…but God can!
Tonight God Convicted Me.
Since I’ve gotten back from the World Race people often ask what I see as the biggest sin issue in Latin America. During my travels in 11 Spanish countries, I saw one consistent theme:
The culture is driven by the influence of sexual immorality!
It’s true, sexual immorality is prevalent in the United States, BUT in Latin America, it’s worse. It’s IN YOUR FACE, AROUND EVERY CORNER, and ACCEPTED as a way of life. Historically in the U.S. sexual immorality has been looked down upon, but in Latin America, they simply see it as “how it’s always been” and therefore, how it always will be.
In Latin America it is all too common to see pregnant teens, men with several children from different women, adultery, overly sexualized reggaeton music, racy soap operas, child prostitution, human trafficking, unfaithfulness, immodesty, the list goes oooooon… (Side note: I want to make clear that not all Latinos are like this I’m just speaking in general.)
I will be moving back to Colombia in about a week. There, I will be working with teens from broken families where their fathers left them and their mothers for other women, where some of these teens are already mothers and fathers. Many of these young people are trapped in this cycle of sexual immorality and just have come to accept it.
I have been angry with the men who selfishly use women and then leave them once they aren’t satisfied anymore. I’ve been angry with the men who force children and women into prostitution! I have been angry with women who dress immodestly and put themselves out there as a sex object for the desire of men.
God convicted me.
As you can tell, I have been not only angry about all of this, but bitter. A couple days ago I was driving and thinking about this with anger boiling up inside me and the song “Mighty to Save” came on. It starts “Everyone needs compassion a love that’s never failing… Savior, He can move the mountains, He is mighty to save!”
And in that moment, I heard God saying…
Don’t be angry at these men and women. Have compassion on them. They are only but mere victims of the strong sexual influence Satan has had on that culture for generations. They are captives and I have come to set the captives FREE!
Wow.
I was about ready to move back to that culture thinking I could change it by being angry at these men and women and waking them up to the awful things they’re doing and what THEY need to change. No. If anything that will probably do more damage than good. These men and women are victims and what needs to happen is recognize the stronghold Satan has there, fight against it with Scripture and prayer, loving them the way Jesus loves them–with COMPASSION.
I know it’s not just Latin America. Sexual immorality is something Satan has used for generations all over the world and will continue to use to trap people until Christ’s return.
Please join me in prayer.
Pray against Satan’s stronghold of sexual immorality in the latin culture (and around the world), that the Lord would shower us with His compassion and forgiveness to pour out onto these victims. It is only then, that they will taste and see the goodness, mercy, grace, and compassion of Jesus, and be set free.
Pray for the younger generation! Pray specifically for the teenagers that I will be working with. Help me in declaring that a generation of Mighty Warriors will rise up in Bogotá, Colombia to start fighting against the battle of Satan’s sexual influence that is happening and has been happening in Latin America for generations!
Pray for God to use those in the Latin culture who are free from this, that they would stay strong against the influence. That they would be love and light shining in the dark places allowing God to use them to bring Hope to the dead and lost in their own culture.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
Isaiah 61:1
