Our team from the US is completing its preparations to come and minister with us here July 2-13, and we're asking for God's people who partner with us in ministry to join us in a special concert of prayer during this time, for Christ to use each person involved in the building of His church, and the penetration of the gates of hell. 

   The ministry will be one of evangelistic outreach, focused on children and youth, but also sharing the gospel one-on-one with many adults in the process.  We'll have four Americans and four Christian Romanians joining Lili and me for the outreach ministry, and if the Lord opens the door, we'll minister with others from Calvary Chapel works elsewhere as well. 

   In our city, we minister in a place of deep spiritual darkness.  Almost all of the city's inhabitants are under the veil of false religion that claims Christ's name but doesn't know Him, and the number of those practicing witchcraft for a living continues to increase, in every neighborhood.  Sometimes, you can even sense in your soul the forces of evil prevalent as you walk the streets in this place and as spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms seek to intimidate and/or discourage the servants of the Most High with an oppression on our hearts that really can't be described--but if you've ever faced it, you know what I'm talking about already. 

   God used something last week at a Calvary Chapel Europe conference in Hungary to minister to me in that battle.  He used a song as a witness to my heart to strengthen me in Him, so that the fear and discouragement could be taken away and I could stand strong in His strength in spite of my weakness.  The song, which you may know, is How Great is Our God, and part of the first passage of it says this, in the English version: "He wraps Himself in light.  The darkness tries to hide, and trembles at His voice--trembles at His voice"  

   Three different worship leaders during the week all "happened" to pick that song as one of the ones they led us in during worship services.  And the third time, those words penetrated me in a way that changed my outlook, as I finally realized in my heart and mind something I should have been banking on all along.  That is this: It is the spiritual forces of darkness that have reason to be afraid of Christians walking in the Spirit, not the other way around.  Brought into the presence of the light, the darkness tries to hide and trembles in fear.  But let the darkness try to hide from the light.  It can't.  When light shines, darkness dies.  If you shine a light into a dark room, it ceases to be a dark room. 

   So as we begin this year's campaign, I will not walk in fear, and will try to encourage my colaborers to know that our God is great, and that He cannot be defeated.  So as we are on His side, we have no need to fear, because we will never know defeat.  Our enemy is stronger than we are, but He is indescribably weaker than the One who is in us, who calls us, and who will use us for His glory.  The darkness of Buzau is trying to hide, but it can't, because the light is coming in greater force, and I believe we will see some of the elect of this city transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light when our campaign begins next week. 

   Jesus speaking to Paul in Acts 26: "I will save you from your own people, and from the nations, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes, turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."