“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. ³⁵ Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
John 4:34-35 (NIV)

Well, if you are reading this on August 15, we should be in flight back to the U.S. Thinking back on the many trips we’ve taken during the past 7 years, I couldn’t help but to ponder the scripture above that I shared with you last Thursday. Especially in light of my cowardice concerning the ‘jungle”, I saw something I had not noticed before:

Jesus said, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest”. I’ve always focused on the harvest when reading this verse, but because of my personal struggle with, I focused this time on the word “field”. Then I remembered that the field can be a dangerous place sometimes. Rodents, spiders, and snakes are famous for lurking around trying to steal a meal.

I remember one day when our boys were little. While in the back yard, working in our vegetable garden, I noticed a monster snake looking for a snack. We planted those beans to help feed our family during the winter season, so in my mind, that enemy was in my back yard, near my playing children, trying to steal the food right out of their mouths – with me watching! Lurking where my children played meant that devil didn’t have a chance of survival! Grabbing the garden hoe, I beat that snake to death… and then chopped him into little bitty pieces. He looked like a pile Vienna sausages when I got through with him.

As scared as I was of that monster, I didn’t give in to him. The passion of a mama to protect her children overrides temporary danger.

In John 10:9-10, Jesus said the enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal our children, kill our marriage, and destroy our family. Many of us have not recognized the enemy’s existence on our home field and have become apathetic because of it. But look around! Families are breaking apart like never before because the enemy has entered unnoticed. We can’t afford the price of apathy any longer. And we sure can’t afford the price of fear in battling that enemy.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

Whether you’re in another country on mission, or sitting behind your desk at work, the fields around you are ripe– ready for harvest. Yes, it may feel somewhat scary or dangerous to step in to territory the enemy now occupies, but we must because time is short.

Besides, far too often we see the enemy threat much greater than it really is. Because that  ‘monster’ snake I just told you about – turned out to be a whopping 12” long. J

God has given us everything we need to share Jesus with those in our ‘field’ – our sphere of influence. Don’t let the threat of any enemy, real or imagined, keep you from entering the harvest field!

He is able you know!

Until Next Time,

Your Traveling Partner,

Brenda

For updates on this latest mission to Nicaragua check our FaceBook page – ZMI Family Ministries International.

Until Next time,

Your Traveling Partner,

Brenda