Spiritual battles in urban ministry

Urban ministry can be very overwhelming.  Lately, Julie and I have experienced some intense struggles both within the ranks of the LAMP ministry and in our personal lives.  Of late, I have been able to discern certain aspects of these struggles as attacks from the enemy.  I'm always amazed at how much I get caught up in my own human struggles, and how little I pay attention to the spiritual battles when things are going good.

Julie and I have been examining the armor of God recently, and it is very encouraging to read through that passage of scripture together.  I am also encouraged by the writings of urban ministry pioneers who I have been studying lately.  

Robert Lupton wrote the following in the epilogue to one of his books about the personal strain of life in urban ministry:  "Remember me, O my God, for good."  It is a prayer well suited for those of us whose hearts are right, whose intentions are good and who, with all our best efforts to renew the city, end up with less than perfect outcomes.  It is an admission of our flawed character, a recognition that lasting results are in the hands of the God who shapes history and a hopeful affirmation that in the divine economy no act of obedience is ever wasted."