A Petition for Prayer

Siestas, I'm coming to you today to ask you for prayer. Your sisters at LPM and our families, as well as our dear friends the Cottrells, are feeling the heat of the spiritual battle being waged around us. We are going through a time of spiritual warfare and could really use your prayers.

The enemy has largely been targeting our physical health. Everyone goes through seasons of hardship, but what's cluing us into the fact that this is a spiritual matter is that the same equation is being used over and over with different variables.

For lack of a better word, he is threatening us. Serious things keep threatening to occur, but don't fully pan out (for which we are thankful). For example, this morning Annabeth came down with a raging case of what turned out to be hives. She's going to be fine, but the back of her head was swelling and we really thought we had an emergency on our hands. I could spout off at least six other situations where something harmful has threatened to occur, but has turned out to be relatively minor.

A few weeks ago I heard a sermon from Dr. David Jeremiah on the radio (I believe it was "Slaying the Giant of Temptation - Part 1"). He said that Christian leaders feel the heat of the battle through spiritual warfare, but they also get the best view to see the enemy's defeat. I just love that. I called my mom immediately and quoted it to her. Not only will we see him defeated in this time of warfare, but we also get to see him defeated on a daily basis as women open up their Bibles and let the Word of God change their lives. Ladies, we would not trade that for anything. It is an incredible privilege to get to see God at work in you. We are so blessed.

I will leave you with these verses from our Bible study last night. I have not been able to get the lesson off my mind. He is so worthy, Siestas! Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Revelation 5:6-14

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.