the situation via our leadership, but now he is mad (although we have been assured by many around us that we handled the situation correctly and maturely) and is sending us threatening emails and is probably going to come here and not be very nice.
All this to say that I have been reading Psalms a lot lately, especially chapters 54-62. The psalmist writes about how men attack him and do evil and seek to drag him down into the depths. He cries out to God asking Him to deliver him and destroy the enemy. Asking God for faith and proclaiming his trust in the Lord. This has been my source of comfort these last few days....knowing that God is my Savior and He has great things planned for our town, great things planned for our people. Crying out to God to deliver me from the hands of men, from evil things that men do to destroy His name and trusting that God is faithful as He always has been in the past.
I think God has great plans for me, for my husband, for the people here and for this town. I think this because Satan is trying desperately to make me defeated, to make me give up and go home. Why? Because God is working here, moving fast and hard and Satan is losing his foothold in this area. Because we are called to proclaim His name and His saving grace and do great things for God's kingdom. Please pray for me, for us...to be faithful even when we don't feel like it... to be obedient even if we are hurting....to shake off this fear, hurt and anger and boldly proclaim Jesus' name...and to not let Satan win this battle when this man comes in June.
