Really?… Spiritual Warfare?

The question I pose to you is do you really believe there is such a thing as spiritual warfare? I mean really….is there such a thing? Is there good and evil in this world? Is it just “mans” choices or is there something bigger here?

These are questions you need to face now if you are looking to host or adopt. If you don’t believe any of this and think it is just nonsense then you will have a very difficult and frustrating time making any sense of what is getting ready to happen in your life and in your home. I don’t say any of this to scare you or make you think twice about the journey you are on or ready to embark on. Just want you to be prepared for the battles. From Genesis through Revelation we see over and over that there is a battle, a battle between good and evil. A battle for the hearts of man (and woman). How many times are we warned? The devil is like a roaring lion seeking those he can devour. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Over and over God tries to give us a glimpse into the spiritual battle around us and for us. The great news is that Jesus came to give us life…He came to give us back that which was stolen from us…our heart. Jesus has overcome death, hell and the grave but we need to place ourselves in Him and the life He offers. Okay…you are saying that this is a bit foundational…true but you must be secure in this to understand the battles that are going to rage against the heart of that child you have chosen. You are showing the very love of God who chose us before we knew Him…as you chose that child before they even know you. Your living out obedience to Gods word and making a difference in the life or lives of others…but you too will be changed! As you open your heart and home to take in another realize you are living out boldly the great commission…and that will stir up evil and darkness against you and your family.

Be aware of the tactics that will be set against you. Yes, you will be bringing in a child who has mental, physical and spiritual baggage as well as some generational junk that has been passed down to them which was not their choice. There will be attacks of anger, jealously, materialism, depression, rebellion, fear and confusion. There will attempt to be wedges driven between you and your spouse. Between you and others who are close to you. Between the children currently in your home. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. Fear cannot co-exist with love. I share this with you to encourage you. Be aware of what is happening around you. These are not personal attacks from your child…they are spiritual attacks against your family and need to be faced head on and prayed against. You will be amazed at the power of God as you pray specific against the attacks. Call it what it is when you pray against it: spirit of jealousy, spirit of fear, spirit of rebellion, spirit of confusion, spirit of greed. As we learn to face these things head on, the overwhelming love of Christ takes over and heals the broken parts. Count on the fact that very soon after you have a spiritual conversation with your child…there will be a spiritual attack to try and steal away that which you have shared. Stand strong. Put on the full armor of God. Create an “inner circle” of warriors which you can call upon at a moments notice and know that they will be praying with you. At times they will cover you as you rest and regain your strength and focus. It is much easier to face the battle when we know it is coming…and what we need to win!

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Ephesians 6:10-11)

It is SOO worth the battle as you see your child being transformed by your love…and the love of Christ! Hold on…it will be worth it all!

Today is Orphan Sunday – November 8th, 2009

Orphan Sunday Prayer

Dear Father,
On this Orphan Sunday, we join with Your people across our country and beyond to pray for orphans.
We know that love for these precious children begins not with us, but with You. You pursued us when we were wayward and alone. You adopted us as your children. You invite us to address you as Daddy and to live as Your sons and daughters. Truly, we love because You first loved us.
You tell us also that You are near to the downtrodden and destitute. Your heart aches for children that face the world alone. You champion the cause of those who have no one else to take their side. And You call us to do the same.
So we pray that You would rouse us to share your heart. We ask that You would stir Your people to passion and vision and action on behalf of children that have no family.
We lift up to You the millions of children in the world who have lost their parents to disease, to war, to addiction, to poverty, to abandonment. As You promise to do, place the lonely in families. Be their defender, their provider, their hope and peace. Help us to do the same.
We pray also for the five hundred thousand children in our foster system in America. So often, they are bounced from home to home, knowing little love, consistency or true nurture. Please be their love, their consistency, their nurture. Help us to do the same.
We confess that we have often lived with little regard for these precious lives. Please forgive us. Lead us to take up their cause, not in guilt or obligation, but as a joyful response to Your great love for us.
As we do, we pray that You would use our humble response to transform. To transform the lives of countless orphans both physically and spiritually. To transform us as we encounter You in them. To transform Your Church as we lift our eyes beyond our own comfort and self-focused religion to live out the painful beauty of the Gospel. And finally, to transform a watching world as it catches glimpses of Your love made visible through the actions of Your people.
We commit all this to You, the One who is both our Father and a Father to the fatherless, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.