We were surrounded – completely surrounded. We found ourselves deep in the heart of darkness, and on the defensive.
Strip clubs, “gentlemen’s” clubs, street drunkenness, voodoo gardens, voodoo lounges, voodoo marts and occult practitioners were everywhere. The blackness in the spiritual atmosphere was almost tangible. And now we found ourselves, with all the other conference attendees, in the New Orleans House of Blues.
The music was pretty awesome, though overpoweringly loud. Our small band of believers had gathered together to try to connect amidst the cacophony and chaos of the overcrowded club. We were having a good time enjoying some beverages and chowing down on some local delicacies: which included bread pudding with caramel sauce – much to my delight.
Even though we were well watered and well fed, we were still thirsty. So, we spied out another room separate from the main performance area with comfy chairs, its own bar and smorgasbord, and a big screen showing the main stage, but without the overwhelming loudness from which we were seeking shelter.
The four of us settled into a cozy conversation circle of 4 brothers and 1 sister.
And then it happened… Jesus showed up.
Rob began to share how he met Jesus, how Jesus had changed his life. Stu followed suit and shared the miracle of God’s great goodness and His good greatness. John then told the story of how Jesus miraculously broke into his life during a personal development retreat. Patti shared a delightfully feminine perspective on her beloved rescuer. Then I rounded things out with my story of redemption, mercy, grace, love, forgiveness and freedom.
There we were, 5 friends simply trying to stay out of trouble, huddled together for defensive purposes – actually not! Au contraire! When we stood back and looked through the eyes of faith we began to realize that we were actually Spiritual Special Forces. We were on a covert mission in the heart of darkness to bring the light and love of Jesus.
That night as we began to share our Jesus Journeys, our “testimonies”, Jesus entered the room with us. He commanded His angels to surround us as well. Even when we stand alone, we are not alone. The forces of heaven stand with us. That night the House of Blues became the House of The Risen Son.
As John began sharing his Jesus Journey, from my perspective silhouetted by the big screen, the band began to sing The House of the Rising Sun. The song that powerfully depicts a man who lost his life to the debauchery he discovered in New Orleans, ironically became the back drop for the story of a man who was miraculously saved out of darkness into light. And the stories of light and life we shared surrounded us with light and life.
We were now in the House of the Risen Son.
The Lord helped us to see that we were indeed a team of Spiritual Special Forces – Navy SEALS – on a covert mission to bring light and life into the darkness. The simplicity of “testifying” to the goodness of God and the power of the “Blood of the Lamb” changed the atmosphere. We were detonating claymores of light and flash bangs of faith into the spiritual realm.
The Lord revealed the significance of the evening to John early the next morning. Something I love about John is that he is deaf in his right ear. The Lord told John he is deaf in that ear, so the Lord can speak clearly to him through that ear.
We must all learn to hear the inaudible, see the invisible and feel the intangible – that is living by faith!
Let’s recognize who we are in the Spirit. We are beloved children of our heavenly Father, filled with the Spirit of God to be Kingdom ambassadors for the Government of God – the righteousness, peace and joy of our Lord. We are each uniquely gifted and graced to play a key role in God’s covert plans; called to walk as allies in this battle to ‘appropriate’ all the abundant life Jesus has for us, and for others through us.
Yes, we are Spiritual Special Forces called to overcome darkness with the light, life and love of God, walking together as allies to transform Houses of Blues into Houses of the Risen Son.
Revelation 12:11
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”