Spiritual Warfare

Adversary...Beast...Deceiver...Enemy...Father of Lies...Power of Darkness...Tempter...Thief...Wicked One

These are of course names for Satan as mentioned in Scripture. In fact, there are more names for Satan in the Holy Bible than for anyone else except Jesus Christ.

Lately I've been feeling more and more the presence of Satan. Although this presence is unseen, the spiritual warfare I've felt is absolutely real. I feel like I'm constantly fighting Satan and that he is constantly trying to hinder my progress. I know that from Scripture this means that Satan is feeling like I'm a threat to him and that I'm on the journey that God wants me to be on by serving Him in Uganda. I know that if the Enemy stops trying to hinder my journey, then that means that I'm not moving forward in my relationship with the Lord.

Lately we've gotten some push-back from relatives who we thought were on board with our upcoming trip to Uganda, who through their questioning and criticism, apparently aren't very supportive. Our dryer has stopped working, along with our ice maker. We're having some financial issues that are seemingly coming out of left field that we thought we had resolved a while back. We're fighting over stupid things and finding it harder to make time for just each other and our marriage.

I feel like Satan is centering in on our lives and that in a sense he's said to us, "game on." I'm arming myself and preparing for battle based on Ephesians 6:14-18.

I know that spiritual warfare is a reality of the Christian life and am so grateful that we already know the outcome - our side wins. The Devil has already lost the battle, but he's trying to take as many with him as he can, just to hurt God.

I'm also arming myself by reading Mark Corts's book, The Truth About Spiritual Warfare: Your Place in the Battle Between God and Satan. I'm hoping that by reading this book I will learn more about the biblical truths on spiritual warfare and be inspired to remain all the more faithful during this time.

 

(Photo courtesy of Lifeway.com)

I'm sure that as our time approaches, we will begin to experience even more the presence of the Enemy. Past teams to Uganda have told us that the presence of the Enemy can be overwhelming while we're in Uganda too. As my friend Sarah said, "Satan cannot destroy us because we belong to Christ...but he sure can distract us!" Satan knows our strengths and weaknesses, and the buttons to push in our lives to try to keep us under his thumb. He wants to burden us to the point that we no longer feel passionate about being people of God.

Please pray for us as we're preparing for this trip, including as we are arming ourselves with the armor of God to fight this spiritual battle with the Enemy.

John 10:10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Leaving Kadesh-Barnea

I am participating in a Bible study on Thursday mornings at Calvary West and we're currently doing Priscilla Shirer's newest DVD study, One in A Million. The overall gist of this study is about the Isrealites' journey through the wilderness to their Promised Land of Canaan. This Bible story in Exodus serves as a backdrop or jumping off point for how God calls us from mundane Christianity to a radical experience of Him where we can encounter our own Promised Land on this side of eternity.

She is clear to point out that each of us must consciously decide if we want to go where God is leading us, or if we are simply satisfied with our Christian lives as they stand now.  Deciding to go where God is leading us means totally putting ourselves aside and trusting God to provide what we need. It means that accepting God's call to journey onward means some things must also be left behind, especially things (sins) that tempt us to return to our old ways. It means letting go of some of the "perks" of sin. It means having a hunger to authentically encounter God. It means accepting that the road God chooses for us is often not the road we might expect or even desire. It means experiencing the Lord in the way that Job describes it from being a relationship based on hearsay to one grounded in experience.

Shirer explains that oftentimes to reach the Promised Land of milk and honey God has in store for us, we must first go through the wilderness, just as the Isrealites did on their way from Egypt to Canaan. The journey through the wilderness is undoubtedly not an easy one. It will test your faith, stretch your belief system, and challenge your level of commitment. However, we must remember that God's destination will be filled with everything we need and so much of what we want, hence the milk and honey that is referred to in describing the Promised Land.

Out of the proverbial 40 years of wandering in the wilderness/desert, almost 38 years of this time was spent in Kadesh-Barnea. In fact, the Isrealites spent this 38 years traveling in a circle around Kadesh-Barnea. Priscilla Shirer described this place as an "oasis of complacency." The Isrealites were satisfied on the brink of Promised Land living. They were okay where they were and didn't want to risk going any further.

In my mind in a sense I see Kadesh-Barnea as a "suburb" of the Promised Land. It was just outside of the land of milk and honey, but they didn't quite make it all the way. In fact, only two people out of two million Isrealites even went past Kadesh-Barnea (Jacob and Caleb). The Isrealites came so far just to fall short of the ultimate goal of their journey. They were almost there!

How many times do we do this as Christians? We are satisfied with our Christianity as it is and satisfied with our relationship with God. It's good enough for us.

Why do so many believers never experience the fullness of God? Why don't the people of God, who can tap into so much divine power, break through the barriers that keep us from experiencing an abundant relationship with Him? Why do we hesitate to take our faith to the next level?

Why do we continue to wander around in Kadesh-Barnea when the Promised Land is just around the corner? Why don't we realize that wandering in the wilderness is the barrier to the Promised Land?

I've been wandering around in Kadesh-Barnea for a while now. In fact, I'd all but taken up permanent residency there. I've gotten used to my life that is on the brink of the Promised Land and for whatever reason didn't feel it necessary to go any further. However now I'm getting restless. I'm ready for a change - for a move in the direction towards the milk and honey my Father has promised me. I'm ready to 100% trust God to provide what we need, not the 50/50 or 60/40 trust relationship I've had with Him. I have an insatiable hunger to authentically encounter God and to move from being in a relationship with Him based on hearsay to one grounded in experience. I'm ready to do something different, something radical, and leave this oasis of complacency. I'm ready for God to give me an opportunity to experience Him in a way I might miss in a place of ease and convenience.

See ya later, Kadesh-Barnea. I'm packing my bags and moving out of town!

God's Glory on Display

We continue to be dazzled and amazed by this undeniably awesome God we serve! He truly has His hand directly on our trip to Uganda and continues to showcase His glory around every turn! 

Just this week, big and small miracles have happened which are undoubtedly only possible through and by our God. Here is a glimpse into just a few.

We purchased our plane tickets to Uganda on Wednesday of this week. This purchase was a "quick" one in the sense that Sarah and our travel agent had been watching the prices closely for weeks and because they were significantly more expensive than for previous ekissa trips to Uganda, Sarah had even briefly entertained the idea of having the group come back to the US a day later than originally planned. Well, on Wednesday the plane ticket prices dropped almost $400 a piece so we needed to act fast in order to order them before the prices shot back up and we were forced to rearrange our travel dates. Since we had raised 96% of our flight costs so far, Kevin and I were able to go ahead and book our flights. On Friday of this week, Sarah got another email from the travel agent who said that he just got word that on March 31, 2010 and beyond, fares on Air France KLM (the airline which we are traveling for our whole trip) are going to be going up due to the Delta, KLM, Northwest merger. This means that our trip to Uganda would have cost each of us about $400 more had we waited until after March 31 to book the flights. Essentially, this could have bumped the cost of our flight up $800 per person! God is looking out for us even financially through this trip and knew what we needed even before we knew to ask!

We also received a significant donation over the weekend from one of my oldest friends (we've known each other since elementary school) whose husband I'm pretty sure isn't a Christian. In fact, when Kevin and I were getting the latest round of sponsor letters together, we had even talked about not sending them a letter because we were sure they wouldn't want to give to such a cause. I'm so glad that the Lord had us send them a letter anyway and I know that they will be blessed by Him for providing for orphans through this act of benevolence.  I cannot wait to talk with her and tell her just what a blessing this is for our trip and how I hope this can be a ministry to them. I also want to ask her forgiveness for standing in judgment of them and assuming they wouldn't care about this work or our trip. I'm so glad that the Lord allowed this to happen in order to give me an opportunity to put my faith into practice. We continue to be humbled at how the Lord blows our minds and goes beyond what we could ever imagine ourselves.

Our in-country expenses have been calculated and were right in the range of what we thought they would be for the trip. We still have about $2600 to raise for the remainder of the trip, which will cover travel insurance, our Ugandan visa, bottles of clean water we'll consume in Uganda, meals, on the ground transportation, accommodations, 24-hour protection, our in-country facilitator (Patrick), and the training curriculum our team will use for our meetings both before and after our trip.

I am starting to pray very hard and very specifically for this trip and for all of the people going with us. Please pray with us for our team and for the next 15 weeks as we continue to prepare our minds and hearts for what we will experience in Uganda. Right now, and during and after our trip, we need prayer more than any other resources. We are opening our eyes and our ears to watch Him do great and mighty things!

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." -- Ephesians 3:20 (New Living Translation)

Letters and Thank-Yous

Kevin and I are overwhelmingly humbled by the gifts that have been given in honor of the ministry we are doing in Uganda in May! We sent out our first round of support letters in November and sent the second round just a few weeks ago, and already have raised enough to pay for 96% of both of our round-trip flights to Uganda (we were able to purchase our plane tickets earlier this week)!

Go God!

We still have in-country expenses that will need to be raised (will range anywhere from $2000-3000 total for both of us and will cover lodging, food, etc.), but we have no doubt that God will provide for our needs based on the miracles we've already seen happen with regards to this trip!

We are in the process of writing thank-you notes to the folks who have already contributed to our trip, and as I was browsing online the other day for some unique thank-you notes, I stumbled across these:

Not only do the note cards fully capture what our purpose is for our trip to Africa, but 100% of the proceeds of the sale of these note cards goes to fund a family's adoption in Ethiopia. In fact, the family who started this fundraiser (they also have t-shirts and other items for sale with this same logo), the Dubois family, have raised 100% of their needed adoption funds, but they feel called to continue the fundraiser in order to help out another family, the Dixons, who are also in the process of adopting from Ethiopia.

I just love this quote from their website:  

 "God makes it clear throughout the Old and New Testament that the fatherless have a special place in His heart.  He commanded His people to provide for them through benevolence and tithes, and He promises judgment if they ever mistreat them. He promises to be a Father to the fatherless, and He makes it clear that it is His will to set the lonely in families. (Psalm 68:5-6) He holds close those that are abandoned by their father and mother. (Psalm 27:10)  He tells us that He is pleased and sees our religion as pure and genuine if we take care of orphans and widows.  (James 1:27)"

Talk about purchases with a purpose!!

I am so glad that the Lord led me to stumble across these note cards and gave us the provisions to be able to purchase them in order to thank those who have given to our mission in Uganda. We are also so incredibly grateful for those who have sacrificially given of their offerings to help us care for orphans and widows in Uganda. We also know that there are so many people out there praying for our preparations and will continue to pray for our trip while we are there.

From the bottom of our hearts...Thank You & Blessings to you all!

Vaccines, Immunizations, and Meds...Oh My!

Friday started "Round One" of our vaccines and immunizations for Africa. We each got a Hepatitis A and B shot in the right arm, a Meningococcal shot in the left arm, and a Typhoid shot in the rear! We go back in 4 weeks for the Hep A and B booster (it's a series of 3 shots total) and still have to get the Yellow Fever vaccine, but can't get that shot from our primary care provider. We will likely have to visit Passport Health in Winston-Salem for that. We also got prescriptions for an anti-Malarial drug, Doxycycline, as well as a high-powered antibiotic, Cipro (yes, that's the same drug they give SARS patients!), "just in case" we encounter anything while on our trip. Our doctor also advised that we take Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Imodium, and a micro filter water bottle, along with any other medications we are currently taking.

I'm still in a walking boot for a broken foot (over 4 weeks now), and also had my foot re-X-rayed, but have to wear the boot for two more weeks. The doctor said it's healing nicely, so hopefully it will be 100% better before our trip!

Prayer Quilt

This weekend Kevin's parents told us that the women of their church, Bixby Presbyterian Church, in Advance, NC are making a prayer quilt for our trip. This gift of love and prayer is constructed by the women to promote prayer through the use of quilts.

We are praying for the quiltmakers of this church, for the materials they are praying over and blessing, and are so humbled that they are doing this in honor of our trip to Uganda. The work it takes to construct one of these quilts is amazing, and are so grateful for Bixby's prayer quilt ministry. What an awesome visible symbol of God's grace and mercy!

A Taste of African Worship

On Sunday, January 24, Kevin and I attended Cornerstone Christian Church to hear Pastor Patrick Sserunjogi speak. Patrick, a resident of Uganda, will be our in-country guide when we travel to Uganda. Patrick was in the United States for a few weeks with his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Mark (8) and Martha (5) pictured here.

Here is Patrick's bio: In 1995, Ggaba (Gaba) Community Church (the church that we are partnering with in Uganda and allowing us to stay in their guest facilities) started the Mwangaza Choir, a children's choir, which was started initially as a Sunday School Choir. Patrick led their first international tour to the US. For more than 11 years, Patrick worked with African Renewal Ministries (ARMS), an international outreach of Ggaba Community Church. In 2007 after returning from a US trip, Patrick and Amos Musoke began Bridge Africa International. Patrick answered this call from God to be able to meet the growing need of Western Churches, groups and individuals to coordinate and organize logistics for short and long term mission trips. Bridge Africa International also serves Rwanda and other African nations as the Lord opens these doors.

During his talk on January 24, Patrick gave us a glimpse into the African culture and how we can help the people of Africa. Patrick talked about what worship is like in Africa, which was probably the thing that Kevin and I took away most from his talk. We are so excited to go worship with these people! As Patrick put it (and I'm of course paraphrasing), when you don't have anything at all (no shoes, no idea where your next meal is coming from, no security, no comfort), all you have is the Lord and all you can do is worship Him. We cannot wait to worship the Lord with that sort of "rawness" and simplicity!

Here is a little more information about Ggaba Community Church: It is a non-denomination, evangelical church that is shepherd to more than 80 churches around Uganda, and has sent out missionaries to begin ministries in the countries of Rwanda and Tanzania. It is located on the shores of Lake Victoria in Ggaba, a suburb of Kampala (the capital of Uganda). Many of their members are active in ministry in the UK, USA, and other parts of the world. In 1990, God gave Senior Pastor Peter Kasirivu (who is Sarah - Patrick's wife's - brother) and his ministry partners a vision to reach the world through equipping young men and women for leadership. That ministry became known as Africa Renewal Ministries. It is known throughout the world, in part due to the assistance provided by Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love (which I mentioned in this blog post). Ggaba has grown to be an international organization with ministries to orphans and children, medical ministries, boarding schools to educate children, seminaries for pastors, which has birthed ministries of evangelism and humanitarian work in Uganda and many parts of Africa. Ggaba Community Church today has an attendance of 1500 youth and adults and more than 1000 children on an average Sunday.