Seven years ago God called me into ministry to prodigals and their families with the passage in Isaiah 42: 6-7, “I, the LORD have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles [Prodigals], to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.”
Because God is setting prisoners (captives) free our ministry has faced opposition from the enemy in his attempts to either bring us down or to bring confusion. We pray often for God’s wisdom and discernment as God directs our steps. We have sixty some prayer partners that have covenanted to hold us up with warfare prayers. We covet your prayers also as we also intercede for you and your family. Many of you have said you pray for us and we thank you.
I am such a visual learner so recently as my husband and I turned off the major highway and rounded the curve we came face to face with a coyote (wolf), to me they are the same. He was huge and stood in the median staring our way. It was unnerving! I thought, oh man, this is very significant.
Don’t we wish we could “see” our enemy all the time from a protected viewpoint, like an armored car? Well we can’t always see the enemy so we have to stay in the Word and not be ignorant of the tactics of the enemy. We need to be prepared to face our enemy. We will share more about that in the Application.
The next morning I opened the Word straight to Matthew 10:16, “Lo, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent–harmless and without falsity–as doves.” A wolf here was used to describe false prophets who persecute the true sheep and seek to destroy the church or a ministry.
If we are a child of God we are His sheep and He, as our Shepherd, protects us. The Shepherd tends, keeps, guards, and guides us as our Good Shepherd. I know this visual He gave me was meant to make me more aware that the enemy is prowling around seeking who he may devour, but He also provided His protection in the safety of my car.
Just like my surprise at coming face to face with the coyote we can all come around the bend and find ourselves face to face with the enemy. That is why preparation and intercession keeps us ready for the daily battles that come our way. Are you preparing?
Application:
- Are you daily applying the armor as described in Ephesians 6? The enemies fiery darts come before you step your foot on the floor, so apply it before you get out of bed.
- Are you starting your day in His Word? He will lead you to a passage that prepares you for what you may face that day. Don’t neglect meeting with Him.
- Are you letting the enemy come in and bring you discouragement or are you speaking a word of rebuke in Jesus name?
- Are you falling to temptations that come your way? Hide His Word in your heart and speak it when temptations come. Sin in your life needs to go. You cannot do battle with the enemy when you are halfway in his camp. Your life must be striving towards holiness.
Someone has said that it is both a wonderful and terrible thing to be the child of praying parents. To be out of God’s will and have their prayers rising to the Father’s house daily on your behalf is to invite unpredictable consequences.
-Tom Bisset