The Battle

I had a bad dream last night.  I'd set my alarm for a half hour earlier than usual, but instead, I woke up a half hour before that.  Have you ever tried to talk in your dream but felt to weak to get the words out?  Then when you wake up you realize that you were actually trying to say the words, but you were asleep.  In my dream, I was finally able to speak what I was trying to say.  I woke myself up when I physically uttered the words "Jesus Christ".  

Basically, I dreamed about spiritual warfare.  I don't believe that it meant anything, but it caused me to wake up with lots of heavy stuff on my mind.  

Perhaps my dream came from the research I was doing right before I went to bed.  My dad recently returned from a mission trip to Haiti.  The pictures and stories that he tells are so unbelievable, especially concerning the poverty of this country.  Did you know that Haiti was once one of the richest, most beautiful countries in the world?  But did you also know that it is a documented historical fact (and I read this last night) that in 1791, the ruler of Haiti, in an effort of "free" his people from the French, dedicated the country to Satan in a ceremony?  The deal was to serve him for two hundred years.  Then in 1991, two hundred years later, the country was rededicated to Satan.  This same leader officially proclaimed Voodoo as a recognized religion in 2003.  Haiti is now ravaged by poverty, disease and violence.  The Dominican Republic shares the same island as Haiti, and it is said that from the air especially, there is a stark contrast between the two countries.  The desolation and devastation of Haiti looks brown up against the green rainforests and vegetation of the DR.  

I am not fixated on this, however.  The good news is that Christians are now going to Haiti all the time, ministering to these people and sharing with them the good news of Christ.  It just reminds me that the battle for the people of this earth is a spiritual one.  The Bible is clear that our "struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness..." (Ephesians 6:12).  But God does not leave us hanging.  That same passage goes on to give us clear instructions of how to fight in this battle.  We should never take this lightly--it's a matter of eternal life and death.

I don't believe that we are to be "hung up" on the dark forces that are at work, but we are to be on the alert and, as I have said many times, saturate ourselves with the Word of God so that we can be prepared to live in a world where so many still need to know and claim the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And pray for the people of Haiti, that God would do a great work in the hearts of these people.  It is documented that in 1997, a Christian revival took place at the very location of the evil "dedication".  I don't claim to know all about this, but I know that 1 John 4:4 says, "...greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."  My dad said his life was changed by seeing how the people worshipped God and had joy, even in the midst of such poverty.  God will certainly prevail, which is a great hope for us and the world!  (This is a picture of my dad, getting ready to speak at a church service).