I live in Duncan, OK. My guess is, until recently, some of you who read my blog had no idea where Duncan, OK was...and, honestly, I wish it had stayed that way. Not that I'm not proud of my town, but I just didn't want you to discover it this way. The tragic death of Christopher Lane, a young man who was visiting our wonderful community, is not the way we wanted break into the national news scene. I mean, really, our town is a great town that could be known for so many things like its great community spirit, its wonderful churches, a hard-working population, or its resilience to trying economic times. As much as I wish we could be know for any of these, at least for now, we will be known as the place where the young Christopher Lane was gunned down by a group of teenagers who were "bored".
As if Christopher Lane's death was not heartbreaking enough, the following week the Duncan High School received some sort of threat that was substantial enough to result in a closed campus, heightened police presence, and excused absences from all schools if parents chose to keep their kids at home. Suddenly, the level of fear in our community skyrocketed. It was no longer just about Christopher Lane....now it was about every kid in Duncan. Panic swept across the pages of Facebook faster than an Oklahoma thunderstorm blows through town. Even I was up until 1am reading about what happened, praying for the schools, and trying to process how I lead through this as a husband, a parent, and a pastor. As I prayed, I was reminded of how as the Israelites made their way through the desert God constantly provided all they needed....yet they consistently would complain and forget His faithfulness. When they needed safe passage, He parted the Red Sea. When they needed food, He rained it down from heaven. When they needed water, He brought it out of a rock. He led them by a cloud in the day and fire at night. He never failed them.
LET US NOT FORGET THE LORDS FAITHFULNESS! His promise is abundant life! It is the enemy that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If you are operating out of fear, you cannot operate in faith. What stirs your fear? The news? Facebook? THEN STOP IT! Stop watching the news and reading facebook if it stirs fear in you. God did not give you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind. You have it already! Use it! Faith comes by hearing the Word of God!! Don't base your faith on the circumstances. Base it on God's promises. They always were and always are true! He never changes! His love is un-failing!
On top of the fear, there is also a great deal of anger lying just below the surface. If not dealt with properly, it will quietly grow and grow and grow into bitterness and then hatred. We must understand what we are dealing with here. You think it was the three teenagers who decided to kill Mr. Lane? Was it their parents fault? Could the community have done something to keep these kids from being "bored"? These are all pretty loaded questions with very complicated answers, but honestly none of them address the real problem. The problem is not the problem. I tell this to people all the time, and they just look at me like I'm crazy...and I am. I am crazy about the Truth. The truth is God's Word and this is what it says:
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
For me, this whole series of events is not about 3 bored teenage boys or anonymous threats to the Duncan HS. Those threats aren't anonymous. Seriously? I know exactly who sent them. His name is Satan. The Evil One. He is our enemy. He is the killer. He is the one who spreads fear. He is the one who wants to destroy a community that is seeing revival in God's people. He is like a kid at the grocery store who isn't getting what he wants, so he throws a fit knowing there is a pretty good chance he can get us to take our eyes off of Jesus and start to sink in an ocean of fear.
WELL SCREW YOU SATAN! We are on to you. We know what we are fighting against and we know how to fight. We will put on our armor and stand firm. We will wield the Word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword and cut you down! You have no power over us! As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us in Luke 10:19 that He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy! Let's stop looking to Facebook to get our information and start reading the word of God! You want to fight for your kids? You want to fight for your family? Put on your armor! It's time to suit up Duncan, OK. It's not too late. Our God is faithful. He is our redeemer. He restores what the enemy steals away. Instead of planting seeds of fear in the hearts of our kids, lets plant the Truth of God's Word. Give them Jesus. Jesus is and always will be the answer.
Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Ephesians 6:13
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