"Where the battle is won or lost"

’If you will return, O Israel,’says the Lord . .

-Jeremiah 4:1
Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.

I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.

In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory. -Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest"

Suffering in relation to missions, the American Church and us

The reason, I believe, that we experience God more vibrantly and powerfully in another country, specifically on missions is because the people there have and are suffering. Suffering because of there living situation, poverty, war, loss of loved ones and because of religious persecution. Suffering is one of the keys to unlocking greater intimacy with Jesus.

We rarely if ever suffer in the United States yet this is something the Bible talks about continually. We see this in the story of Joseph in Genesis chapter 37-48. We this in a list of ways that Paul suffered for Christ in 2 Corinthians 11. We see this in Christ. We see this in many more ways. If you focus on this theme, it will pop up more frequently than you think in the Bible. We are called to suffer for our Lord.

Christians in other countries suffer continually therefore relying on God for everything. It very hard to rely on God for everything here. If worse comes to worse, we can even throw some money on the credit card and get by for a few more days. Because they have to rely on God for everything, this produces persistence and trust producing God's joy, love, hope, power and provision.

"When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, with imitating Him and quoting Him and speaking of Him. But only in suffering will we know Jesus." (Joni Eareckson Tada)

But only in suffering will we know Jesus. He is attracted to our weakness. Our weakness makes room for His power. That is what draws us back to those places of joyful, loving people.

Through suffering, God is closest and most visibly because only can we identify with Jesus in His death as well as in His life. We rarely suffer here. Instead of harping on what kind of music, pastors, sermons, denominations, money, look of a sanctuary, the American church should start focusing on relying on God with everything. Can you imagine a church tithing 90% or praying desperately because they want God to show them what the next sermon to preach. Praying has ignited every single spiritual awakening down throughout history. That is powerful.

We need to pray more. Pray on our knees for more opportunities to suffer for our Lord. Pray for trials. Pray for persecution. Pray for God to lead us in everything. And be willing to follow God no matter the cost. What would that look like?