Glimpses of Grace 13: The battle is joined, part 1

September 27, 2011

Dear Friends at Grace,

     We have bad news about our church and some very good news: A spiritual battle is underway for the control of Grace Brethren Church. That's the bad news. The very good news is, God wins!

Your assignment should you choose to accept it is to join God's side. We will give you suggestions below as to how to do that.

     God has been revealing to His servants at Grace and to those with spiritual discernment at a number of other churches: There are people IN our church praying AGAINST our church. Some of these people have infiltrated our leadership. I personally sense in my spirit that at least two of them have been assigned and sent to our church for the specific purpose of destroying it from within. The enemy has used these people to sow fear, confusion, and chaos among us. Through secrecy, deception, threats, and commands to silence he has forced out of our church some of our most faithful and godly teachers and members. Our current rebuilding program has given these enemies of God an opportunity to attempt to establish our church on a new foundation--theirs. 

We believe God is reminding those who have ears to hear that this is HIS church and He wants it back! He is re-claiming it, returning it to its original foundation, that is, Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:11) and His written Word: "the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible." (Psalm 38:2)

     God is light, truth, and love. What the enemy does in the dark, God wants brought into the light for judgment. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy and he is the father of lies. God comes to give Himself through the blood of His son to bring abundant life, truth, true flourishing, wisdom, power, peace, freedom, and joy. (John 10:10) He is amply able and strongly desiring to protect us in this battle. Put and keep on the full armor of God! (Eph. 6:10-18)

     Our enemy is not flesh and blood. We are not fighting against human beings. But we are resisting the enemy who is deceiving and using them--and he will run from us! (James 4:7) The powers of darkness tremble in fear of us because our Daddy is bigger than their daddy! (I John 4:4)

     Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18) That leaves NONE for anyone else! He has delegated that authority to those in whom He dwells--you and me. He has said we will not only do the same works He did on earth but "even greater works" as the Holy Spirit continues to carry out God's purposes in the world through us. (John 14:12)

     Should we choose to join God's people in this battle, we must first and continually humble ourselves before God, submitting our minds, souls, spirits, bodies, emotions, and will, plus our assumptions, fears, agendas, etc. (as He brings them to your mind) to Him alone. Ask Him to reveal any wicked way in you (Psalm 139:23-24), then confess and repent of anything He shows you, so that there will be no entry point in any of us for the enemy to use as a foothold, nothing to which he can attach, no grounds for any accusation against us. Jesus Christ said the enemy "has nothing in [no hold/claim on, no power over] Me." (John 14:30) We need to be "squeaky-clean" like He is in order to be invulnerable to the enemy.

     Stay on your knees, keep your shield up and wield your sword as you walk in the garden with Him and experience His rest and peace. We can do all of these things at once! He'll show us how to fight by praying from a place of peace.