Submitted by Jason:
It's been over 7 months now since we've arrived in Belize. We currently find ourselves in the middle of what would be called "the dry season" here. As the name suggests, this season lasts about 2 months in which there is little to no rainfall. The ground dries up so much that there are visible cracks in the earth just waiting to welcome "the rainy season".
As is with anyone who has walked with Christ for any considerable amount of time, there are seasons that we go through as the Lord shapes us, as much as we are willing, into what He desires for us to be. These seasons are many and various in nature. I believe that our willingness, and ability, to remain humble, loving and teachable throughout these seasons can provoke an acceleration from one season to another. Conversely, lack in these same areas can extend a season in your life longer than necessary.
In Galatians 5, Paul talks about walking in the Spirit to avoid fulfilling the lust of the flesh. He goes on to say how the flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. Well, that sounds easy enough, right? Just walk in the Spirit and everything will be fine. But, there is one problem. To my knowledge, Paul never teaches exactly how to walk in the Spirit. He does, however, list the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. If we are walking in the fruit of the Spirit, then we are walking in the Spirit.
For instance, if we show a consistent pattern of walking in love, then we are walking in the Spirit. If we show a consistent pattern of walking in joy, then we are walking in the Spirit. This can, and should be, said for any and all of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul spoke of.
I believe that this is a doctrinal truth pertaining to avoiding fulfilling the "lust of the flesh", which Paul refers to as "the works of the flesh", which are; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, etc...
While all of these "works of the flesh" exist here in Belize as much as in every other nation, I would presume, the two that seem to attract my attention more than the others, for this specific country, are idolatry and witchcraft.
The population of this land, which is now Belize, has previously been dominated by the Mayans. The Mayans were, and are, an incredibly interesting group of people that learned to survive off of, and thrive from, this land for centuries. These people are widely known for their temples and alters that they've built to attempt to get closer to their gods. These temples and alters, now referred to as "ruins", are scattered throughout the beautiful landscape of Belize. There are believed to be many more ruins that remain covered than there are that have been uncovered.
To my knowledge, these ruins, as they currently exist, are no longer being used for the various ceremonies that were once customary to the Mayans. While I'm not sure if these ruins are privately owned now or owned by the government of Belize, it's a well known fact here that it was not uncommon for the natives to sacrifice people or even cut their own genitals as a form of "blood letting".
These alters still stand today and remain a major tourist attraction. People from all over the world, from every religious denomination visit these grounds in awestruck wonder of what these people were able to accomplish in a time without modern machinery. I know, I was one of them. I visited Xunantanich is Aug of 2012 during our first visit to Belize.
However, after living here for 7 months, there is a very real spiritual stronghold over this land that I believe has something to do with the blood that was routinely poured out upon it. Blood that was sacrificed to idols.
We serve a jealous God. Throughout the bible, there are accounts of people going into a new territory or land and in several cases, the first thing that the Lord instructed them to do was to tear down the alters or idols in the land. Here, not only are they still standing, but they're still being worshiped. Whether knowingly, or unknowingly, as people visit and walk around these grounds, they're walking on cursed ground.
I've not been called to, or instructed to, in any way, tear down these ruins. But, I have received the revelation of what Paul taught: If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. I can live in the very land where certain "works of the flesh" are dominant, but by walking in a way that resembles the fruit of the Spirit, I position myself to avoid these "works of the flesh".
I only hope that I was able to successfully translate what the Lord revealed to me through these scriptures to you.
In other exciting news, I'm happy to announce that on March 25th, my step-son and daughter-in-law, Brendan & Asia, became the proud parents of Emery Jane McGlinchey. She was born at a Mennonite clinic in the town in which we live, Spanish Lookout.
Also, we took a 3 day trip to San Pedro, Belize. There, we enjoyed snorkeling along the reef among the barracuda, eels, nurse sharks, rays, sea turtles, etc. We drove our rented golf carts around the downtown area of San Pedro, enjoying the shops and the dining.
Lastly, but not least, our daughter, Kayla, turned 18 a few weeks ago. For her birthday, we took a day trip to swim in the inland Blue Hole and spelunk in St. Herman's Cave.
Thanks to all of you who continue to support us with prayer and partner with us financially.
Francie and I are prayerfully considering hosting visitors in the near future. Please feel free to contact us if you're interested. For obvious reasons, we will be prayerfully selective concerning interested parties.
God bless.
