Hey everyone! The bags are packed and lined up at the door! I've said goodbye to my amazing church family and said goodbye to my beautiful niece. So in just a few hours it will be time for me to leave! I can't believe that it is finally time for me to head out. It was fun to be able to say "see you tomorrow" to all my new YWAM friends. I am so nervous but know that God is taking care of me.
Cliff's lesson at youth tonight was about the spiritual battle that is being waged all around us. He mentioned that Christians who are on fire for Christ are continually attacked by Satan because he sees all that we could be and it scares him and so he will do everything in his power to make us stumble and fall.
Acts 19:13-16 says, "A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!" Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?" Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered."
How sad. The demons knew Jesus and they knew Paul, but they had no idea who these Jews were. My prayer is that Satan and his demons will know my name and that they will be afraid of what I am doing for Christ Kingdom. I know that this is like putting a target on my back, but I know that God is in control and no matter what comes my way I am His and He will always be all that I need.
In closing I wanted to share a quote from the missionary Jim Elliot:
We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are 'harmless', and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are 'sideliners'---coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!
So the next blog post will be from Hawaii! Woohoo!! I am going to miss you all so much! LOVE YOU!
