Picture this.
A two story house. Five bedrooms. Four bathrooms. Big backyard with nice green grass. Pool and hot tub. Three car garage.
Now picture this.
A house. Wood broken all over. Chipped paint. Cracks in the foundation. Parking on the street. Water comes out brown sometimes. Brown grass. One bedroom. One bathroom.
Have an image of both? Now given the choice which house do you choose to live in? I would assume the two story house one right? And why not? Sounds like a comfy living space. But what if God called you to live in the second house? What if he told you, this is the house I’m giving you and I want you to use this house to bring me glory. What would you do?
I give this scenario because the Lord has opened my eyes to the comfortability in Christians. Most of us want the comfy route and cushy route. We want the fluffy gospel that brings about a fluffy God who surely gives us the desires of our heart and wants us to just be happy. Well I hate to break it to you, but I plan to give you all a slap of reality with the things the Lord has shown me over the past couple of months. The Lord doesn’t promise happiness, he actually promises suffering and trials and it’s how we respond to those trials that bring His glory in those situations. He does want joy for his children, but joy doesn’t always equal a happy, peachy life.
The fluffy gospel cannot be anymore, we need hard truths that express the urgency of people’s souls. There has got to be a fire that wakes us up to the realities that are here.
One reality that has shown itself in my life recently is Spiritual Warfare. Typically not the hottest topic in a sermon, but it should be. It’s not something to be afraid of or hide from, it’s something to confront and face head on with the full armor of God. My squad and I have experienced this spiritual warfare in the recent states we have been to. I want to share some of the experiences we have had the past couple of months.
While in Utah my squad and I were confronted with a girl who had a demon over take her. We found out about her through our host we were with, through his friend. He called and reached out for a community of believers to pray. Power in prayer you know! So we stayed up all night praying for her and praying that the Lord take hold of her heart. A week later two of my squad mates and I got the chance to go to her house and talk with her and her mom and the house environment was deeply dark and heavy and there was a weight of heaviness there that is hard to explain. We were able to meditate between her and her mom as they argued with each other and while things became heated between them, there was a point in time that the mom’s pupils went totally black and I remember sitting in that moment praying for the Holy Spirit to calm the mom down, at the same time ready in the full armor for whichever the situation would turn. Fortunately we were able to pray for them, fully aware that us going over there didn’t fix their problems but hoping that we planted a seed.
Our other experiences have stemmed from encounters from those we have met on the street. We have come across people actively proclaiming the name of Jesus, yet also proclaiming witchcraft, cults, helping demons, etc. People that are fully engrossed in their practices and walking around believing that whoever they worship is the same God that Christians worship. Um….what?? People this cannot be. We cannot worship two kingdoms. And this is the unfortunate reality of those on the streets. These are the ones that we come into contact with, talk to, pray over, fast for, and grieve for.
I say these things to open your eyes to the world around you. My mom always told me and taught me to be aware of my surroundings, keep your eyes open, and pay attention. As a kid you don’t want to hear that over and over but I’m glad she never stopped telling me that, because when we step out of our normal everyday, that’s when we are able to see the world and how much we truly need Jesus.
I want to challenge you to step out of the comfy two story house and dive into the cracked one story house. Ask the Lord to show you where he can lead you into deeper situations that can stretch you and grow you.
I challenge the church to speak more about spiritual warfare and for youth ministers to take your youth out on the streets and get them talking to people. Put what they are taught into practice.
The Lord is bringing B Squad into the spiritual realm more and more and we are diving deeper and deeper. I ask that you pray for us and pray for yourself to seek deeper connections that open your eyes to the spiritual realms going on in the world.
