Facing the Danger

There is evil around us in the world today - we have the ability to discern what is from God and what is not and to stand strong in the power and presence of the Lord. 1st Peter 5 states:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

When we experience danger, it can certainly be a fear-producing situation; but God does not call us to walk in fear, but in those times when we are afraid, we can dig deep into our faith resources, that are produced as we immersed in the Word of God.  We can experience strength that is not our own and a sense of confidence in our Lord who has said He would never leave us nor forsake us.  The power to resist the devil comes as we clothe ourselves in Christ's armor and release His resources.

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Because we know Jesus as our Savior and have been born again, we can know and experience His power of spiritual forces arrayed against us. 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 reminds us:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

A pastor in Ferguson, Missouri had a potentially deadly event occur in his church not long ago. The Stream featured an article about the incident, stating that, "Pastor Marquaello Futrell of All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, noticed several men enter the sanctuary with guns in their waistbands. He told The Ingraham Angle on Fox News: “We believe that they were intending to rob us, do some harm,” adding, “We believe God is the greatest power. We cannot be defeated, so I had those instincts. I engaged them and we prayed for them, and they knew that they were being recorded.”

Pastor Futrell, in fact, is a former police officer, and he had this exchange with the men:

“Who sent you?” Futrell asked the men. “Can I pray for you?” he asked each one. Then he, along with some of the congregants, prayed for the men. One of the congregants slipped out and called 911.

The pastor noted:  “A lot of people really didn’t know what was going on. Many did and we had our children’s ministry on lockdown. Many of the congregants were just thankful that I was able to navigate them through that process with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost.”  Actually, the men had robbed a convenience store a few hours before entering the church.

KSDK Television reported on the incident, stating that the after the men entered the church, the pastor said, “I immediately directed my media team to zoom in on them because I knew we needed some face recognition..." The article goes on to say:

He acted quickly, calling the gunmen out on his livestream.

"(You) saw the church and decided to come? Talk to me," he said in the video.

But he described what happened next as an act of God.

"I've still got a cop anointing and I still know what's going on and what's about to happen. God's about to change the enemy," he said in the video. "Lift your voice and shout unto God!"

He and other members of the church placed their hands over the men, drawing them to prayer.

The pastor believes that they were driven away by the "power of God." He also noted, “The Bible speaks of watch and pray, so while we’re being spiritual, I’m also watching around, trying to protect the congregants." The article also states:

Futrell said he hopes this serves as a wake-up call to every pastor and every church.

“How is it going to look if there’s an intruder, how are we going to protect our children, background checks, all of the above," he said.

It was no doubt a scary time for the congregants of All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, but it took the leadership of the Holy Spirit and an astute pastor to turn that fear around by faith.  We should never make decisions based on fear, but confront our fears directly in the power of the Holy Spirit; this series of events shows us what happens when fear is confronted and faith is exalted. 

In the spirit realm, there is a clear battle between good and evil.  We have to clearly see what the Bible identifies as obedient action and do that, and reject what is disobedient.  The Word of God gives us not only the clarity to see the distinction, but gives us access to the power and confidence to exercise God's authority when evil stands in our way.  

When we stand in that authority, clothed in the Holy Spirit, we can experience the supernatural presence of the Lord.  We have victory in Christ, the One who has defeated the enemy and enabled us to walk in triumph.  We can claim the resources that God has given us in Jesus Christ.