I have been watching and waiting.
On the plane to Peru Rusty took me aside, as much as one can on a plane full of people, and asked me about prayer. He said he had heard that I had a passion for prayer and asked me if I would like to be one of the people who prays for our team consistently throughout the year. We come up against so many different things and the battle is always raging in the spiritual realm.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12
I was honored that that was the “word on the street” about me, and have been praying since. And I love to pray. I love to listen to God’s voice and find that quiet place in myself. That place where I feel still even though my teammates are laughing and talking about who and whatever and dogs are barking and goats are doing whatever it is that they do… I love that place.
When we first started in Peru I found that God would give me a word to speak to everyone during our worship times. Sometimes it was a word of passion, other times of praise, once a word about battle and taking up our swords. So I would find myself shouting out these words in our morning worship and never have I felt so stirred up as when I feel God has chosen my voice to speak His words.
There was a time when I was frustrated, though, about speaking out all the time. Where were my teammates? Why aren’t they doing this type of thing too? Does that even matter?
I decided to spend time praying about this specifically and my how things have changed…
On Monday morning of this week, after we sang some songs, we spent time praying for one another. Suddenly one of the teammates pops out of the woodwork with incredible visions for those we were praying for. Visions of the battle that each of them were in and where God was going to take them. I saw passion in her eyes but peace and reverence in her body language. It made me tingle. She was stepping out in expressing the impressions that the Lord was giving her.
Another girl on our team began to share about how she sees angels and demons. This is commonly know as the discernment of spirits. One day she shared with us about seeing angels on the perimeter wall all around our church campsite.
Others have begun to prophesy. The boys cast out a demon. The list is GrOWING as we as a team have started tapping in to the immeasurable power of the Lord!
I write this blog as an encouragement to myself of the amazing things God is doing as well as to ask you to join us in praying. I once listened to a sermon by Joyce Meyers entitled “New Level, New Devil” all about how pursuing God more deeply leads satan to pursue US more heatedly. The more we flourish in the power of God the more satan wants to squelch us with… well, anything he can: sickness, someone stealing your passport so that you have to leave ministry for 5 days to get a new one… We are winning a battle for the Lord which means crushing defeat for satan and he does not take that lightly. But, in the end, we ARE winning.
“It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
In God we make our boast all day long and we will praise your name forever.” Psalm 44:3 & 5
