Today I was watching the final speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (click on the image to watch the speech). It reminded me why we, the church, do what we do with such passion and zeal.

At Core Church we have just completed 21 days of prayer and fasting. This has personally been one of the most challenging fasts I have experienced. It wasn’t the lack of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a cinnamon roll that were the problem. Throughout these 21 days I watched the Devil rise up in opposition like I’ve not seen before. Each day it became more and more intense. For some reason he was just not happy.

That’s because for the past 21 days we haven’t been thinking about ourselves. Instead, Core Church has been praying and fasting for over 400 of our friends and family that are far from God. Over 400 people that don’t know Jesus! The Devil isn’t concerned about a church that is self-consumed and not thinking or praying for their friends and family. But, when we stop thinking about ourselves and start praying for people far from God it ticks him off a bit.

Someone recently said to me, “You care too much about lost people.” That’s the greatest compliment I have ever received. May my life be consumed with this one thought of robbing hell and populating heaven. May we give our lives to set the captive free for the glory of God. For the past 21 days we have been praying The Invitation Declaration together. Let’s continue to pray this for our friends and family.

My heart, my soul, and my mind have never been more resolute than they are today. We must make whatever sacrifice is necessary to reach those who are far from God. It must consume our daily lives. We must not rest until every man, woman, and child has heard the name of Jesus.