I Need You To Do Something

It is with great joy that I send to each week a devotional thought that the Lord has placed on my heart. I have been overjoyed to hear from many of you regarding its impact on your life and the encouragement they bring. Due to my travel schedule, I am not always able to bring you a fresh thought, which is why you often receive excerpts from one of my books. I trust those are meaningful to you as well.

This week I do not have a devotional and in some ways it is on purpose. This week I would like to ask you to do something for me. I need you to pray, and I mean really pray. I need you to pray the prayers that come from your heart, but exit through your mouth. I need you to ask others to pray. Let me tell you why, and no, this is not a pitch or plea for money.

Many of you know that we are doing something groundbreaking for our ministry in Peru. We are returning to same city of Iquitos again, yet to a different district. Last year we ministered in the district of San Juan in Iquitos, and in just a few weeks we will be ministering in the district of Punchana. We believe this is a wonderful way to do ministry as we develop long-term relationships with the pastors and leaders of that city. I can tell you that fruit that we saw last year is fruit that remains to the glory of God. People in Punchana are ready, trained, and excited to begin ministry with us shortly.

With this new strategy for EMM we have also learned something of the devils work, which is why I am pleading for prayer. In years past it seems like we have snuck up on the enemy with our festivals. At times it truly seemed that the devil did not know what we were up to and the mighty power of God fell in fantastic ways. Yes, we have had battles but we had a "foot up" on the enemy because of the surprise element.

This time in Punchana there is no surprise element! Do you understand what I am saying? This time the devil and all the evil forces of that area know who we are and what we are about and when we are coming. They saw us in their city last year and I can promise you they did not like it. Now the evil forces are not only fortified, they are on the offensive. We are seeing the attacks of the devil in ways we have not seen before. These are real. They are not just something in our imagination nor are they something we have invented for our own self-importance. They are real and their attacks are deadly-I mean people have died.

I am getting ready to take 30 people into an area that is teaming with evil and I need prayer for the protection of everyone on our team. God is with us, He will be victorious in the end, but we also know there is a fight ahead. Please, from the bottom of my heart, would you please pray for our ministry in Punchana, Peru June 1-10? I was reminded this week when one of our team members who has been laid low in the hospital told me that she got a word from the Lord. That word to her was, "You have no idea where you are going." She said that word was confirmed by someone else who heard the same thing.

I do not take her words lightly because I have seen the evil even as we make preparations to preach Jesus Christ in an area that is infested with sin. I have a great heaviness on my heart that tells me we are in for a fight. So dear friends, right now, would you begin to pray for us. Pray for the local committee and pastors in Punchana, and pray for those 30 people who are stepping out in faith to minister with us. We need the protection of the angels, the power of the Holy Spirit to do battle, and love of Christ to be our motivation.

I apologize for not sending you a devotional thought this week, but I have felt a compulsion to ask you for your prayerful help. Thank you for supporting us, for loving us and now for praying for us!

God Bless You,

Dan