By Ann Armstrong

“For He Himself is our peace who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” Ephesians 2:14

Last month the Lord fulfilled this verse in a beautiful and profound way. It was the Tuesday afternoon at the Living Waters training in Argentina. The leadership team gathered to share and pray for the evening session.

After we debriefed about our small groups, Andy took a poll of the leaders. He asked how many were aware of infidelity in their parents’ or grandparents’ marriages. Of the Latin team members, about 20 men and women, all but 2 raised their hand.

From what I understand these men and women and their family members offer an accurate picture of the moral climate in their different Latin American nations. Mauricio Montion, the Coordinator of Aguas Vivas in Argentina, recounted how marital infidelity has been the norm in his country for many decades.

The weightiness of this reality gave a fresh urgency to our prayers for the evening session. The immediacy of our need for God’s mercy and power was so evident. We cried out for God to come with clarity and truth, to give the participants fresh grace to see, name and renounce their sin and idolatry. We asked to dismantle the strongholds keeping many captive, the beliefs and practices that had set themselves up against the knowledge of God (1 Cor 10:15).

That night Andy spoke of God’s intent for us as men and women—the power of the ‘imago dei’, and God’s desire for us to bless and honor the good in each other. At core that involved the plan He began in Genesis with Adam and Eve, for us to be agents of His love and truth for each other as marrieds and singles.

He shared the results of his informal poll, and how he believed the high rate of marital infidelity allowed sin and idolatry to take hold in the nations represented. Like the people of Israel, he made it clear we get to choose who we will serve, to whom and what we give our affections and allegiance.

The prophet Elijah challenged his countrymen, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow him, but if Baal is God, follow him.” (1 Ki 17:21).

Andy asked us to consider our idolatry, the ways in which we had wavered. He challenged us to acknowledge our complicity to the other gods we or our family members had worshipped.

All but a few of the participants came forward for the prayers of renunciation. The prayer ministry time was extensive, marked by sobriety among all those present.

Raul Morales, a leader living and ministering with his wife and family in Mexico, shares how the evening impacted him:

“Hearing Andy speak about the power of idolatry was significant for me. Things became clearer, and I realized that idolatry (regardless of what I call it or how it manifests) was getting in the way of my relationship with God. It was hard to accept that my rebellion was against God’s will, and my own self-image. I felt there was no longer any place to hide my idols. I was encouraged to identify and renounce them, and to stand firm in my decision to follow God, regardless of how it feels or what needs to be done.”

Like Raul, many others choose to stand and reaffirm their allegiance to God that night. It came at a cost. As the men and women present made this decision in prayer, the heaviness in the room began to be replaced by peace and expectancy.

When we began to worship and celebrate what God had done, spontaneous dancing slowly broke out. A couple from Bolivia began to lead out in dance while circling the room. Each time they circled more and more people joined in. Men and women joined hands, coming together to celebrate the freedom and joy they felt. Those dancing continually grabbed the hands of those they passed and made a place for all who wanted to join the circle. The dance gave us a fun and wonderful opportunity to embrace the unity God established through our prayers.

I have been at this teaching more times than I can remember and have never seen or experienced such a beautiful example of the joyful unity God intends for us to have as his sons and daughters. I witnessed joy and delight in the good of the other, and a willingness to stand together, no matter what. As we embrace these qualities, I believe God will continue to give us the grace we need to join Him in the battle.

From DesertStream.org