Funny, this is the second time I have written this article in as many days. I guess I may have rattled the bones of an old adversary. You see, these past two weeks, for me, have been filled with numerous challenges and attacks that seem to come from left field. Once, I came back with some fairly harsh words to which I felt very convicted with regards to the way I handled the situation but the other times I felt an incredible peace descend as I looked past the attack and embraced the calm. The understanding, for me, came when I realized that you don’t disturb the soil unless you desire to plant seeds. I know I have talked about this in the past and I will do so until the day I die. If your enemy is focused on the stuff they feel is important and maintain the status quo, and if it does not cause you any grief or concern, why would you desire take their mind off it all and get them to turn their designs upon you? The term that drives me up the wall is “as long as it doesn’t affect me, why worry”. I have seen so many ministries that just keep on keeping on doing things the “way they have always been done” and they become ineffective and fade away. What a travesty and what a disservice to the Kingdom.
I am going to throw this out there; complacency is the work of the devil. Let me expand a little bit on that. If you are rolling along, avoiding the challenges by bending to the will of the world and not really planting your flag on any hill, do you think that you are making a difference or are you following the path of the church of Laodicea? If your ministry is lukewarm and no one is really challenged to move against worldly influences on the faith, do you think the devil is going to disturb you or take shots at you? Now, I am not saying that all ministries that are moving along well are ineffective but I am suggesting that we take time to examine our ministries, our lives even, and ask the question, “are we making the devil nervous or angry?” A few weeks ago, I had a decision to make and I chose a path that led me away from a position of comfort and put me onto the path of ministry that looks very much like that of the Apostle Paul. Natalie and I decided to retire from the church and, moving out in faith, followed the call to that of a tent maker. You see, Paul went from province to province and helped those new churches get established and healthy, plus he taught a new generation of preachers and spoke in the new lands to all who would hear. Natalie and I have embraced this new opportunity and move. I did, however, fail to remember that Paul did not walk around all happy and feeling secure, he was hammered by those who listened to the world, the same world that the devil plays in, and was never really safe (just read through his letters). Through it all, he persevered and was protected by the One who was in ultimate authority, Jesus. I have learned that life is not always going to be a bowl of cherries but if you lean fully on His guidance and strength, He will not let you fall.
The devil has no power over us and would love to let sleeping dogs lie for fear of disturbing the faithful to action. Last week, we talked about a society that has forgotten the love of God and the travesties of the past, the time has come to poke the bear, arose the sleeping nation of faith and rally them to take back what the devil has stolen and this Sunday, I will delve into this subject more. Please plan to join us either in person or online at 10:30 AM this Sunday. The service will be broadcast online on our website (https://www.mainavefellowship.ca/socialplatforms ), or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessings,
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