Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
“When your mind is ‘high’, how can you ‘hear’ your heart?”
"2700 kids will try a pain pill for the first time today.”
Heroin/Opiates are “slavery at the molecular” level.
There were more “shocking revelations” about the epidemic of opiate addiction that has infested our towns, our state, and our country and yes even our church.
The waiting lists for treatment continue to grow. Their aren't enough "beds".
The relapse rate for those emerging from treatment is escalating and the time between release and relapse is shortening.
We are living in perilous times.
The enemy has a weapon.
Heroin gets the publicity, but opiates are systematically dragging people daily to ER’s and sadly morgues.
As Dr. David Jeremiah last night said on his broadcast, "We are in a war."
I mentioned a few DISPATCH’S back about how the CHURCH needs to get serious about its role in combating this epidemic.
1 Corinthians 10:4-5 (PHILLIPS)
…the battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level. The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God’s warfare for the destruction of the enemy’s strongholds. Our battle is to bring down every deceptive fantasy…
The enemy has made the “high” of heroin a deceptive fantasy that grows into a stronghold for so many in our communities.
But the bottom line friends, it is SIN. And we the CHURCH have the answer for SIN. It is the CROSS. Plain and simple. And at the CROSS, addiction is POWERLESS!
Yesterday more than 300 folks attended an “awakening” event. Pastors, lay ministers, clinicians and government came together to bring some light on a very DARK problem.
Some were shocked at stories of a 19 year old with track marks so pronounced that that they traversed both arms and into the neck or at the story of a mom racked with spinal infection due to "shooting up." Some were shocked at stories of children who had been introduced to the drugs by their parents or siblings. Some were taken aback by the story of young Marin, the daughter of a GOOD FRIEND, who seemingly had it all only to be taken away in a flash from a needle equipped by the enemy.
My friends I know this is an unusual DISPATCH today, but I am again just reaching out to all along this distribution to pray, to get involved if you can, reach out to me at AHOP FREEDOM CHURCH to get engaged. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be fearful of reaching out or investing time and energy into someone who is saddled with addiction or a family who is hurting from its consequences.
It is time to intensify the efforts to offer opportunities and avenues for deliverance and possibility. Folks are dying. Our friends are dying. Our kids are dying.
If called, will you join me?
It is time to “battle back"!
Ephesians 6:10-12
God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life.
God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare.
Pray hard and long.
Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open.
Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
We can win this war!
I love you all!
Freedom Church
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