Spiritual Warefare

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

How many of you as you read these verses above did not even feel the need to continue reading them  through because you have all but memorized them? They are very familiar to all of those who have spent any time in a church but how real are they to us? Do we truly understand that we stand in an actual battle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness? Yes, of course we do you say, who doesn't? I'll ask again, do we truly understand?

If we did, and I know I don't, we would live our lives so much differently. We would react to situations differently and most of all we would PRAY differently.

As of late the Lord has gently been directing us to open our eyes to this realm, to understand that we have not only been walking in the midst of a battle but that the one we are about to enter will be intense. It is our desire to learn and live the principles the Lord has set for us here in Ephesians chapter 6 in order to be equipped, not just for the mission field but for daily life. There is a presence out there that we have long ignored. We have known it existed in word only and we have been ill prepared for the attacks of this enemy. It is our desire to know more, to learn more and walk daily with the entire armor of God in place recognizing just who our enemy is and that his intent is only to tear down and destroy.

Please pray for us as we continue preparing our hearts and lives for the mission the Lord has called us to. We have sensed the Lord's direction in many ways but most of all with regard to how we should prepare ourselves spiritually. The above commentary is just one of the areas in which we feel the Lord challenging us grow in. PRAY THAT WE DO!

We continue on in the everyday preparations, work on the house and sales of the unneeded items. As the weather breaks we will plan a work day here on the house and yard sales to sell off the remaining items that we will not be able to move. We have come to the conclusion that we will be selling our house, thank you for your prayers, the Lord has spoken clearly to us with regard to this decision.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We would also like to have Eddy posting here more often in Spanish for those of you who are following and would like to hear a bit more from his perspective. Please be patient with us. Continue to pray that the Lord will strengthen us and speak to us continually especially giving attention as to when we will leave for Peru. One specific request that we have is for favor with the Peruvian Embassy here in New York. Eddy has tried without fail to contact them in order to apply for the children's passports. Once he does get through we will have some other fairly high hurdles to jump but nothing too big for our God, please pray for favor here. Myself (Lisa) will have to wait until we arrive to Peru and at some point it seems I can apply for residency but I am not sure how long that will take. Finally we ask you to begin praying for God's provision for this mission. He has already settled our hearts to know that not one thing will be overlooked, nothing will go without notice.

"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

Finally brethren, pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel