When the ememy presses in hard...

DO NOT FEAR! THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!

Take courage my friend, your redemption is near, THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!

Several years ago my friends Carolyn and Claire and I were honored to go to Guadalajara on a trip with CCPlano. Mike McIntosh spoke at Festival de Vida and many souls entered the Kingdom during the week long events.

The first night in the hotel, our excitement overwhelmed us and we stayed up way too late listening to a Terry & Nancy Clark tape and singing over and over again, 'THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD.'

The next morning at breakfast one of the leaders welcomed everyone & began going over the plans for the week. We were still filled to overflowing with excitement, even when he concluded by saying, " Oh yea, by the way. Last night, on one particular floor in the hotel, we could hear ladies singing way in to the early hours of the morning. Yes, the battle does belong to the LORD ladies, but please, could you hold it down?' He went on to talk about respecting others and being mindful of each one on the team. He then dubbed us the "Praise Babes" which is how we became known the whole trip.

As it turned out, we were the only ones, out of 50 or so, who had brought a tape player! Okay, back then it was a 'ghetto blaster' and we were the only ones that had one! From then on every morning's announcements ended something like this: "The Mime Team is going out and needs music, see the Praise Babes for audio equipment." or, "The Clown Team will be at Parke Aqua Azul at noon, see Praise Babes for Spanish tapes and audio equipment."

It was one of the most memerable times of my life. I saw my friends Claire and Bobby 'fall in' to a clown ministry which has since seen many lives touched over the years. I will never forget one day at the park while dressed in her clown suit Claire spotted a man running around the track field. As the man rounded the corner closest to us, Claire ran to meet him and began jogging beside him trying desperatly to share the gospel with him in Spanish. I think she must have run 2 or 3 laps around beside him with him not saying one word. Finally, out of breath, and out of Spanish words, she said in English, 'whewwww, I just can't go any further, I have to stop." To which the man replied in perfect English, "Good, your Spanish sucks."

I remember one pastor's, (Ed from CCElPaso) devotional from 1 Peter 1:8 "...whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory..."

Imagine that, "whom having not seen, you love." Do you love Him today? Do I love Him today? Are you seeking Him today? Am I seeking Him today? It is so easy not to. It is so much easier to go on about our daily lives praying and spending an hour or so in church on Sunday morning and saying we love Him, but are we really in love with Him?

Do we love Him as much as we love the things of this world? Or do we love the things of this world and then give Him our left over love and time and talents?

I have to confess, I battle with spending time in the Word, in prayer and in praise. Do you? I struggle to seek Him. Knowing all the while, this one thing I do will reep a far greater reward than anything this world can promise. Knowing that this one thing I do will bring forth JOY INEXPRESSIBLE AND FULL GLORY...

I challenge myself today to seek Him, Jeremiah says that we will find Him when we seek Him with all of hearts...

Whom having not seen, you love. I have a friend who is blind from birth. She loves Jesus with all here heart. She has not seen Him, nor have I. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Whom having not seen, we love. I want to love Him more and someday I shall see Him, 'tu cara cara!'

In Guadalajara Mexico, in a small hotel room all those years ago, Claire and Carolyn and I stood and held hands and prayed. I prayed in tongues and Carolyn prayed in English and Claire prayed in Spanish. Carolyn prayed and ask Him to comfort her broken heart. She missed her daddy who had died just a short time before our trip. Just a short time later after returning to Dallas, Carolyn was killed in a car accident. She and her daddy, and all those who have gone before us have seen Him now.

Until we see Him, let's seek Him. And all the while remember that He will be found by us, and that the battle we are facing here below belongs to Him.

1 Samual17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's..."