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With all of the spiritual skirmishes going on lately, I thought it necessary to report on positive experiences that a couple of us had in the wee hours of the morning.
Last night, I was with two other guys from the Knight Shift. Shortly after I got there, a van pulled into one of the driveways close to where we were praying. A man got out of his van and asked if we needed coffee or hot chocolate or anything like that. He said that he’d seen us praying the nights that he’d driven by. He’d seen the people praying and doing spiritual battle with the protesters during the day. He felt compelled to stop and encourage us. After a few minutes of conversation he thanked all of us for taking a stand against this terrible tragedy and then left.
About an hour later, a young man was walking down the street. As he passed us, he made a point of patting each of the three of us on the shoulder. One of my fellow Knights observed that there are a bunch of men who appreciate what 40 Days is doing.
There are many people watching us pray. It’s difficult to see the effects of what we’re doing especially when horns are blaring and signs are being waved and we’re being mocked. Our silent prayers in the middle of the night and humble postures of prayer during the day remain in stark contrast to the hoopla that our friends are generating with their signs, coat hangers, show tunes, dancing and cheering. Seems that this is pretty characteristic of spiritual warfare. The most logical and rational arguments will not achieve what is possible with prayer and humility.
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God Bless,
Michael A. Dupont
October 20, 2010
October 19, 2010
Foment is momentum
When you get a scraped knee, what do you do? You pour some hydrogen peroxide on it and it foams and stings at the site of the wound. The fomentation is a signal that cleansing is taking place. When a wound heals, it expels pus, also a good sign, however icky it might be.
Likewise, when Christ began his public ministry, espcially as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, each time he set forth, he cast out demons. It was such a commonplace activity that the Gospel writer stopped mentioning it or seems to toss it in with other healings, almost with a nonchalance, as though that's just an average day in the life of a Messiah.
Think about that for a minute. Wherever Christ went, what announces his arrival in many cases is the screaming anguish of a possessed individual as the demons flee. There were some dramatic scenarios in which the person foamed at the mouth, yet in every instance, the demons cowered before the God-Man, acknowledging His power over them.
It had to have been quite a spectacle, not unlike what some of us have witnesed at 320 Fulton. People screaming, confrontations, all signals that healing work is being done. As the Body of Christ, we should come forward expecting these kind of results. It's what happens when Christ steps into a place of sin and woundedness. He heals, He casts out demons, and there may be fomentation, but that precedes the miracle of healing that follows.
The dispossessed in Mark's Gospel not only were restored in their body, they were now cleansed, free to move about society once again, restored to personhood, with dignity. They could stand whole and hale once more.
We yearn for this outcome at 320 Fulton- do we dare question God's ways when our prayers are clearly being answered? Healing will come. The restoration of dignity and personhood will come. The demons will be driven away and their wrath will be powerless. Let us continue to invite the Prince of Peace, who no power on earth could overcome, to restore 320 and the souls therein. May His will be done! AMEN! Peace be with you~
Likewise, when Christ began his public ministry, espcially as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, each time he set forth, he cast out demons. It was such a commonplace activity that the Gospel writer stopped mentioning it or seems to toss it in with other healings, almost with a nonchalance, as though that's just an average day in the life of a Messiah.
Think about that for a minute. Wherever Christ went, what announces his arrival in many cases is the screaming anguish of a possessed individual as the demons flee. There were some dramatic scenarios in which the person foamed at the mouth, yet in every instance, the demons cowered before the God-Man, acknowledging His power over them.
It had to have been quite a spectacle, not unlike what some of us have witnesed at 320 Fulton. People screaming, confrontations, all signals that healing work is being done. As the Body of Christ, we should come forward expecting these kind of results. It's what happens when Christ steps into a place of sin and woundedness. He heals, He casts out demons, and there may be fomentation, but that precedes the miracle of healing that follows.
The dispossessed in Mark's Gospel not only were restored in their body, they were now cleansed, free to move about society once again, restored to personhood, with dignity. They could stand whole and hale once more.
We yearn for this outcome at 320 Fulton- do we dare question God's ways when our prayers are clearly being answered? Healing will come. The restoration of dignity and personhood will come. The demons will be driven away and their wrath will be powerless. Let us continue to invite the Prince of Peace, who no power on earth could overcome, to restore 320 and the souls therein. May His will be done! AMEN! Peace be with you~
October 17, 2010
Salt & Light
Our prayer vigil has begun to attract a great deal of attention. There is one young man who regularly protests our presence. Please pray for him, that his conscience will be illuminated and the Holy Spirit's gifts come upon him. We have had some pro-abortion mothers of infant children denounce what we are peacefully doing at 320. We have had some emails from people wrestling with this issue and offering various kinds of feedback, along the lines of, "What's the point of praying?"
All of these are opportunities to invite another soul into the radiance of our Loving Creator's affections. No response is needed except our continuing to quietly pray. That's precisely why we are there. If praying calls forth the anger of others, pray for healing and balm. If it calls forth fear, pray for trust. If it calls forth support, praise God! Everything that takes place on the sidewalk is cause for prayer, and every moent is one for which we should give thanks to Almighty God who has formed each of us and guides each of us and asks that we draw others to the Peace which surpasses all understanding.
Peace be with all of you at 320. Peace be with those who see you praying. Peace be with the souls affected by our prayers.
All of these are opportunities to invite another soul into the radiance of our Loving Creator's affections. No response is needed except our continuing to quietly pray. That's precisely why we are there. If praying calls forth the anger of others, pray for healing and balm. If it calls forth fear, pray for trust. If it calls forth support, praise God! Everything that takes place on the sidewalk is cause for prayer, and every moent is one for which we should give thanks to Almighty God who has formed each of us and guides each of us and asks that we draw others to the Peace which surpasses all understanding.
Peace be with all of you at 320. Peace be with those who see you praying. Peace be with the souls affected by our prayers.
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