Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness is a fictional story about what is happening in the spiritual realm around us everyday. Recently I have felt like a character in a Peretti novel. I'm busy working, leading, training, and pastoring our church, and I don't think I realize often enough the profound spiritual implications of what we are about.
Every prayer is a battle cry. Every moment we overcome temptation we're defeating the enemy. Every act of faithfulness is a stab in the heart of the enemy's tactics. Every trial grows our faith. Every struggle with despair expands our understanding of God's love. Every question deepens my apologetics. Every arrow fired at our Cause strengthens our resolve. The struggles, challenges, frustrations, and conflicts are simply opportunities for growth- both personally and of God's Kingdom.
James 1:2-4 states, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (The Message)."
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