Friday, March 21, 2008

March Updates

It's been exceptionally busy for me this month. The Lord by His grace has been allowing me to spend more time in prayer, and studying His Word. He's also given me the opportunity to minister to and disciple different people.

Among the other things I did at church this month, I was able to help out a team of believers that came down from Florida to continue the construction in one of the churches we have in Puente Piedra, a poor, desert-like part of Lima. I helped translating and a little with construction. In about 6 days we managed to put up a concrete roof in one of the rooms and a concrete floor in another. Though I didn't labor nearly as hard as the rest, it was still very physically demanding work for me, especially since we were out in the sun all day.


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Last week my aunt came from California to visit, bringing much love, blessings, and goodies from the States. She's in the middle, with my grandma and my other aunt.
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Yesterday, a group of us from Koinonia hit the streets to do evangelism. Many of us had the day off because of Easter weekend. We went to a huge market area in the district of Gamarra. We witnessed to many, preached open-air, and handed out hundreds of tracts. It was really awesome to see the Lord work through us in His mighty power. He united us in one spirit and filled us with boldness and compassion for the lost. He has been working in the hearts of many of my brothers and sisters lately, giving them great zeal to exalt His glorious Gospel, and more of a passion and desire to know Jesus more and to see Him glorified. I praise the Lord for what He did yesterday.

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God has been opening many doors for me this month. Pretty soon I'm going to start an evangelism class for the youth of our church, God willing. Also, either this month or early next month I'm hoping to travel with a friend to the city of Huancayo, which is in the mountains. God has been speaking to us about going there; from what I've heard there is great spiritual need in that city. Our purpose in traveling there is mainly to spy out the land, to see what kind of spiritual giants we're going to be facing. Then later on (God willing) we'll be able to return with a team of armed and equipped evangelists to wage war on the principalities and powers of the city.

Well, that's all for now. Please pray for me for much wisdom in making decisions, for the Lord's help and presence to always be real in my life, for the Spirit's fullness, for boldness, and for more open doors for the furtherance of the Gospel.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Some thoughts on prayer...

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
1Peter 3:12

The Lord has been so faithful during these past fews months. He has used many different circumstances to demonstrate to me that He not only hears my prayers, but that He also answers them! I can trust Him and stand firm in His promises. Not like I didn't know this before, but all this year it has been a constant REALITY in my life--I've seen Him accomplish both supernatural and seemingly ordinary things as answers to prayer.

(Among some of the "ordinary" things, He has provided me with a new digital camera, which means I'll be able to post more pictures up soon.)

Lately He has been filling me with an ever-increasing passion for Him--to KNOW Him more, and that my Lord and Savior be exalted and glorified. One of the verses that He has been showing me is Philippians 3:10:

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death"

I'm getting more and more of a holy desperation for His presence and power to be REAL in my life. I've been spending much more time with Him in adoration, prayer, and intercession. One of the things He does not allow me to forget is that the most important thing we can do as believers is pray. And not just pray, but really pray: to come to Christ, absolutely surrendered, and draw close enough to Him to become a partaker in the "fellowship of His sufferings." To feel what He feels. To pray the prayers of His heart. To come into His holy presence, boldly before His throne, and agonize in intercession, wrestling with Him until we have received the blessing. That is true prayer.

Oh, but there is a high price to pay for such a type of prayer, as God has shown me. It'll mean loss of food, of sleep, our reputation, our time...it will cost us our very lives.

But can we afford not do this in such a wicked and perverse generation as this? In the light of eternity, what will our petty little necessities matter? Souls are being damned to eternal torment by the minute; the name of God is being blasphemed daily by the heathen; Jesus is not receiving the glory He so rightfully deserves; most of the Church in the west is limping; and multitudes in Christendom today are in danger of being spewed out of the very mouth of Christ!

Brothers and sisters, the time is urgent! We need to pray!