This is another Post from my friend Cassie's Blog. It is amazing to hear how God is Working in Atlanta, and through her Ministry. Check out what she had to say today, Veterans Day 2011. And Please continue to keep Her and the ministry in your prayers as God continues to Win the Battle!
The Battle is Won
The casualties of war can be catastrophic and tragic. Wounds are inevitable. Memories can be painful. Loss is horrific and deserves mourning. But victory is sweet. Victory makes every moment of pain, strife, and doubt worth it all.
Whether we choose to believe it or not, there is a war being waged right within our midst daily. The war often goes unseen, except to the select few to whom the veil has been lifted and for a moment are given the gift to receive a glimpse of the battle for our hearts. Right in front of our blinded eyes is a gruesome and bloody war is being fought for each and every one of our hearts. Kingdoms are clashing. The powers of the dark are trying their best to devour the unparalleled and preeminent powers of the light. The dark is seeking to distinguish any source of light within each of our lives and assault our hearts by distracting us from the divine and marvelous light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the places where I can see and feel this battle so tangibly is when I go out with my team on Friday nights and partner with the forces of the light, and tap into the Lord’s strength and take up His armor, to battle against the darkness that has captivated the girls we minister to on the streets. The Lord’s love for them is furious. The Lord’s love for each of us is furious. But God is livid at the pain and suffering that His precious daughters in Atlanta are facing and have faced the majority of their lives. God hates seeing them be abused every day.
As I’m writing this, I am realizing the irony of the date of this truth that I am learning. It’s Veterans Day. And here I am, learning the truths of what the war for our hearts looks like. A sad fact that I’m struck with is the fact that many veterans after serving in war come home never to be the same again. The images they have seen, the losses of lives they have seen is catastrophic and leaves imprints of their minds that unfortunately send a lot of them to insanity.
Though we are not physically fighting, we see horrific things. A girl that my team has been ministering to for years was murdered just several weeks ago. We have found girls lying on the streets weeping after just being raped. We have heard stories that no one should ever have to hear, let alone experience. The casualties of this war for our hearts can be catastrophic and tragic as well. And if we’re not careful, we could begin to lose our sanity as well as our purity of mind if we are not careful to dwell on the good that is being done and the grace of Jesus Christ.
We must be so careful and intentional to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Philippians 4:8) rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by the despairing and troubling things we see or hear. Because through Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection, the battle is already won. We already hold the keys to victory; so there is much to celebrate and much good to dwell on.
So tonight instead of bogging us all down with the burdensome stories that Satan and sin has destructively played into, I want to proclaim and rejoice in the victories that the Lord has brought forth in our relationships with the girls on the streets. Because so often I find myself disheartened and frustrated because I so easily become overwhelmed by the destruction and havoc that Satan is wreaking rather than being overwhelmed by the LIGHT, and all of the goodness that the Lord is cultivating in this community! That’s just who Satan is. He wants me to be impressed by his evil schemes. He wants me to be taken aback by the abominable affairs that he is originating so that I wonder where the power of the light is.
So here I am tonight, declaring that the battle is won. The victory is in the hands of Jesus Christ. And even if I never see another girl surrender her life to the Lord and be rescued from the dark, I can rest in the fact that Jesus has already won. Even when the battle looks hopeless and as a lost cause, I can say “NO” deep within my soul and know within my heart that Jesus holds the final victory.
But the beauty of this journal entry is this: there still is good being done! The name of Jesus alone is still doing miracles- even in a place where darkness is so thick and so worshipped, the name of Jesus still pierces hearts.
FOUR girls have recently decided to quit the prostitution business and pursue their dreams for a real job and family. THREE of those four have already surrendered their lives to the Lord and committed all of their days to Him. I have seen THREE healings miraculously take place through the name of Jesus in the past month. A lady that has mocked us for the past several years every time we visit her has recently opened up, broken down in tears, and called on the name of the Lord for help. Our team has gained favor at THREE additional strip clubs- permission to enter without a fee to give gifts to the working girls and tell them about our beautiful Jesus. These are just a few of the MANY victories I have witnessed recently.
The Lord is still working. He is still battling violently and aggressively for the hearts and souls of His precious daughters. And because of that, Satan is angry. Satan is furious. The enemy knows that nothing that he plots or schemes can ever stand up against the deep and passionate love the Lord has for each and every one of His sons and daughters. And that, my friends, is why we rejoice tonight.
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