This past Saturday I spontaneously decided to attend a seminar put on by Free the Captives, a Houston-based non-profit organization that fights human trafficking. I like conferences, workshops, seminars, etc., but honestly, I was not looking forward to this one.
I love that the people of Bayou City Fellowship have such a heart for the nations, including our own soil. There is a great longing in many of our hears to see human trafficking abolished in Houston and the world, and brave warriors are fighting that battle daily. I heard and saw things (we were shown a video of a reverse sting at a hotel) on Saturday that I'd like to forget. The passion of each speaker was evident, the information was helpful, and the stories were moving. We celebrated victories. But the day was very heavy, as I expected it to be. I was reminded of Ephesians 6:12: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness."
What do we do about that? How do we fight the "cosmic darkness"? Dare we try? Oh yes, brothers and sisters, we must. And take heart:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4)
I left the conference a little early, but not before hearing a powerful word about how we are to do battle. Leigh Kohler is no stranger to many of you. She is on the board of As Our Own and was the final speaker I heard on Saturday. Her topic: The Power of Prayer in the Fight Against Human Trafficking. Prayer, as Leigh pointed out, is part of our inheritance as saints. It is anything but a worldly weapon. I have thinking a lot lately about the relationship between prayer and faith. They are inseparable. This may sound like an elementary principle, but it's been revolutionary for me. Looking back (not very far), when my faith has been weak, I have been prayerless. Lately I have been asking God for an explosion of faith, and I've recently realized that one of the fruits of faith is prayer! Faith is believing God. When we know who God is and we believe what He says, we pray differently. And when we see Him answer our prayers, our faith is strengthened. Do you see the cycle?
We serve a God who chooses to be affected by our prayers. Let's not waste our time debating how or why He does...let's get on with it!
Do you want to see girls rescued from trafficking? Pray!
Do you want your husband or wife or kids to know Jesus? Pray.
Do you want your faith to be strengthened? Are you aching for revival? PRAY.
THIS is how we do battle. Every battle.
I love that the people of Bayou City Fellowship have such a heart for the nations, including our own soil. There is a great longing in many of our hears to see human trafficking abolished in Houston and the world, and brave warriors are fighting that battle daily. I heard and saw things (we were shown a video of a reverse sting at a hotel) on Saturday that I'd like to forget. The passion of each speaker was evident, the information was helpful, and the stories were moving. We celebrated victories. But the day was very heavy, as I expected it to be. I was reminded of Ephesians 6:12: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness."
What do we do about that? How do we fight the "cosmic darkness"? Dare we try? Oh yes, brothers and sisters, we must. And take heart:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4)
I left the conference a little early, but not before hearing a powerful word about how we are to do battle. Leigh Kohler is no stranger to many of you. She is on the board of As Our Own and was the final speaker I heard on Saturday. Her topic: The Power of Prayer in the Fight Against Human Trafficking. Prayer, as Leigh pointed out, is part of our inheritance as saints. It is anything but a worldly weapon. I have thinking a lot lately about the relationship between prayer and faith. They are inseparable. This may sound like an elementary principle, but it's been revolutionary for me. Looking back (not very far), when my faith has been weak, I have been prayerless. Lately I have been asking God for an explosion of faith, and I've recently realized that one of the fruits of faith is prayer! Faith is believing God. When we know who God is and we believe what He says, we pray differently. And when we see Him answer our prayers, our faith is strengthened. Do you see the cycle?
We serve a God who chooses to be affected by our prayers. Let's not waste our time debating how or why He does...let's get on with it!
Do you want to see girls rescued from trafficking? Pray!
Do you want your husband or wife or kids to know Jesus? Pray.
Do you want your faith to be strengthened? Are you aching for revival? PRAY.
THIS is how we do battle. Every battle.
"And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long."
Ephesians 6:10-18, The Message