Easter is Over.

Evil cannot manifest itself more clearly than in a person who abuses children.

Shantel had evil thrust upon her when we returned from church on Easter Sunday.

Shantel came home to an angry stepmother and her boyfriend. We followed shortly after with the excuse of bringing a jacket back to her little brother. We knew we needed to be there to divert their anger away from her,

a big white distraction.

We walked in on a bit of a predicament. Shantel answered the gate in tears.
They were all sitting in the grass outside the confining walls of the tiny shack.
Our presence was in no way welcomed or appreciated. All in the name of “saving face” the mother greeted us. The problem was obvious, but we asked anyway.

After hearing a long list of Shantel’s shortcomings, the boyfriend started in.

In a broken combination of Nyanja and English, this sleezy, lazy, worthless, evil example of Satan’s dominion in this world began his mockery:
“Do you think I’m afraid to beat you to death?

Do you think I’m afraid of these whites? Do you think they came to defend you?

I’ll slap you right here in front of them. I’ll beat you with them here to watch it.

I’ll beat you until you shit.”

He sat lounging in his chair with bloodshot eyes and a haughty smile, challenging us.

"The lion has roared--

Who will not fear?

The Sovereign Lord has spoken--

Who can refuse to proclaim his message?"

This man shook my hand when I reached out to him.

He introduced himself as “Joseph, the father of Jesus”.
And there is Satan. As many times as I’ve seen Jesus here, now I’ve seen a physical manifestation of what he battles against.

"Let justice roll on like a river."

Africans fear lions. It’s ironic that my God is a lamb but also a lion, a king. He is fierce in defense of the fatherless. He defends the orphan.

"They will follow the LORD;

He will roar like a lion.

When he roars,

His children will come before him trembling."

Let us get one thing right:

Easter is over.

He’s not on the cross. He isn’t broken. He’s alive. He’s the King. He’s the Lion.

I want everyone to see the Lion. Let us all pray and storm the gates of hell. Christ is interceding on her behalf, let’s join him. While this mountain seems too big, this sea seems too wide, this mustard seed too small, like Abraham we will all have faith and see the testimony of the Lion. Everyone watch. Taste and see. This will be a testimony of the Lion coming to defend his kingdom. It will not be a story that you hear, but one that happened right before your eyes. This testimony will be our own experience.

Amos 3:8... Amos 5:24...Hosea 11:10