We've Seen The Kingdom Come
The joy of Lord keeps us going. It is tempting to just cut loose and drift with the tide, but when God puts a call on your life, that is not an option. You can't just drift and succeed. If everything that happens on earth is a result of God's will, why did Jesus tell us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? The place where God's will is automatic is in heaven. That's why I look forward to getting there. Unfortunately, for the earth, we have a devil to fight. You have to find the cancer before you can cut it out. I have had many people say, "Just pray and trust God." That is comforting, but a bit dangerous. That 'cruise control' mentality doesn't work in the heat of battle. I have found that we must even contend for prophetic words. Faith is not optional. We have found through 22 years of boots on the ground in Cambodia, the more you press into the kingdom of God on earth, the more severe the pressure is from the opposition. We must be led into truth by the Holy Spirit and not by the nightly news. To that end, there is no substitute for praying in the Spirit (Tongues).
The fortunate thing about coming to Cambodia 22 years ago, is that we were working with a blank slate. We didn't have to plow through the rubble of failed religion. We simply began getting people saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, using their prayer language and watched miracles start to happen. I actually think that what we saw was an enactment of “child like faith”. Our people didn't know any better, so they just believed God. The first years were the easiest due to the fact that doubt had not yet been introduced. As we began to grow, we picked up the devil's attention. These days it takes more effort. I find myself praying at least three hours in the Spirit everyday and sometimes more. People think I have a nervous twitch when they see my lips moving, but no, that's just me praying softly in the Spirit.
I believe the warfare this year has been a slugfest all over the world and I tell you, in all seriousness, we need to intensify the fight. Sure, it involves loving people and ministering in the natural; feeding the hungry, binding up wounds, caring for the orphans, widows and the poor; starting new churches and teaching Biblical truths. In a way, those are easier fights because you will get mostly universal support in the flesh. The harder battle is the spiritual one. Learning to dispatch angels, cast out demonic spirits, release blessings, praise God with intensity and even learning how to move into releasing confusion into the enemy camps. I know this sounds kind of 'spooky' to some people, but for us, it is ushering in the Kingdom of God. It is a fight. It is survival. It brings the greatest joy when you see people set free and the kingdom of God advanced!
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