Battle stations

We have to face the fact that we're in a battle. And the Enemy does not fight according to Queensbury Rules: he fights dirty, he plays on weaknesses, he picks off the weak. He's clever and he's more committed to winning than we are.

A few of our White Stone people - particularly (but not only) some of the newer ones - are "going through it", facing various trials. Old addictions flare up; relationships swerve to rot; this one disappears down a rabbit hole; that one stomps about like a bear with a sore head...

Now I don't want to get OTT and paranoid (seeing demons behind every item of furniture). But it strikes me that we are called Jesus Army. And we have determined to be a full on church of radical discipleship. And we've been seeing people finding saving faith in Christ and being filled with the Spirit... it's a red rag to a bull. We've got to be wise to the reality of the war.

Or as the Bible puts it:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

And so we leaders at White Stone face the challenge of teaching our new ones, our young disciples how to fend off an enemy they know barely anything about. But - they have a strong Big Brother and we can pray for them. Then it comes down to their choices and the quality of their hearts, if the parable of the sower is anything to go on...