Today, we hit the 15 day mark since our last day off. I'm spent, but it feels good. Our entire staff arrived last Thursday and let me just say, this group has the potential to be really, really incredible. Outside of our leadership team, there are only 3 other staffers who have worked camp in the past, and even our worship leader is brand new to the Fuge world. Its a daunting task to train 18 brand new staffers but my goodness, I have never seen a group of people so eager to learn and so willing to jump in and do the dirty work in 90 degree temperatures and humidity so high, your sunglasses fog up the moment you step outside. The smiles never leave their faces and they work together with so much joy. All other locations ought to be jealous of our PCB team :)
One of my very favorite parts of training week is called "Staff Share and Prayer" (or, if you are among the boys on our team, Staff Stare and Prayer, because of course, they think they are funny). Throughout the week, each staffer gets 15 minutes to tell the team their story; how they met the Lord, how he has changed their lives, their heart for ministry, and what life looks like for them after camp. Its a chance for us to get to know one another on a much deeper level and learn how to pray for our team as we minister together.
Each summer, I am continually surprised by the trials each staff members has faced. Rarely do you find someone working at Fuge who has had a picture perfect life; I've often wondered if Fuge hires these people on purpose because they are able to relate to our students so well. No matter how many times I hear a story of trial and redemption, it never fails to break me. These last few days have been no exception, and I have been particularly touched by the stories of the ladies on staff. Though our circumstances differ, it is so very clear that as women, we each fight the same battles. Feelings of inadequacy and insecurity plague our hearts, all rooted in the shame we feel as a result of a choice we made or a wrong done against us we were powerless to stop.
Father is using the stories to give me a glimpse into the strategies of the enemy. After hearing a particularly painful testimony (which I will not share out of respect for privacy), I stormed out of the auditorium furious at a thing I could not see. If ever I doubted, I now know that the Satan is a dirty, nasty, filthy liar. He has a knack for getting inside our heads and feeding us pointed, crippling lies.
You'll never be enough.
You deserved what was done to you. You asked for it.
No one else has ever messed up as badly as you. God could never forgive you for that.
You're a slut. You are filthy and defiled.
You're a hypocrite.
You're used, damaged goods.
No one loves you.
No one sees you.
No one cares about the things you're going through.
You are totally and completely alone.
Sometimes we forget we're at war. Our enemy is not passive in his attacks; indeed, they are thoroughly thought out and carefully executed. They're personalized and they're effective if we don't know what we are up against. Because our enemy is not attacking passively, we CANNOT respond passively. Satan knows where you're weak, and he knows exactly what will tear you down. Shouldn't we know all the more?
In one of the most widely quoted writings on military strategy of all time, Chinese General Sun Tzu warns, "If you are ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril."
In any war, be it between opposing nations or Satan and God's people, it is imperative we remain constantly vigilant of our enemy's presence. He never quits, and his tactics never change. His goal has remained unchanging through the entire course of history: to bring death to everything that is good and pleasing to God. His tactic is to speak lies to us, making us believe that we are either unworthy of the Lord's favor, or that God's favor is unworthy of our time. Our enemy can be understood if we will only take the time to prepare for battle.
When the enemy whispers lies into our hearts, one must fight back with the truth. In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul calls us to put on the full armor of God. Its important to note that the only offensive weapon listed in that call is a sword - "The sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." If we're going to fight, we have to go in guns blazing, armed with the truth of scripture.
That unchanging truth is simple; God is love. His love stretches far beyond our mistakes and our circumstances; each and every one was known to him, and yet he did not hesitate to go to the cross. He went to that cross for YOU.
When you hear a lie, it is imperative to know that Father would NEVER utter those words to you.
You are his precious child.
You are his beautiful daughter.
You are known.
You are fully forgiven. You sins are scattered as far as the east is from the west.
You are his baby.
He WILL protect you.
He WILL fight for you.
He calls you beloved.
You are safe in his arms.
Armed with the truth, we cannot allow the Father of Lies tell us anything else.
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