Sehr geehrte Epaphras !
Seventy-seven years ago today Japan launched a surprise attack on then US territory, Hawaii. It was a bloodbath and more than 2400 service men, women and civilians lost their lives and thousands were injured. That attack shook a nation and it was the next day, December 8, 1941 that the US officially declared war!
We are at war here in Europe. Not against men, women, buildings or armies. But, war nonetheless. This spiritual war we fight is against an invisible enemy who works in very visible ways. He is a persistent enemy, day after day seeking to devour, deceive, steal, kill and destroy. He is a deceitful enemy and has convinced many (sadly some Christians) that he doesn’t exist and that the war is not real, but, just in our minds.
We are called to fight! We are called to resist him. James writes to a very young church in chapter four of his letter;
“Submit yourselves to God, resist the Devil and he will flee…”
James 4 v 7
Paul encourages us to take up spiritual armor and to fight our invisible enemy. One particular part of that armor is the shield of faith…
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one…”
Ephesians 6 v 16
There is much more I could write about this. But, I’m assuming we are all on the same page with respect to the war we wage. So, here are some ways our enemy is fighting against us here in Europe and some ways we can resist him :
Standing against the Thief
We have more than 250 missionaries in Europe under our (PIONEERS) care. By the time a family reaches the field, there has been significant spiritual, financial and emotional investment. Also, all of our workers leave behind friends, family and careers. While we have not yet had anyone ‘die’ physically while serving in Europe, we have lost folks to discouragement, stress, anxiety, infidelity and a financial ruin. And, many of those before the end of their first term! So, lets resist the thief together, praying specifically for our workers in France, Spain and Basque country.
Resist the liar
So many of our team conflicts arise from a breakdown in communication. Communicating with one’s like culture friends is difficult enough. Now, bring different cultures and languages into the mix. Our enemy twists words, bends truth and speaks lies. The result, if we are not aware, is increasing conflict and an eventual team break up. Please pray for several of our teams where communication is breaking down. Ask the Lord for clarity.
Stand against the one who deceives
Lastly, lets ask that blindfolds would be removed from the minds of Europeans. Paul writes about non-believers that;
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…”
2 Corinthians 4:4
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve spoken with European’s about Faith and they just cannot see it. You can preach the Gospel clearly and yet, it falls on deaf ears. There is no spiritual hunger, no thirst, no seeking God. Let’s ask that the enemy would lose his grip of deception over Europe and that genuine spiritual hunger would arise across this continent.
So, as you remember our fallen heroes today, please remember the invisible war being waged here and join us in battle.
Privileged to partner with you for the spread of the Gospel in Europe!
Steve, Sara, Annie and Julia