In the Presence of my Enemies


Psalms 23:5 says " You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I have heard this verse a thousand times but tonight I see this verse in a whole new light. I am reading Face to Face with God by Bill Johnson. He addresses this verse as though God is sayiing "Satan! My people love Me and I love them, and you're going to watch!! Such romance strikes terror in teh heart of the devil and his hosts. At this table of fellowship our relationship with God deepens and overflows into a life of victory in conflict with the powers of darkness.


This struck a chord with me in great ways. This past week we particpated in the Nehemiah City Tour. On this tour we first went to a Islamic Center and were taught the key values of Islam. The people there were incredibly hospitable to us. Despite the fact that they were celebrating the Holy month of Ramadan which means they were fasting, they still served us a helping of Baklava.

The next stop was the Hindu Temple. This temple is grand and elegantly crafted with 33,000 individual pieces imported from Turkey and India. On the outside it is incredibly beautiful, on the inside there is a dark spiritual war raging. We went during a service that was honoring the birthday of Lord Krishna ( a famous deity). There were several men, women and children bowing and lifting up their prayers to these deities. As I sat in the midst of them, I tried lifting my prayers up to Yahweh and I could feel the oppression and hindrances to my prayers. It was strong. The battle was raging!

The next day, my roomate and I returned back to the temple to claim authority over that place. We met a little 4 year old boy who could tell us everything we ever wanted to know about Hinduism. He showed us exactly how to pray, and named off all of the deities. It was heartbreaking as he told us he attends the temple every single day with his mother. We met his mother and she talked with us more about Hinduism.


Living in Houston and interacting with Muslims and Hindus on a day to day basis has opened my eyes. My relationship with God has got to go deeper. I desire to be so in love with my Lord that the darkness trembles as they watch the intimacy that we share. Please pray that the strongholds of the enemy will be broken down here in Houston and all over the world. I challenge you to see your relationship and intimacy with Christ as a weapon in itself.

Comments

  1. WindhamsInOaxaca8 September 2010 at 08:11

    Great challenge Ashley. Everything we do must flow out of a deep walk with Him.

    ReplyDelete

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