Prayer

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted here! I created this blog to post pictures and stories while I was in India, but things didn’t happen exactly like I wanted them to. I still want to make it useful though. Hang tight, read prayerfully, and I pray you’re encouraged and challenged.

Two of the biggest things I learned about are prayer and spiritual warfare. The enemy is very clever and doesn’t put in any half-hearted efforts. He causes strongholds and blindness in very unique ways according to culture. The way he deceives Hindus is different for Muslims, which is different for Buddhists, which is different for Christians. I know I said culture and then named religion, but I believe that these religions are very much tied to culture. There is a saying we heard over the summer that said, “To be Indian is to be Hindu.” (it could have been the other way around) But my point is that Hinduism is tied to Indian culture; Islam is tied to African, Pakistani, or Indonesian culture; Buddhism is tied to Chinese culture; and Christianity is tied to American culture. These are just examples or countries tied to religion. They aren't the only ones. God really showed me some ways that I have been deceived and that many other Americans are deceived. One of the biggest strongholds we live in is that we are desensitized to a lot of darkness that helps the enemy keep us in check. The majority of movies and tv shows that we watch contain some sort of violence (rape, murder, kidnapping, abuse), homosexuality, crude humor, language, affairs, and pre-marital sex. We are so used to it and simply say that it doesn’t affect us, but every bit of that is darkness that we allow into our lives. Luke 11:34 says, “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” I could be wrong on this, but I’m going to go with it anyway because I feel like God has stirred my heart to share. Since we have become so desensitized to darkness, we have become more and more unaware of the spiritual realm. I’m not talking about all aspects of the spiritual realm, but specifically spiritual warfare. It’s not usually a topic of a sermon or a conversation. We are unaware that there is a battle that is constantly going on around us that has nothing to do with our physical selves, and it’s serious! Paul talks about it in Ephesians 6 when he tells us to put on the Spiritual Armor so that we’ll be able to stand firm. Most of us could probably go through and list what each of the pieces of Armor are, but this summer a new part of the Armor stood out that I pretty much overlooked before. Ephesians 6:18 says, “and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Somewhere, somehow prayer has gained negative correspondence. Prayer meetings are so small, but fellowships with food overflow. Prayer is taken lightly and I think considered ineffective by a lot of people. It’s often a last resort instead of the first. Prayer requests for physical needs will flood you, but spiritual needs are not often considered or prayed for. When we do pray, there is a lack of faith. (Again, I’m just making sure everyone reading this knows that I’m not claiming this for every person, every situation, that this is the only way the enemy attacks, and I’ve got it down so you better catch up to me. I’m not anywhere close to having anything down! This is just something that God showed me was lacking in my life and I saw it in other places as well. Thanks. Just had to make that disclaimer.)

Let me get to my point before I just start rambling and everybody stops reading. God has really burdened my heart for the eyes of the American church to be opened to the spiritual warfare that is going on around us; and the need there is for us to fight (together, not against each other haha). Jesus told us in John 15 that apart from Him we can do nothing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says we are saved by grace and not by anything of ourselves. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to BE sin for us that we might become the righteousness of GOD in HIM.” So it would be pretty stupid to go into this battle thinking we’re tough enough and strong enough. This is why prayer and time in the Word is so stinkin important. There are so many physical needs out there that need to be prayed for, but I don’t think it compares to the urgent spiritual needs. Our physical bodies are not eternal. Now, I’m not saying prayer for physical needs is not important, I’m just saying that we need to start becoming more aware and concerned for spiritual needs as well. Praying for someone who has cancer and praying for someone who is lost and will forever be separated from Christ…there's a big difference. Good news though. You don’t have to pick one. Pray for both. Just see how much of a spiritual need and battle there is around us and start praying! Of course, then you better be ready to act when God says go! Pray with faith! Pray with authority and power in the name of Jesus Christ. I also want to encourage you to talk to God and not the devil. Pray for the power of Jesus to overcome evil, rather than praying against it and attacking it yourself.

I promise I’m gonna shut up. Thanks for reading this far and I am praying that God stirs your heart and that you’ll join in the spiritual battle. I want to give you at least one way to join in. There are so many people on the other side of the world who have never heard the name of Jesus, who don’t have a Bible written in their mother tongue, and don’t have any Christian work among them. There are also people here in America who, amazingly enough, have never heard the name of Jesus Christ and don’t know His story. One of the ways I want to ask all of you to join me and so many others is by praying for the nations to come to know Him. There are much more unreached peoples overseas, so most of the requests will probably be for that; but I want to encourage you to be praying for those around you who do not know Jesus Christ. If you don’t know if they know…find out and pray either way! We’ll pray for nonbelievers, the believers who are working out in the harvest field, and for more workers to go out into the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38 “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”) Each week I’ll post a prayer request. If you’ve got something specific you would like me and others to pray for, feel free to comment.

I want to become a woman of prayer and it’s been hard. I haven’t done such a good job this week. That’s why it’s important for us to stand and fight together. I may fail and so may you; but God never does and He is strong in our weaknesses, so don’t get discouraged. Just keep trying. He has asked us to pray, so let’s follow in obedience!

Here is the first request. I’m going to post a list of groups and some ways to pray for them. Please pick one or more and let everyone know who you chose so we can make sure they all are prayed for. I know you’ve been reading a while, but please take time at some point this week to lift up one or more of these groups. Be blessed.

1. The influential high-caste Brahmin and Chhetri (Rajput). Pride, idol worship, fear, and demonic bondage keep many from openly coming to Christ. Yet in contrast to India, a significant number have done so.
2. The Awadhi and Maithili of the Terai lowlands on the Indian border. Few of them have heard the gospel and these few have been unresponsive. The Tharu are more animist than Hindu; many little churches are springing up among them.
3. The Mountain peoples - almost entirely Tibetan-related. Most are lamaistic Buddhists living in isolated mountain communties, such as the Loba people of Mustang. Most are small in number and Christians are few. There are an increasing number of believers among the Sherpa of the Mt. Everest area.
4. Tibetan refugees - long unreached; now there is a steady trickle of people seeking the Lord and several congregations among them.
5. The increased numbers of Muslims. Many are Bengali, Kashmiri or Urdu-speaking traders. Only about 20 Muslim-background believers are known. There is no focused outreach to them.
6. University students. There are 100,000 students in 3 universities on 150 campuses. In 1996 NBCBS had 25 groups, but most students remain unreached.