Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
CITY ON A HILL
But we felt the strain and were being worn down by persecution
and discouragement. It was a year for courage. We
needed to endure through the ‘darkest hour’. ‘It’s easy at the
start,’ we sang, ‘with hearts aflame with zeal... It’s now the
second watch and the night is dark and cold...’
The evil day was a time to stand together, and the word
came through clear — ‘Hold on to what you have!’ (Rev 3:11).
As evil powers put a cloud upon us the temptation was to
compromise or desert. But the vast majority clung to covenant
loyalty. We were determined to retain our depth in God,
and let ‘no one take our crown’. But somehow the crown was
tarnished. Something of the glory was passing away.
In September, prophetic wisdom was given that sounded
the alarm. A group was seen standing in a circle facing outwards
ready to go and welcome in the lost. But at the very
centre was a dark cloud where the enemy had gained a foothold.
Could it be true? Had ‘the flesh’ gained ground amongst
us? Had we become lukewarm? Our growth rate was slow
and our evangelism disappointing. Was this a sign of our decay,
that our arteries were hardening, that spiritual death
was creeping over the church?
We faced up to the possibility of God’s judging hand upon
us. All was not well. The converts we did gain, like Vikki,
often split off. We were making little impact on the educated
and professionals, and few Christians joined us. At home, our
teenagers were difficult and some quite rebellious. Holiday
school was a strain and had to be abandoned. Our standards
were slipping, people were uninspired and enthusiasm for
self-denial had abated.
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