Update 9 - Bataan

The past two days have been interesting! We were up at 345 a.m yesterday and early again today, preparing to head out for long days. We are getting the further schools from us done earlier in the week here in Bataan. This city definitely seems like its a little bit more well off in spots then others. Maybe it's because I came from Aurora which was much more remote. By no means is it well off in a sense that we would think in America. There is just more to do and is much more city oriented.

I passed through the area where the "Bataan Death March" took place in 1942. It was on an extremely steep mountain and there were crosses and signs of remembrance around. It is a really sad atrocity that happened to prisoners in WWII and involves the Americans and Japanese.  Read more about that using the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March


There is also a sense of more spiritual oppression here. As soon as I got to this location I and a couple of others had that gut feeling. What's very interesting about this day is that there were some obstacles that got in the way with some of the groups. I had a good day and many people were receptive to Christ. However, I did come across a teacher who almost did not let us speak because she is a member of Iglesia de Christo church which is very cult like and believes very weird things. They believe being a member of "the church" and being in the building will save them and don't believe Jesus is the Messiah. It's one of the prominent types of churches we see here in the Philippines. There were also other groups that encountered some small and serious issues that really threw their days off course also. Peter Tebow and I were in a group today and he informed me of a really intense dream he had this morning and it had to do with serious spiritual warfare. I have also had some very real and graphic dreams in my life referring to this and many times it is God giving us warnings to make sure we have his full armor on to resist the enemy in the time of evil so that we can stand firm in him. It may be a situation we are in or are going to be in. When I was in Russia and some other places, I encountered a strong sense of oppression-much more so then here. In traveling, it's truly amazing how you can enter different areas and feel the intensity more so in certain spots. We prayed before we went out to the schools against the plans of the enemy that desired to thwart God's work here and desired to bring us down in the process. I am certain that wherever we go, Satan does not want to see God's word spread.

The Bible tells us, "Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:10-12). People do not stress the spiritual battles we are in every day. Many walk around thinking everything that we see is all that exists. But there is a very real spirit world out there that we are warring against. Satan is out to "kill, steal, and destroy" our lives as the word of God makes it clear. But "greater is he that is in us then he that is in the world (satan)". We have the strength and weapons of God in us if we look to him to combat the lies that come at us every day. There are many voices trying to lead us astray in life. It is up to us to have our ears inclined to hear God's voice of truth. If thoughts are coming in our minds telling us we are insignificant, bring fear in us and worry, then those are not thoughts from God. As we keep walking in our faith, God's voice becomes more clear. We have a part to play in seeking him and filling our minds with scriptures from the Bible to sustain us. They are promises from the Lord and he cannot break his promises. Otherwise God would be a liar and he has never lied since the beginning of time. His character becomes more and more evident as we study his word and build our relationship with him. It's an amazing thing if we open ourselves up to sustaining our lives through the Lord.

I also had a moment of revelation today. When we go to the schools, we hand out little pamphlets that talk about Jesus and his free gift of salvation. As I was handing them out, they were surrounding me on every side. The only thing that I saw were tiny little hands reaching out to me in every direction. It was almost like God completely zoomed my eyes in on the little hands, their shapes, their color. I then thought of the passage in the Bible where Jesus and the disciples were preaching to a crowd of 5,000 people. The disciples were about to send them all to nearby villages and farms so they could find food and lodging because there was nothing to eat. But Jesus stepped in and said to the disciples, "You feed them. " They had no idea how 5 loaves of bread and two fish would feed a crowd that large. But as Jesus kept handing them bread and fish it all just multiplied and they were able to feed everyone and had 12 baskets left over. This story is significant to me because Jesus told his DISCIPLES to feed them. He needed his followers to participate. He provided the food to THEM to distribute to the hungry people there. We as people are unequipped to feed others spiritually on our own. But when Jesus is the one holding the food in his hands, HE will make enough to go around to all. We just need to have the willingness to give him what we have (the menial 5 loaves and 2 fish), and watch what he will do with it. We then can take that food from him to give to others. What seems small to us is never small when it's in the hands of Jesus. Our very lives can be symbols of the fish and bread as well, as he breaks us and molds us in his hands, then distributes us to the world. I felt like God was showing me that as I was handing those pamphlets out to the kids and as I preached to them, I was being used as a vessel to give them the life sustaining food- Jesus. I left the school that day with tears in my eyes as this visual hit home in my heart so hard. It is not just about going to third world countries and preaching to children in need, but it can be carried out into our lives in the states. God has given us each talents and gifts, and when we offer it all to Jesus, He and only He can make what seems ordinary something extraordinary for his kingdom purposes. But it is never about us. It is always about the BIGGER picture in God's eyes....