"You have to work hard to offend Christians. By nature, Christians are the most forgiving, understanding, and thoughtful group of people I've ever dealt with. They never assume the worst. They appreciate the importance of having different perspectives. They're slow to anger, quick to forgive, and almost never make rash judgments or act in anything less than a spirit of total love . . . No, wait--I'm thinking of Labrador retrievers!" David Learn, 1998

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Glimpses of Grace 17: (S)mashed potatoes

     I don't mean to sound cocky. I'm acutely aware that if Satan is small potatoes in relation to the Almighty, we are (s)mashed potatoes in relation to Satan, at least in our own strength. One man cautioned Jerry and me not to do anything alone. I have to stay under my husband's authority as my covering, not do anything he doesn't agree is of God, and he has to stay under the authority of Jesus Christ.
      In early October, after sending out the email to our general mailing list, posted here as "The battle is joined" (Glimpses 13 and 14), various intercessors sensed in their spirits that God is saying the battle is HIS, reminding us that He is the Captain of the Army of Israel, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that He will fight for us. 
    One told us to "ask God to render all war room plans against you and Jerry null and void. That the Light convict and disarm all known and unknown strategies of the enemy at work in this situation. That Jesus Messiah would turn the heart of this servant [Lou] to the Most High God once and for all. That he would come to his senses and the spell be broken under the blood of Jesus Christ."
     Intercessors have gotten words and thoughts like, "You are standing on the wall" or "filling in the gap." "He's proud of you!" He is telling us to "stand firm," "fear not," "be strong." Independently, many intercessors have sensed God saying this is HIS church and He wants it back! He is calling us to "protect the cornerstone" or "foundation" in prayer and as we do, He will protect us. One prophetic word to us was "They can't hurt you!"
     Of course these are human beings claiming they are hearing from God or seeing in the Spirit so their words must be tested. What they say must be consistent with the teachings of Scripture and even if it is, we need to double-check: "Heavenly Father, is this for us? for now?"
      One pastor of our church confided that the leadership refers to the handful of us who are starting to openly question their teachings and agenda as "deadwood," which they have vowed to cull out. But God calls us "the faithful remnant." And the "handful" is growing. In early October a friend in Oregon texted me that 20 people up there are praying for us! The director of the prayer ministry Jerry and I minister with in the mountains sent out a prayer alert to all his intercessors (about 30 people).
     We have felt great peace and gratitude, for the most part. The two of us take consolation in the fact that NOBODY can prevent us from praying! One day a friend wrote, "I am sensing that you and Jerry, more so Jerry as He is the spiritual head of the home, begin to pray scripture out loud for 2 hours tonight. Start by asking the Holy Spirit to give you the verses of scripture needed here, and rest yourselves as you need it. Wait on Him as He leads you.  
     "What is resonating to me is as the Jews prayed for Esther and sought God through their submission and faith and prayers, He delivered Esther and the nation of Israel. You are a symbolic Israel. Again, please weigh and check for confirmation from Him in both of your spirits here. I trust the strength of the Lord on your behalf." 
    Those two hours, which we had thought we could never fill, were wonderful. The Lord brought back to mind one relevant verse after another and we declared them aloud together. Then we meditated on the names of God. We sang hymns that described Jehovah and His victorious power. We blessed and prayed for each of the elders and pastors.
     Physical oppression by the enemy sometimes wakes me at night but God has me use that time to pray or review Bible verse. I like to go over Psalm 23--in Spanish, which I am trying to learn. I don't know why it is more comforting to me in Spanish. Or He gives me understanding of what is going on in the war room. I'm no Elisha but at times it reminds me of the passage in 2 Kings 6, where God kept the prophet Elisha aware of what the king of Aram was plotting against the king of Israel: "Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you [King of Aram] speak in your bedroom.”
     In obedience to what we believe God told us through one intercessor, we prayer-and-praise-walked around our classroom the night before the elders sat in on our class and the next morning the room was filled with the love and fellowship of the Lord! We also walked around the building in which the elders meet and the next meeting, the "inquisition" of our teacher, was civil. There were no bad repercussions from it.
     Then we prayer-walked all three pieces of property Grace owns and pounded symbolic tent pegs into every corner of each property, claiming it for the Lord Jesus Christ and announcing "We worship Yahweh, the Sovereign God of the Universe!"
   

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