Passage of the Day:
I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia, Daniel 10:7-13.
Reflection:
I was introduced to the concept of Spiritual Mapping by a couple I met while attending Red Lion’s Evangelical Free Church. Spiritual Mapping is the process of researching and identifying the spiritual needs and strongholds of a specific area, community or neighborhood based upon past history. To help me further understand this next level form of a spiritual discipline, the Beste’s gave me a book of case studies on Spiritual Mapping. One church in Chicago started having numerous bizarre accidents occurring inside their building as well as within the local community. After an exhausting examination of history using Spiritual Mapping, the pastor discovered that this area was part of a strong Satanic coven. Similar to the demonic prince in the above passage, this church began to reclaim this land back for the kingdom of God, using fasting and prayer as a hedge of protection against the demonic influences in this part of Chicago.
Prayerful Action:
“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land, ” Job 1:10.
Working Out Your Salvation:
One thing I have learned about Spiritual Mapping is that you have to avoid reading too much into a specific situation. For example, Acts 16:6 contains a similar situation that Daniel faced in today’s featured passage. However, rather than face a demonic stronghold, the apostle Paul was prevented by the Holy Spirit from sharing the Gospel in Asia. While only God knows the true reason, its likely that either the people in Asia weren’t ready for Jesus or the Holy Spirit planned for some other missionary to reach this area of the world. The best way to practice spiritual mapping today is to look into the history of a house, property or possession before purchasing it. This way you’re not opening up your life to demonic influences attached to a property, home or possession.
Song of the Day:
While the attached song is a dramatic example of Spiritual Mapping, there are plenty of paranormal shows that have episodes devoted to what happens when Christians enter a house, property or take hold of a possession attached to a curse, demonic influences or a spiritual stronghold too powerful for one believer to handle on their own. This is why you should begin to research and practice the discipline of spiritual mapping this summer and throughout the year.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 