Destroying Strongholds
Even before September 11, it was widely known thatal-Qaeda fighters were hiding out in the Zhawar Kili valley, along theAfghan-Pakistani border. Zhawar Kili was an important strategiclocation. Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters were not only hiding out there,but also using the valley as an escape route into Pakistan. What the 16US Navy SEALs who led a raid into that valley did not know was that anunderground cave structure housed a stronghold of enemy weapons andmunitions - the largest of the war in Afghanistan.
Traveling with the SEALs into Zhawar Kili was 50 Marines assigned toprovide perimeter security, 2 special agents from the FBI, an ArmyExplosive Ordinance Technician, and 2 Air Force Special Operators froma highly trained group called the Combat Control Teams (CCT). Although50 Marines and 16 Navy SEALs is an amazing force on the battlefield,this important raid would have hit a dead end had it not been for the 2Special Operators from the CCTs. Combat Controllers are trained likeair traffic controllers for the military's most powerful, long-rangeweapons. From fighter jets miles above Air Force CCTs guide and directrocket attacks, or from miles away, in the Persian Gulf, precisionmissiles are directed, time detonated and adjusted by these highlytrained specialists.
This Joint Special Operations team had uncovered a massive amount ofenemy weapons, munitions and equipment. They would have had no way todemolish this underground stronghold had it not been for the long-rangeweapons capabilities of the Combat Controllers. On a mission that wasmeant to take 12 hours, CCTs directed 404,000 pounds of explosiveordinance into Zhawar Kili over the course of 7 nonstop days in thefield and broke the back of the Taliban in Afghanistan (Information taken from Down Range, by Dick Couch).
2 Corinthians 10 talks about the weapons of our warfare as Christians.We read that those weapons are, "mighty in God," and capable of tearingdown enemy strongholds - like the one in Zhawar Kili. Have you everuncovered a stockpile of the enemy's weapons? Have you ever come upagainst a stronghold within your life, or the life of someone you love?For the SEALs in the story above, no amount of physical training orrifle marksmanship could place so much as a dent in the undergroundcave compound. They needed to use powerful, long-range weapons to pulldown this enemy stronghold.
I think prayer is our long-range weapon. Through prayer, we candecimate the enemy's devises from a long way off. It's a matter ofseeing what's ahead and precision guiding our prayers accordingly. Weneed to be able to be precise at directing the supreme power of prayerand adept at bringing its weight down upon the enemy's hideouts. InHebrews 7:25, the Amplified Bible provides a three-step definition forintercessory prayer. I want to mention those steps here and then let'sdiscuss how we've seen this at work.
1. Make petition to God - It's sometimes difficult to know whereto start when you’re faced with an overwhelming enemy. I say, juststart asking God for stuff. If you're anything like me, you're not evensure what to start asking for. I like the prayers of Paul. Ephesians1:15-21; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:9-11;Philemon 6 - check those out.
2. Intercession with God - In my experience, as we just makeourselves available to the Lord through petition something deeperbegins to happen. It's like He invites us in, to share His view of asituation. A deep passion and compassion begins well up; prayer takeson a new nature: more intense, more focused. This is when you losetrack of time; it can often become very emotional. Look at Romans8:26-28; Galatians 4:17-19; Matthew 26:36-39; Jude 20-21.
3. Intervention for "them" - I really think that the Lord wantslong-range prayer to go in ahead of anyone He sends to specificallyintervene. I know that I've been way too quick to jump into somesituation with my own opinions and understanding. A principle that I'mtrying to live by right now is: "Intercede before you Intervene." Ifyou know people who are dealing with a seemingly powerful enemy, don'tjust rush in to offer counsel or advice - pray! Soften the target;destroy the strongholds before you think about intervention.
This simple plan will open up great doors of effectiveness. There's nogreater thing you can do for a person than to pray for him. Let's putthat great power to work and watch what God can do without ever havingto call one of us to specifically intervene.
Peace.
SJB
Traveling with the SEALs into Zhawar Kili was 50 Marines assigned toprovide perimeter security, 2 special agents from the FBI, an ArmyExplosive Ordinance Technician, and 2 Air Force Special Operators froma highly trained group called the Combat Control Teams (CCT). Although50 Marines and 16 Navy SEALs is an amazing force on the battlefield,this important raid would have hit a dead end had it not been for the 2Special Operators from the CCTs. Combat Controllers are trained likeair traffic controllers for the military's most powerful, long-rangeweapons. From fighter jets miles above Air Force CCTs guide and directrocket attacks, or from miles away, in the Persian Gulf, precisionmissiles are directed, time detonated and adjusted by these highlytrained specialists.
This Joint Special Operations team had uncovered a massive amount ofenemy weapons, munitions and equipment. They would have had no way todemolish this underground stronghold had it not been for the long-rangeweapons capabilities of the Combat Controllers. On a mission that wasmeant to take 12 hours, CCTs directed 404,000 pounds of explosiveordinance into Zhawar Kili over the course of 7 nonstop days in thefield and broke the back of the Taliban in Afghanistan (Information taken from Down Range, by Dick Couch).
2 Corinthians 10 talks about the weapons of our warfare as Christians.We read that those weapons are, "mighty in God," and capable of tearingdown enemy strongholds - like the one in Zhawar Kili. Have you everuncovered a stockpile of the enemy's weapons? Have you ever come upagainst a stronghold within your life, or the life of someone you love?For the SEALs in the story above, no amount of physical training orrifle marksmanship could place so much as a dent in the undergroundcave compound. They needed to use powerful, long-range weapons to pulldown this enemy stronghold.
I think prayer is our long-range weapon. Through prayer, we candecimate the enemy's devises from a long way off. It's a matter ofseeing what's ahead and precision guiding our prayers accordingly. Weneed to be able to be precise at directing the supreme power of prayerand adept at bringing its weight down upon the enemy's hideouts. InHebrews 7:25, the Amplified Bible provides a three-step definition forintercessory prayer. I want to mention those steps here and then let'sdiscuss how we've seen this at work.
1. Make petition to God - It's sometimes difficult to know whereto start when you’re faced with an overwhelming enemy. I say, juststart asking God for stuff. If you're anything like me, you're not evensure what to start asking for. I like the prayers of Paul. Ephesians1:15-21; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:9-11;Philemon 6 - check those out.
2. Intercession with God - In my experience, as we just makeourselves available to the Lord through petition something deeperbegins to happen. It's like He invites us in, to share His view of asituation. A deep passion and compassion begins well up; prayer takeson a new nature: more intense, more focused. This is when you losetrack of time; it can often become very emotional. Look at Romans8:26-28; Galatians 4:17-19; Matthew 26:36-39; Jude 20-21.
3. Intervention for "them" - I really think that the Lord wantslong-range prayer to go in ahead of anyone He sends to specificallyintervene. I know that I've been way too quick to jump into somesituation with my own opinions and understanding. A principle that I'mtrying to live by right now is: "Intercede before you Intervene." Ifyou know people who are dealing with a seemingly powerful enemy, don'tjust rush in to offer counsel or advice - pray! Soften the target;destroy the strongholds before you think about intervention.
This simple plan will open up great doors of effectiveness. There's nogreater thing you can do for a person than to pray for him. Let's putthat great power to work and watch what God can do without ever havingto call one of us to specifically intervene.
Peace.
SJB
Scott Bane
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Oftentimes I think we have all been guilty of telling someone to "just do the Word". In doing that, we can find ourselves neglecting some of the most potent "weapons" that the Lord has given us. Praying in the spirit (I feel) is one of the biggest ones. God is the One who knows the beginning from the end. Even when the coordinates may not seem to be accurate, we need to trust the One who gave them to us. I am reminded of a story of a pilot. He was fairly new at the game and didn't have a lot of hours in the cockpit just yet. He was learning to fly by his instruments and encountered a storm while in flight. The weather got so bad that he couldn't see. He couldn't tell if he was flying right side up or upside down. He called into the control tower. The man in the tower told him his plane was upside down - he needed to flip the plane back right side up. The pilot said - "No, I'm not upside down- I can't be". His instruments told him that he was, but his feelings told him he was not. He said- "I'm going to pull straight up above the clouds and take myself above this storm and out of the clouds". The tower begged him not to. He over-rode the widsom of the tower and his instruments, "pulled the plane up" and drove it right into the groud. Isaiah 55 tells us that His ways are above our ways... we need to walk in the spirit, use the weapons that God has given us, and most of all consult Him and trust Him before we ever set foot on the battlefield. We are fighting a losing battle without Him.
I think God has been showing me what it means to truly LOVE people. As Sheryl mentioned, do we cut those hurtful people off? Do we bail on the friendship/relationship? Boy is it tempting sometimes..but I am convinced and convicted of the fact that if I TRULY love people I will fight for them. I will launch missiles on THEIR behalf. I'll stop worrying about me because my Father is my provider and my advocate. I will choose to fight for them through prayer and intercession. I like what Dan said about getting the right coordinates before launching an attack. Taking the time to get God's perspective on a situation by seeking him is the only way to know which direction to fire- otherwise we're just wasting ammunition on the wrong target.
I think I've been like a loose cannon a lot of times- firing all over the place, accomplishing nothing.
I think you're right about yourreaction in this situation, Tricia. This is an area that can separatepeople who will bear fruit in these areas and people who don't. No onewould blame you for getting bitter or angry about the way you're beingtreated. That would be the natural reaction - that's what would makesense.
Sometimes, Christians will try to fake it. They'll try to just be niceand not get mad because they think that bottling it all up is somehowmore spiritual. To me, it comes down to the difference between tryingto be like Jesus or just letting Jesus be Himself and live His lifefrom within you. Trying to just "get over it" will not work. The hurtis real. The injustice of it is real. The anger is real. The SpecialForces reaction is not to try to be a "tough guy" (or girl) and livetotally unaffected by people. That's a myth - that's phony, anddefinately not true spirituality. I think true spirituality is going tothe Lord in that broken, wounded state and telling Him all about it. Ithink that telling Him is giving it to Him (casting your cares upon Himfor He cares for you).
As you take it to the Lord, not only does He work healing into yourheart, but also compassion and a different perspective toward theperson who has hurt you. I believe that the experience of sharing that"suffering" with Jesus gains you a new sense of fellowship andconnection with Him. He'll lead you to pray for the person in such away that gets to the core of their own oppression - why they would everhurt a person they are loved by and supposed to love in the firstplace. It's like being willing to submit to the Lord in the midst ofhurt breaks away the "you" in you and lets loose the "Jesus" in you.This is the heart of this whole thing, Tricia. Thanks for yourwillingness to open it up.
Peace.
SJB
When we enter into relationship with the Lord thru salvation, He is able to separate us from our sins. Though we are no longer considered "sinners" He separates the sin from the sinner. God has condemned sin. It's no longer the people that die apart from Christ, it's the SIN the they have decided to cling to. They are now guilty by association. If God can separate the "sin from the sinner" - we need to follow His example. I don't know if that helps, but it does give us another perspective. We need to be able to separte the people from the action (influence) and deal directly with the influence. That becomes easier ONLY as we spend time with our Father and allow Him to embellish His love in us. The only thing that gives US value is His love for us - not the things we do. That focus helps us to remember one thing: The things that happen to us in life can only carry the value that WE assign to them.