Momentum

"Whatever house you enter, say, Peace to this house.  

Stay in that house, and don't move from house to house."

Luke 10:3

There's a corner store we start out from every day we come to Jesus Street.  Its a humble shop, and what I mean is that you probably wouldn't ever go in there.  Well, at least not when we started.  But that is the house we entered from the start and spoke "Peace to this house", and prosperity strength and security to the hands of those who worked there.


This store had always matched the spirit of poverty at work in the neighborhood. The shelves barely had anything on them.  The walls were covered in twenty years of dirt over something that might have been white at one point.   It was a dark store when you walked in, lit by one flourescent ceiling light and whatever came in through the dirty window in the front door. The door itself carried the dirt from a thousand hands that pushed it open over the years. The floor was covered with scraps of old tiles worn all the way through, making it look like you just might fall through.  It had been a depressing place serving depressed people who go there to feed their addictions and continue their sad lives. 


But, our friend Muneer has started working there in the last month and he's totally changing the store.  The shelves are fully stocked with food and snacks. Now there's a fresh coat of bright blue paint all around.  Now the ceiling lights all work and make the place actually feel good.  The new white floor and functioning lights and clean windows make the store a bright spot in the neighborhood.  The same people go there still, but maybe they can look up now and say, "huh, seems better..."  

Muneer and Jude

We feel like Muneer has a gift and that even though people who come in don't have hope, he gives them something that makes them feel better than when they came in.  No one had benefited from the store before.  Now our friend Otha is working there, and he's hired electricians and painters. He's even painting the outside of the store.  


Maybe he'd like to commission some artwork for the outside wall of the building....
Maybe we would!  I have some ideas for some prophetic artwork for this community to behold whenever they look at this store.

For thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the houses of this city...

 'Behold, I will bring to it health and healing; 

and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.

It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth 

which will hear of all the good that I do for them, 

and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.' 

Jer 33:4,6,9

Sweet Aroma

 "Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, 

and manifests through us 

the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

- 2Cor 2:14

The knowledge of God is a sweet aroma to those who love Him.   We love His presence and we feast at the table He sets before us in the presence of our enemies.  The more of His Love we enjoy, the sweeter the aroma.


But the devil is a loudmouth.  He flaps his gums and makes a lot of noise.  And his words are full of emptiness.  I actually hate that I even looked at that woman with a demon in her.  She doesn't get my attention. The devil only gets my attention enough to cut his head off.   He is brazen to think he can raise his head up against the beautiful and peaceful knowledge of God.  The devil was frothing mad on Jesus Street today.  He shouted and threw a tantrum. He growled and contorted in the presence of the sons of God who brought the kingdom of Heaven near today.  But nothing can stop the Love of God.

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Mr. S is 87 yrs old and had surgery for cancer a few weeks ago.  He says "Thanks to y'all I'm getting stronger." John has always prayed a special prayer for Mr. S, that as he gets older he only gets stronger every day.  We love Mr. S and I think he likes that we come around to see him every week.


From there we walked along and our friend J came wheeling down the road in his motorized wheelchair.  We greeted him with a smile. He said he just got back from the doctor and was going to surgery on the 31st, but wouldn't say what the surgery was for.  In fact, as he spoke, I felt the sudden compassion of the Lord welling up in me.   He welcomed prayer and we looked to Jesus for His compassion for J and spoke of the never ending loving kindness of God toward Him.  His heavenly Father has never taken His eyes off of J, not one thing has escaped His notice.  His love, His deep deep love for J has never wavered and will never waver.  I felt that God's Love was all over him as we prayed because he lingered in it and never tried to end our prayer early.  God loves J.


As we walked further into the heart of things greeting our friends, that's when the devil started thrashing and shouting in pompous, loud emptiness at his dwindling territory.  That's right. The more love, compassion and hope we bring, the less hold Satan has.   And this time he was spitting mad.  A loud, foul and profane shouting match broke out on the street in front of us and went on for some time.  Moments later, a woman who's face was contorted, growled like an animal as she walked past.   We hate the devil and his grip on these people who are precious to God.  The Love of God is unafraid of the manifestations of Satan's anger.  He's angry at the loss of his hold on people's lives.  He has to watch as people receive the love of God.  ...as they give God and His kingdom its rightful place in their lives.  The kingdom of God is a superior kingdom to the lesser kingdoms of Satan, and he has to watch and listen as the Love and light of God takes back its rightful place.

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 "We are destroying every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God 

and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

2 Cor 10:5 

"For in the day of evil He shall hide me in His shelter; 

in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; 

He shall set me up on a rock. "

Ps 27:5