I recently went through a support raising seminar that challenged me to think through stories ... stories of God's faithfulness and intervention over the years of my ministry. This was good to do, and by God's grace I was able to come up with a few instances in which He truly did show up. These may be familiar to some of you, but the refresher can't hurt. We'll start with one and add on over the next couple of days. To God be the glory...
A Physical Manifestation of Spiritual Warfare (February-July 2000)
I took some pride in the fact that I rarely ever got hurt or sick growing up. When I left for Austria the worst I'd had it was the flu in middle school, pneumonia in high school and a broken nose and big toe in college. That was about the extent of it. Then after my first month in language school in Germany I got a tear in my Achilles tendon moving into a new flat. Six weeks later, when I was sufficiently recovered to play some ultimate frisbee, I laid out for one throw in the endzone. I caught it, which was good, but I landed on my head and shoulder, which was not good. I knew right away I'd hurt myself badly. X-rays the next day revealed a torn ligament in my left shoulder (which is a big problem for a lefty). About two months after that I broke my other big toe and bruised my knee playing soccer at my best friend's bachelor party. Shortly after returning to Austria I got bronchitis. It was then that I realized something was up. This was an unnatural sequence of accidents and illnesses. I began to wonder if the Enemy wasn't attacking me in an area that had been a strength for me up til that point. To test my theory I asked my supporters to pray for protection on my health, and I prayed likewise. It worked. Although I got sick more in Austria over the next two years than I did when I lived in the States, I never suffered any more major injuries and the illnesses were spaced apart. Spiritual warfare can take many forms ... we must be wise to identify it and diligent in opposing it with all the weapons available to us (Ephesians 6).
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