Battles Won - Battles Lost
I finished speaking last week in the Baguio DTS with a bang. It was a powerful time for all of us- speaker, staff, and students. One of the prime truths of the week, under the topic of Spiritual Warfare, was that Belief is not something we passively agree to but it is something we act on. You can agree and say you believe many things but until you act on it, it's not belief (eg Peter getting out of the boat Mark ch6). True belief is action despite fear; it removes doubt and selfishness. Belief replaces those things with resolve, confidence, and generosity. On the last day, the students made a serious declaration of faith. I asked which of them still needed money for their school and outreach fees. Every single hand shot up in the air- all twenty of them were in need. (Many people come to these schools from poor humble backgrounds with little money)
What happened next can only be described as supernatural. I asked them to pray that God would provide for them. So they prayed and out of that prayer time, their faith was challenged in a very real way. Where they just going to stand there and and agree that God would provide for them or were they going to believe? So to act on our faith/belief that He would provide, we started to put money in a jar to give towards an unknown need. Students and staff alike ran back to their rooms to get more money to put in the jar. At the end of that time people had given up much of what they had left to themselves out of their own empty pockets. We decided to give to most immediate need that was not us.The money was given to a ministry at YWAM Baguio called "Island Breeze" which performs original tribal dances and music. These people had been trying to get to Australia for a conference and had been selling extra clothing, their own valuables, and much more. They were very faithful and diligent in trying to raise money but the deadline had passed and if they were going to go, it had to happen that weekend. So, the broke DTS students gave what little they had to Island Breeze and only minutes after they had given them the money someone pledged Island Breeze $1,000 Australian dollars! Generosity breeds generosity so the hungry get fed and those in need are taken care of. I saw powerful belief in that classroom that day because each person gave until it hurt.
Many have never experienced belief that strong before because what we give is extra or what is convenient. The feeling in that room was unlike I have ever had. So many, all at once decided that someone else's need was greater than their own and that released a rare power. And if you think I am being spectacular, you are right because it was! Island Breeze went to Australia and the DTS students, more broke than before, learned first hand about Spiritual Warfare. What they learned, they experienced because that day they won a key battle; the one for their hearts. The war starts in our mind and is played out in our actions. You see it all the time when people act greedy or indifferent. Their lives reflect their hearts. But generosity and thankfulness destroys greed and bitterness and that is Spiritual Warfare.I will never be the same after that and will always think of those students next time I am faced with someone else's need.
----Sarah's Travel Update--------
So the time has come and gone and Sarah's green card did not come in time. This has come as a disappointment and a burden to us and many people who have been praying. In order not to lose Sarah's ticket we had to pay to move it to January, the next possible time for us to go to the Philippines. Since it is peak season now, the airlines have sold more tickets than they have seats which means I have no chance of coming home early. This is difficult because it keeps Sarah and I apart for two more weeks - add that to the last two weeks and you get a whole month the newly-weds are apart. It is really hard for us. The only thing I can do is buy a new ticket business-class to get home early. Lord knows we would if we could. So we talk twice a day, everyday over SKYPE. We are not deeply discouraged because we know God is still good and there any many reasons why this didn't come together in time. What the enemy wants to use for evil God uses for good, because he's like that, Sarah and I will be returning to the Philippines in January. And after talking with people here, there seems to be an open invitation to teach.----Financial Update----
Thanks again everyone for supporting Sarah and I. I hope you see the difference you are making. Thanks Bill for having faith in what Sarah and I are doing. Peoples lives are being changed and the result is changed Nations! We are now down to $350 to cover the outreach. If you read this and want to support Sarah and I you can click on the DONATE button to support us directly through PAYPAL.
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