Encouragement in the Battle

God has been encouraging Shari and I as we struggle to engage in the battle that is obviously all around us. As stated in my blog last month, I have been reading "Waking the Dead" and "Stomping Out the Darkness." These two books are a great reminder that we're in a battle, not just for souls, but for the life Jesus promises us. So often we simply succumb to life because, as a student I talked with last night stated, "That's just life." But it's not. Satan is alive and kicking in the world (Ephesians 6:12), and our flesh is constantly battling God's Spirit at work in us (Romans 7:7-25). To encourage us to keep going, God has provided us with other input from various sources, and I am so thankful. The overall message He's communicated - Engage in the battle through prayer and reading the Word, love even those who wound us, and don't get discouraged - He's walking through this with us. I wanted to link to the articles and such that God has spoken through, but they're not all online yet (since some of them are from this month's issue of "The Journal of Student Ministries), but here are two links to places God has spoken through: More scripture and an article by Seth Barnes. The big deal, for me, though, is it's a battle even to engage in the battle. There are so many "good" things to be doing (like writing this blog post), and prayer seems like you're doing so little (though we say we believe otherwise). I've got to fight even through that and pursue God for the strength, annointing, ability, and wisdom to do what He's called me to do - pastor students and their families. I am so thankful for those who stand with me in prayer, even when I am weak in that arena. I know there are folks fighting with me, and that, too, is an encouragement to keep fighting the fight.