Here are good resources for your FYI this week. With love and prayers from your “librarian”.
I think you’ll appreciate this podcast on the ‘Opposition to the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit’. These two brothers in ministry share their thoughts and experiences that made me think deep about what they said. I heard this podcast twice. https://podcast.thealtarglobal.com/1935974/10942797
Why am I so focused on more of the Holy Spirit in our churches? As a parent of non-believing Gen Zs and active school parent, I probably witness more than Christian parents who stay within their church community, what is happening to our youth at large. Pandemic exacerbated already a very severe situation. Without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our churches, I predict that the younger Gen Alphas will be swept away much earlier than the Gen Zs. Well, at least then we’ll all be in the same page, desperately asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit since your young children and grandchildren will be in the same boat as our young adults and teenagers.
Please download this good pdf guide and prayers about spiritual warfare. https://media.swncdn.com/promotions/salem-marketing/spiritual-warfare.pdf. My friends with Pentecostal backgrounds are always comfortable talking about Satan and his tactics. One good friend says this frequently,“Devil always comes to church.” I think this is so true.
Let me share my testimony. I just got saved in a teen Christian summer retreat. And so, my sister and I started to attend their youth group on our own. We went weekly on Friday nights and Sunday mornings. I really enjoyed our youth group. After a year or so, brother and sister teens came into our youth group on Sundays, probably forced to attend by their parents. We became friends. I don’t know how they even acquired a Ouija board in 1980s. Games like these were not available and also tabooed in the 80s. They secretly passed it along to me during our Sunday teen service and told me how fun it was. (I wonder how many other teenagers they passed this game along in our youth group.) My sister and I played this game together for a week. I tell you honestly that this fortune-telling board game opened up a demonic door into our lives. Soon after, we both stopped attending church. Sadly, no one from church called or reached out to us.
If you work with children and teenagers at church, please warn them about these kinds of fortune-telling games and cards. Today these games are readily available in common stores like Target, TJ Maxx, youth clothing and accessories stores. I really, really wished my youth pastor and group leaders gave me a heads-up about these things. I am naturally a safety-focused person and so, I know I would have listened and stayed away. I am sure this game opened up suicidal ideation and dark, depressive spirit into my life since I changed so suddenly. I was never like this before, naturally being a good-natured, cooperative, social and positive person.
What should you do if your family member is already hooked on these fortune-telling games and mediums? Pray for them! My mom was a lifelong follower of fortune tellers. 12 years ago, I told her that God wouldn’t approve of her going to fortune tellers for advice. She justified her fortune teller by saying that this lady is a devout Christian who attends church weekly. How can I refute this as a young believer? And so, I prayed about it, asking God that if He disapproves of this activity to please show my mom very clearly. God quickly answered this prayer. I’m not sure what happened but in her last visit to a fortune teller, she became very, very spooked. She came home and the only thing that helped relieve her tremendous fear was listening to gospel music and watching Korean pastors on TV nonstop for days. She has not gone to a fortune teller ever since that very, scary incident. Praise the Lord Jesus! I wish God answered all our prayers that quickly.
Speaking about prayers, here’s a good article on why our prayers is not answered. It’s a good FYI to know and to search your heart too.
Please don’t get discouraged. Instead, let us keep on praying and believing for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit into our churches and our youth. Read Jesus’ message on Luke 11 below. God’s revival would be an instant game changer for your children and grandchildren’s rebellion, depression and suffering.
By the way, whenever I wake up in middle of the night with anxieties and worries about my children, work, etc. After tossing and turning for about 10-15 minutes and if I cannot go back to sleep, I get up and read my bible for about 15-30 minutes and then go back to bed. Without fail, I fall back asleep like a baby unless God wants me up to stay up and pray or study more. Satan wants to rob you of your good night sleep. Please do not surf the internet or stream TV, it’ll only have you go shopping or visit weird websites or see disturbing shows. Always, pick up and read or listen to the bible. For whatever reason, only praying does not work in the middle of the night for me. It has to be both bible reading and praying. Please try out this strategy next time you cannot sleep.
Luke 11:9-13 (AMP)
Parable of Persistence9 “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”
Journal of Faith 