While I usually share stories about the things happening in our lives, the ministry, and in Mexico in these emails, today, I would like to share a portion of a sermon I am preparing. I not only pray it will help and encourage you in your walk with Christ, I also hope it will help you understand how to pray for us in the days to come while our church attempts to build a church in San Juan. Our desire is to bring about a spiritual revival there—a great awakening like this area has never seen before.
Many believers face spiritual struggles when they attempt to advance the Kingdom of God. One trick of the enemy is to deceive the believer so they do not even realize the depth of what is taking place in their life. Often we assume the struggles we face are natural and normal yet beneath the surface there is something far more complex taking place—a spiritual attack!
A spiritual attack is a series of events coordinated by the demonic realm in order to abort the promises of God, shipwreck the faith of the believer, oppress him, and delay his destiny in Christ. Spiritual warfare is more common than you think.
Satan attacks in many ways. Here are just a few of them.
- Satan attacks with a sudden or extreme onslaught of troubles, losses, and trials.
- Satan attacks through discouragement and depression. Life may seem hopeless and the struggles may seem overwhelming.
- Satan attacks by stealing your tenacity for the things of God and disturbing your prayer life.
- Satan attacks by oppressing the mind and bringing about extreme frustration.
- Satan attacks through confusion about spiritual direction.
- Satan attacks by bombarding the mind with various thoughts in order to rob peace and bring mental fatigue.
- Satan attacks by bringing on physical fatigue.
- Satan attacks by bringing on strong urges to quit assignment and causing the believer to question the direction and the call that was once so clear.
Once we recognize the attack, we must rise up in the faith and the authority Jesus has given us. We must rebuke the attack and break its power over our life.
Four keys to winning a spiritual attack are faith, prayer, resistance, and help from likeminded believers.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
After more than seven years of prayer, we stepped out in faith and purchased land in San Juan for a church. Since signing the contract, our church, my family, and I have come under an extreme spiritual attack. As brothers and sisters in Christ, I beseech you to join us in praying for every member of our church and my family as well as the work we desire to do in San Juan.
Satan has inadvertently, through the attacks, given us something in which we can rejoice. For you see, the greater the attack, the greater the work God desires to do in the hearts and lives of the people.
Pray for us but also rejoice with us in the work God desires to do in San Juan.
