I read two emails this morning from couples serving in two vastly different areas of the world. One was in South Africa, serving among West African refugees, and the other was in Asia, serving our missionary kids (MKs) or third culture kids (TCKs), as they are more often called. Each had your typical prayer requests for health issues, traveling mercies, and for God to work in the lives of those they serve.
Most of you reading this know by now that there is nothing typical about such requests for prayer. Every illness, surgery, trip, meeting, and life is an opportunity for Satan to bring doubt and discouragement, to sidetrack our focus, and to regain control over a soul that was seeking.
Our battle is not with flesh and blood.
Paul wrote a beautiful letter to the church in Ephesus with some very practical advice on how we are to live as followers of Christ. What does it boil down to? Being strong in the Lord, and that’s why he ends his letter with the importance of putting on the full armor of God.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. (Ephesians 6:12 CSB)
Why is it important to pray for each other when illness comes our way or when surgeries are required? Because these are times when the cosmic powers of darkness want to discourage the one who has left everything in service to Christ. A Christian who wallows in ill health and their pitiful state is a great witness for Satan. Instead of asking why this is happening, we need to pray that even in illness, even through diagnoses and surgeries, that Christ-follower will have opportunities to be salt and light to their doctors and nurses; they will have opportunity to share the reason for their hope, even through illness; and the message of Christ will be strong, though they are weak.
That’s praying beyond the surface prayer for rest, healing, and quick recovery. That’s battling with them through the trial, through the suffering.
Our battle is against deception and coldness of heart.
Jesus talked about the signs of the end days in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew’s gospel. He warns his disciples to be alert.
Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8)
This goes for missionaries too. It’s so easy to be deceived. We lose heart when disaster strikes and wars rage. We give up and think all is lost, not only for the people we’re serving but for our ministry. This is deception from the evil one. Do we forget that what we see in front of us is not the only battle raging? As physical destruction is ravaged against a people or nation, are we praying for the light to penetrate the darkness or are we giving way for the darkness to gain the upper hand?
Yes, our ministry may change for a season, but that does not mean that through the events of today God is not at work. He’s there, in the midst of the suffering, showing those whose hearts had been hardened that things are not as they should be. There must be a better way, and they will turn to the person whom they remember talked about it.
Along with guarding against deception, we have to constantly guard against growing cold of heart. Living in countries where death is an ever-present reality can make a person, even a good, Christian person, grow cold and numb. Jesus warned us about this.
Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:12)
It’s hard to keep loving and giving when you feel your efforts are just a drop in a bucket against the misery and lostness surrounding you. What difference can my helping this one person make? I get it. The need is overwhelming.
The thing is, Jesus is not asking us to feed the five thousand. Only he can do that. He’s asking us to give our loaves and fish. He wants us to be faithful in doing our part and leave the multiplying to him. We grow cold when we lose hope and believe the lies of Satan that we’re not making a difference. The challenge is too great.
Pray and press on.
This is another reminder that our battle is not what we see in front of us, it’s the one that can only be defeated through prayer and fasting. “Lord, I’m going to do the good works that you’ve prepared in advance for me to do today. It doesn’t look like much in the eyes of the world or maybe even in the eyes of the church, but it’s what you’ve called me to for today. However, I know that you will take my giving of a glass of water in Jesus’s name and you will use it to penetrate the darkness in this person’s soul. Whether I see it now or not, help me to remain faithful to do your will each day, and I will trust you for the harvest to come. This is a hard battle, Lord, and I need your strength to press on. Keep reminding me, Lord, that this is a battle you’ve already won.”
Do you need this reminder today? Yes, we’re on the front lines of waging war for Christ, but this is not a battle we fight with swords and weapons but with love and good deeds in his name. As we do our part, we trust those in the heavenly realms to do theirs until the day of final victory.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Mission Monday post, click HERE, or check out these other posts about spiritual warfare: Be Prepared, Staying Battle Ready, Engaged in Battle, The Good Fight, and In the Thick of It.
