We had our first conference today and it went very well. Our trip here was perhaps the smoothest and most restful we ever had – thanks for praying. We rested more on the trip here and it went faster than ever. Still, we totally crashed at 3 PM Sunday afternoon, 44 hours after we got out of bed in the USA, and slept for 12 hours. We felt much better this morning when we got up, even though it was quite early. We hit the exercise room about 5 AM, something that won’t be happening again I’m sure.
Despite starting 3 hours late (something not atypical here in India) the first day went very well. I started off talking about What God Expects of Pastors, something we’ve started with for many years. I think I’ve used that talk at least 60 times here! It’s the subject of the first book I wrote so thousands of copies of it have been distributed. Each time I go through it I am totally satisfied with how it presents the ministry to these men. God still uses it to speak to me in many ways.
Then I began the main topic for this years’ conferences – Bible Overview. It is a walk-through of the Bible but the focus is on developing God’s plan of redemption from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22. The last blog talked about this. Future blogs will summarize the teaching for you. I did the first and second sessions today: Old Testament and Life of Jesus. Tomorrow I will conclude with the rest of the New Testament. Also I will have me spiritual warfare session – something I’ve closed with for many years as well. And the book on Spiritual Warfare book is also in its second printing with thousands of copies everywhere. I’ll also speak about how to tell if someone is growing spiritually.
The blessings are many and rich. The privilege of spreading these great words is beyond anything any human is worthy of. And the rich fellowship in Pastor Moses’ church, where I’ve spoken about 30 times now and where I fell more at home than in any church except Main St Baptist Church, touches me through and through.
But the battle is real, the enemy is active and the oppression is strong. The prayers of God’s people and the mercy of God Himself protect us and keep him and his demons from doing most of what they’d like. They are around us and working, but not succeeding as they would like. They still take a toll, though, so don’t stop praying! (January 19, 2016 Hyderabad, India)
2 Chronicles 20:15 “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”
Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Are there any battles you are facing now? Maybe you haven’t seen them as a battle because you’ve given in instead of fighting. How can these verses help you fight those battles?