Friday Fight 80 - Spiritually Stalled

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF80.

How often have we felt led to do something and then had a sudden change in plans? It can be confusing when this happens; we need to figure out how to react. For example, did God change the plan?

Spiritually Stalling:

At times, we all deal with sudden plan changes like rescheduled double-booked appointments or a trip that gets delayed unexpectedly. Perhaps car trouble or a blocked road delays the start of our day, but for the most part, we give no thought as to why.

Some years back, God placed it on my heart to travel to Taiwan to pray and anoint those in an Orphanage called The Home of God's Love (THOGL). Through prayer and fasting, God opened the doors to visit THOGL, where my best friends Jason and Lauren adopted their daughter three years prior. After several months of prayer and waiting, our planned trip brought much excitement. Unfortunately, however, our summer travel plan to surrender to God's will did not go as planned. While standing in the airport prepared for international travel, we had to cancel our flights because Ted, the orphanage owner, was ill with a high fever. Lauren and I stood in absolute confusion. But in praying for our protection, we knew boarding the plane was impossible without anyone to greet our arrival.

Because of God's faithfulness, as we prayed, we knew that this opportunity to be obedient would come again; we didn't know when. So, yes, we were both disappointed, but it was stalled for a reason, which was good enough for us even if we didn't fully understand at the time.

Oddly enough, I experienced my first-ever eye infection in the days that followed. The timing was interesting; at the very least, I would have been uncomfortable while traveling. Over the next few days, the condition worsened, requiring both oral and topical antibiotics. Did God spiritually stall our trip for my eye infection or for other reasons we would never understand?

Ted, the owner, finally recovered, allowing us a small window of travel time in mid-September. With much anticipation, we gratefully arrived in Taiwan on 9/18/16, but there was standing water everywhere. Super Typhoon Meranti appeared on 9/14, immediately followed by Typhoon Malakas, which somewhat dissipated before our arrival. In what seemed to be a perfect time to visit, God prevailed, allowing us to anoint and pray with everyone at the THOGL orphanage.

After adopting their daughter, Taiwan shut down international adoption through nearly every orphanage. So, we sat on the steps of the courthouse and lifted this decision to God in prayer. We could not comprehend this decision after experiencing such joy in adoption. We ended our spiritual excursion by visiting Ray of Hope to pray and fellowship with them.

After God's spiritual stalling for our protection, He moved incredibly in both facilities in ways neither of us had ever experienced. Although the spiritual warfare we experienced before, during, and after was relentless but unsuccessful, we left praising God for His love and mercy. There was nothing more filling than young orphans overwhelmed with joy that our trip was because of God's love for them.

In the two years spent waiting to go, darkness wanted me to believe that traveling to Taiwan was no longer God's plan, that it had changed entirely. But God always keeps His promises, even when we doubt His timing.

We fought through many things to reach the destiny God placed on our hearts, including people's opinions. If God is revealing something to your heart, remember changes in timing do not necessarily mean the plan changed; it will come to fruition in His timing. God stalls for our spiritual and physical protection, even if it is difficult to see at the moment. Don't let duration, people's opinions, or timing dilute your faith in what God has revealed. Hold firm to the plan God has placed on your heart with assurance and obedience, and watch it unfold with His joy and blessings. I feel God is leading us to Taiwan again, so I ask anyone reading this to pray.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert