Notes from the book "Breakthrough" by Rudi Lack
(a fantastic book that I can't seem to find being sold anywhere! I got my copy from Gayle!)

IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER preparation (kind of reinforces what we learned in DTS)

pg36 - He was reminded of Joy Dawson's words:
"If you're going to see any significant move of God, it must be birthed in prayer."

He explained how getting ready for an outreach trip needs to include regular prayer. So they set up a voluntary prayer session. Reona Peterson (see her book "Tomorrow You Die") was asked to "lead" this since she had done it before with Joy Dawson in New Zealand.

Reona outlined the procedure. Her instructions closely followed what Joy had taught us. First, we would wait in silence for God to reveal any sin in our lives. "If it's a private sin between you and God, then confess it silently," Reona suggested. "But if it was done in public, and others are aware of it, it's good to confess it out loud."

>>The process was going on slowly… here is how Rudi explained it…

"It was taking time for everyone to speak out his or her sins, and I was beginning to get restless. When were we going to get down to actually pray? I had spent many hours on my knees before God in years past, but I had never gone through such lengthy preparation before. "Can't we just get on with it?" I protested. "There are so many needs to pray for. Do we really need such a drawn out process of heart preparation?" There were a few nods of agreement. Don backed me up, "I think Rudi's right." But Reona stuck to her guns.

"That's fine if you just want to pray for things. But if you want to really hear from God and learn what is on his heart, then we need to really prepare ourselves. That's the difference between meaningful intercession and just praying for things."

"We had to agree with her. In her teaching, Joy had really emphasized our need to deal with sin if we were going to hear accurately from God. She had likened it to tuning in to a radio. Unconfessed sin is the static that hinders our clear communication with God. As she pointed out from Psalm 66:18, when we cherish known sin in our heart, the Lord will not listen."

"Finally everyone had spoken out his or her confessions. We then stood up and, in line with James 4, declared our authority over Satan. In Jesus' name, we defied any attempts he might make to interrupt our meeting or put wrong thoughts in our mind. James promises that if we resist the devil, he has to flee from us. While we can clean out the "rooms" of our lives by confessing our sins, and so erect a barrier against Satan's invasion, that is only half the job. As pointed out in Luke 11:24-26, we also need to take a positive stand by inviting the Holy Spirit to take over us. This was a principle Joy had also emphasized in her teaching: "You need to seek the fullness of the Spirit and give him control of your prayer time."

>>Prayer time then commenced and they waited on God … in SILENCE for some time, to see what God spoke to each of them

"One by one, we spoke out the topics for prayer we felt God had given us. For some it was an individual, for others it was a country or event. Then as we focused on these various items, I was amazed how our unconnected revelations dovetailed together. As each of us spoke out what had come to mind - a Scripture verse, an impression or a vision- these jigsaw pieces fell into place to create a clear picture of God's agenda for us in intercession."

"Night after night, we followed a similar pattern. Sometimes it was more obvious what was on the Lord's heart. Other times we needed to return to him to check it out. But always as we took the time to spiritually prepare ourselves and then wait and listen, we were astounded at the detailed way Christ revealed his mind to us. From time to time, other students joined in. Occasionally there were only two or three of us. But as we continued to meet regularly, our confidence and ability to hear Jesus' voice grew and we had a growing assurance that our intercessions were having an effect.

pg41 - Isaiah 40:31 - "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength."

Intercession pattern:
1) repent from any unconfessed sin.
2) take an aggressive stand against any spiritual forces that might disrupt
3) spend time in worship & being refilled with the Holy Spirit
4) wait with expectancy for God to show us his prayer agenda for the night

>>Prayer nights were do-able during preparations for their outreach … but………….

pg45-
Once we hit the road, it was difficult to keep up our prayer times. With each day's itinerary different and no regular routine, it was impossible to establish a set time. We were busy morning to dusk either traveling, setting up camp or listening to field lectures regarding the Christian heritage of the particular area we were visiting. At night, we would flop exhausted onto our airbeds, too weary to consider praying into the early hours of the morning as we had back in the hotel classroom. Having broken the pattern for prayer we had established, it was easy to coast and enjoy the new experiences. By the end of our first week, we had already lost the cutting edge of the spiritual alertness we had gained through long hours of intercession. We failed to press into God for every detail as Joy had taught us. Instead of asking God for the exact route we should take or our precise itinerary for that day, we let circumstances guide us. As a result, we unwittingly closed down our line of communication with God. The reality of this hit me the second week. By now we had traveled from Switzerland through northern Italy and, skirting the Adriatic Sea, were driving through Yugoslavia. Loren met up with us in Belgrade.

We were heading south towards Turkey following the main highway E761. Loren was at the steering wheel of the green Volkswagen and I was in the front passenger seat. Two possible routes lay ahead of us. We could go directly south via Greece or take the road through Bulgaria. As we approached the sign that indicated the division in the highway, Loren turned to me. "Okay, Rudi, which route should we take?" He knew my passion for prayer and had also sat in on Joy's teaching about hearing God in detail. He expected me to be "prayed up" and in tune with the Spirit. I looked at him stunned. Like the rest of the students, I had just got in the van and driven. I had not given any consideration as to the exact route we should take.

Not wanting to appear unspiritual, I tried to bluff my answer. I knew that like me, Loren also had a burning desire to visit Bulgaria. "Let's go via Bulgaria," I suggested. Loren looked at me for a moment, considered my answer, then slowly shook his head. "No. I don't think so, Rudy." Unlike me, he had spent quality time with Jesus and was spiritually tuned in. He had discerned this was not God's time to take a bunch of novice students into such a hostile, anti-Christian country as Bulgaria. So instead of turning off, we kept going straight ahead.

A few kilometers down the road, we came across an accident that seemed further proof Loren had chosen the right route. We were the first on the scene and able to help the victims. While unharmed, the occupants of both vehicles were badly shaken. We provided them with basic first aid, and before continuing our journey, we were able to pray with them and leave some tracts. Everyone else climbed back into the van exuberant at this "God-given" opportunity to witness. I sat back in my front passenger seat feeling deflated, not just because my dream of visiting Bulgaria had been squashed, but more because I had not only let Loren down, but the Lord himself. I resolved, no matter how difficult it might be, I would resume my prayer schedule.

pg 47-
After an exhausting day's travel, we finally reached our destination: a church youth camp in Katerini, on the outskirts of Athens. We wearily tumbled out of our two vans and bread bus. After a quick meal, everyone retired for an early night to their sleeping quarters in the wooden cabins. I was as tired as everyone else, but instead of heading for my cabin I sought out Reona. "We need to get back to our prayer routine," I said to her, explaining how I had blown it with Loren at the Bulgaria crossroads. Reona, her cotton floral dress crumpled from the long day's journey, and looking as ready for bed as the rest of us, nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Rudi. We've fallen into the old trap of prioritizing activity over prayer." I thought back to our Grenoble outreach experience. How had we so quickly forgotten?

We resolved from then on to pursue our times of intercession together, no matter how inconvenient it was. Our greatest problem was finding a secluded spot. But we managed. Sometimes we met in an open field near our campsite in full view of everyone. At other times, when we camped in church halls and were so crammed we had to clamber over one another's bedding to reach our own, we would gather in a small circle on someone's mattress and pray.

>>Their travels continued … and they arrived at Jerusalem early evening…

pg48-
It was early evening by the time our dust-covered vehicles finally pulled up in front of the big, wooden doors of a Catholic monastery situated outside the old city walls. Built of soft, golden Jerusalem stone and surrounded by a high wall, whose entrance way was barred by heavy timber doors, it looked impressive but welcoming. Thirty travel weary students piled out, along with Loren, Dar and our one extra recruit, my young Swiss friend Roli. The nuns welcomed us warmly. We eagerly sat down to a hearty meal of flat bread spread with typical Israeli delicacies such as olives, cucumbers and cottage cheese. Our mealtime conversation was muted. All anyone could think about was bed.

"How about having a time of intercession together?" I asked Don, Deyon and the other regular attendees of our intercession group. My suggestion went down like a lead balloon.

"Rudi! You can't be serious. We're exhausted." Even Dar, who was always so eager to pray, poured cold water on my spiritual zeal.

"I don't think so tonight. Thanks, Rudi," she said brightly. Only Reona showed any enthusiasm. Like me, she had keenly felt the Lord's rebuke regarding our prayerlessness during the earlier part of the journey. We had both determined to retain our prayer routine, no matter what the personal cost.

"But where are we going to meet, Rudi?" Reona asked. The monastery was packed with YWAMers. There was hardly a spare corner let alone an empty room. Then I had an idea. Our team vehicles where parked outside the monastery walls, beside the main gate.

"Let's go and pray in the green van," I suggested.

"Okay," Reona agreed. After the meal, while everyone else headed off to unroll their sleeping bags, Reona and I slipped into the courtyard. A silvery moon was creeping over the Judean hills. We went out through the heavy, wooden entrance gates and climbed into the green VW van. Immediately, I felt my spirit soar. This was where God wanted us, not sleeping the night away, but interceding for the nations, regardless of how physically tired we felt.

>>Prayer is good … several pages noting this … however they DID get locked out (the gates were closed and locked while they were out praying) … but then, God did not forget them! They prayed for God to help them get inside and the doors opened for them!

pg50-
It was not until the next morning that the full extent of the miracle [of the locked doors opening for them] dawned on us. We learned the nuns had definitely locked the doors at midnight. There was no way anyone could have got in from the outside: no way that is, apart from the divine intervention of God. Such clear evidence of God's working greatly encouraged out faith and inspired us to keep going in our intercessions. We continued to meet nightly.

pg58 - specific prayers from afar WORK:
As Brother Andrew had told us, the reason Open Door's [Bible] smuggling trips behind the Iron Curtain were so successful was because people back home were praying specifically for God to make the seeing eyes of the customs officers blind.

pg59 - a scripture verse given as a warning…
Matthew 7:15 - Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ferocious wolves.
---Maybe the Lord's trying to warn you to stay alert and not trust everyone you meet.

pg 61 --- begins the story of Rudi and Roli's trip to bring 200 Bibles into Bulgaria - the rest of their group agreed to have someone praying for them "round the clock" while they were gone on their 4 day trip
pg 63 - Numbers 10:1 came to mean this: "God had promised to go before us, protect us and bring us back safely. I was greatly encouraged."
pg 64 - They hid the Bibles and then began their trip…
pg 66 - Rudi was driving - late at night - struggling to keep awake - but the road was narrow and twisting and turning and there was no place to stop! Here is how the book relates the story at this point:

Coming up was a particularly sharp corner. I held tightly to the steering as I approached the bend. Suddenly it seemed as if the wheel was torn from my hands. For a few seconds the van tires spun madly out of control. "Oh no!" I screamed. I had visions of us crashing down the side of the gully, and Roli and me plunging to our deaths in the hellish black of the rugged gorge. Roli woke, startled.

"What? Where?"

Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the van righted itself, and we lurched forward safely round the bend.

"Wow! That was a close one Rudi. What happened?" Roli was now wide awake.

"I don't know," I gasped. Even though the problem had clearly righted itself, my heart continued to pound. In my weariness, had I had a lapse of concentration? I was not aware that I had done anything wrong. It was as though the van had a mind of its own and had gone berserk. "It's almost as if the devil himself was trying to throw us off the road and put an end to our mission," I whispered.

"Praise the Lord for those back at the camp praying for us," Roli said quietly. "Their prayers were certainly answered that time." I nodded.

"Yes. How thankful I am we're not in this venture alone, Roli." I encouraged myself too about God's promise to bring us back safely.

Nevertheless we were both badly shaken by the incident. As soon as there was a safe spot to stop, I pulled over and we spent time thanking Jesus for his protection. We also took the extra precaution of taking regular turns at driving and increased our own individual prayer vigil. We did not want to give any further opportunity, be it by direct spiritual assault or through our own foolishness, for Satan to get a foothold on us. As Roli took the wheel and I settled into the passenger seat, I breathed another silent prayer of praise for those back at the camp who right now were awake interceding for us. What we would only learn later was how specifically they were being directed to pray. [yes - it seems that God can coordinate prayer efforts if people are listening … further in these book notes this is made clearer]

pg67-they near the border crossing during the night … and came within a few miles - here's what the book says:
We could have easily kept traveling straight across. Guards would be on duty right through the night. But from Joy Dawson's teaching, I had learned that it was essential to seek God in detail. I sensed it was important to ask him for the precise hour that we should cross. So instead of continuing, I pulled the van off the road and parked in a field, under a tree.

>>Here he gets out with his Bible and takes time to pray and ask the crucial question: "Lord, what time do you want us to cross the border?"

Our whole mission into Bulgaria could stand or fall on my hearing correctly from the Father on this matter. If we crossed the boarder out of God's timing with the wrong guard on duty, our precious load might be discovered, and we would be sent back even before we got in. Worse, our van would be confiscated along with the Bibles. With our limited funds, Roli and I had no way of getting back. This really was crunch time.

I would only discover later that, at this precise moment, hundreds of kilometers away at the camp near Athens, God was tapping Loren on the shoulder, Shaking him awake, he urged him to pray for us. Earlier, students on the prayer chain had also felt impressed to pray that we did not rush across the frontier, but wait for the Lord's perfect timing.

I repeated my request. "Show me the exact hour you want us to cross the border?" I waited in expectancy for him to answer. I did not have to wait long. Into my mind came the words, "in the sixth hour". I opened my Bible and flicking through its pages came to the account of Jesus' death in Mark 15. In the semi-light, I scanned the page. There it was in verse 33: "In the sixth hour…" To me that meant one thing. We were to cross at six o'clock that morning - in just one hour's time. It did not dawn on me that the Jewish day begins at six o'clock and the sixth hour would have been midday. In my ignorance, God used this Scripture to give us his exact timing for our border crossing.

…….It was tempting to turn the ignition key, drive those few kilometers and get the crossing over and done with. But I knew we could not dare disobey God. He had given us six o'clock as our crossing hour, and even though I might never understand the full reason for his timing, I knew we must not move until that precise moment.

pg 75 - Proverbs 3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths."
Roli's prayer was: "Lord, direct us!"

After parking their van, Roli's prayer was: "Lord, set your angels guard over it."

>>They delivered their Bibles … and there was quite a bit of tension during this transfer - so they quickly started their van and drove off … here is what the book says:

I put my foot on the accelerator, anxious to get as far away as possible from the scene of our "crime". At that hour just after midnight, there was very little traffic around. We were clipping along at a steady speed when a uniformed figure stepped out from the side of the road, wildly swinging a red warning light. My heart sank. How could he know who we were? As far as I was aware, no one had seen us.

I pulled the van over. The policeman stuck his head through the window and, talking nineteen to the dozen, hurled a barrage of abuse at us. It was all in Bulgarian and, although I could tell he was angry, I could not make out a word of what he was saying. In frustration, he waved his hands around and then pointed to the speedometer. Suddenly it dawned on me what his concern was, and I breathed easier. He knew nothing of our clandestine Bible smuggling. We had been pulled over for speeding! Apologizing profusely I pointed to our camping gear in the rear and using mime, tried to explain that we were a couple of tourists headed for the border. Clearly frustrated by the language barrier, the policeman finally gave up and let us go.

pg 89 - they made it back to the camp where the rest of the team was waiting
Everyone came flocking out to greet us, and we were swamped with questions. As we all crammed into the dining room - the largest in the camp j- we began to fill them in on the details of our adventure. There were "ooohs" and "aaahs" as I shared about our late night mishap when our van had almost been thrown off the Greek mountain pass. "Why that was just when we were praying for God to specifically protect you from harm on the road," Don blurted out excitedly. Even Loren showed uncharacteristic emotion as he realized the significance of his early morning wake-up call to pray for us during our six o'clock Bulgarian border crossing. Others shared how they had prayed we would not rush across the border, but wait for God's specific timing.

Around the precise moment we had been stopped by the policeman waving a red light, another group had felt strongly to pray about protection against speeding; perhaps they knew me too well! And then at exactly seven o'clock that morning, the very time we had crossed over into Yugoslavia, the burden had lifted from the prayer group and they had stopped praying. It amazed us to see how precisely God had coordinated their most intense prayers with our greatest moments of danger. It highlighted for me the importance of a principle I had learned in the Swiss army. For every soldier on the front line, there needs to be seven in the back-up team carrying supplies and caring for the wounded. Meanwhile, back at home base, fifteen more are involved in manufacturing weapons and keeping an eye on the overall progress of the battle. It was a principle I now realized also applied at a spiritual level. The success of our mission had not depended just on Roli and me. It was largely due to the students' faithful prayers at the base camp as well as the financial support of those back home. But I was to find out all too soon that God had some other rather unexpected lessons to teach me yet.

pg93 - This was after Roli and Rudi had returned from their short trip into Bulgaria. It was Sunday and he went to the local church. While sitting near the back, someone came over to him and asked if he'd like to preach. Here is what the book says:

"It would be a privilege to preach", I responded with eager anticipation. Here was my first chance to tell about Roli and my experience of taking Bibles into Bulgaria. I would be really able to stir these people's faith. But, as I mounted the pulpit, the Lord spoke to me, "Rudi, you're not to say anything about your trip into Bulgaria." Startled by this unexpected order, I quickly retorted, "Why Lord? It'll give my sermon so much more punch." But even as I silently debated with God, desperately trying to justify my position, I knew the answer. Roli and I had been like heroes coming back from Bulgaria. It would be easy for me to exalt myself in front of this Belgrade congregation and I knew they would be impressed. But God was challenging my motive. He was the one that needed to be lifted up, not Rudi Lack.

>>>After his sermon, he was again sitting in the back of the church, and this was his prayer:

"Lord, don't ever let me be tempted to boost my own ego and so disqualify myself from completing your purposes in my life."

pg 106 - on another outreach - to Uganda - Rudi and Dan were sleeping in the same room and both woke up in the middle of the night in the midst of severe nightmares. Here is what the book says:

"What's the matter, Rudi? What's going on?"

"You were making the weirdest noises."

"I have had the most terrible nightmare," he groaned.

"Me too," I said. Suddenly I had a strong awareness that hoards of demons were surrounding us outside in the dark.

"Dan, I believe we are under spiritual attack," I said trembling. "We need to pray and take authority." I had heard reports of the supernatural power displayed by African witch doctors, but it was not until now that I had actually encountered such spiritual forces. Dan, his eyes wide as saucers, nodded.

"I think you're right, Rudi." I got up from my bed, paced our small room and began to pray with all the intensity I could muster. I spoke out scriptural promises of victory and declared the power we had in Christ. I claimed protection by the blood of Jesus and rebuked the evil forces with the same vigor as if we were fighting off a physical attacker. "Jesus, you have defeated the enemy. In your name, we declare he is under our feet." Yet, despite my bold sounding prayers, the fear and tension gripping my stomach did not budge.

Suddenly Dan broke into the prayer. "Rudi, I feel the Lord is convicting me of something I need to confess to you." I looked at him.

"What is it, Dan?"

>>>At this point, Dan and Rudi confessed wrong attitudes they had had towards each other, forgiving each other … then the book continued:

Immediately after Dan and I had confessed our sins to one another, the tension in my stomach eased. The heaviness in the room dissipated. Our spirits started to rise in jubilation as we sensed this break in the satanic wall which only minutes before had seemed so impenetrable. Like victorious soldiers, we moved swiftly in to consolidate our victory and chase the enemy away from our territory. We prayed against every satanic stronghold in Soroti, for the enemy to be defeated in the surrounding villages and for God to show his victory throughout the whole of Uganda. We then started to pray for other oppressed nations such as Albania, Cuba and China. It was the best time of intercession I had participated in since my sessions with Reona, Don and the others. Finally around 3am prayed out, but wonderfully at peace, we called it quits.

We had only just settled down to enjoy a few short hours of sleep when we were jolted into consciousness by a piercing female scream. Adrenaline charged through my veins. Dan and I reached for the lamp switch together. "What on earth was that?" he said tremulously.

"It sounds as if one of the girls is being murdered," I said with equal nervousness. Dan and I grabbed our sweat suits and were about to dash to the girls' room next door when our door opened. An ashen-faced Ramona, her bathrobe hastily wrapped round her, barged through. A sleepy but equally shaken roommate, Natalie, followed. "What happened?" Dan and I chorused. Ramona did not respond. Instead she collapsed onto my bed shaking uncontrollably.

"Were you attacked?" Dan asked in concern.

"Did someone break in?" I queried.

"Sort of," Ramona replied, gasping for breath. The three of us sat down beside her. Natalie gently put her hand on Ramona's shoulder. Gradually her breathing returned to normal and the story came out.

Ramona explained how she had been awakened from a deep sleep with the feeling of being pinned to her bed. "I felt someone had their hands around my neck," she shivered. "I couldn't move. It was the most dreadful sensation I've ever experienced."

"But there was no one there?" I questioned.

"Not physically," she replied. "But the spiritual power that was holding me down was real enough, I can tell you." Ramona went on to explain how she had tried to call out, but the pressure on her throat was so intense she could not utter a sound. "I thought I was going to choke to death," she said. "It was horrible."

Finally she was able to wrestle herself free. But then what she described as a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through the room. "That's when I screamed."

"It sure was a blood-curdling yell," I commented wryly.

"It certainly sent shivers down my back," Dan agreed. "We thought you were being murdered." Ramona smiled weakly as she realized how her reaction must have effected us.

The intensity of the spiritual battle was greater than anything I had ever encountered before. Although Dan and I had experienced a measure of victory, it was very apparent that the devil was not giving up easily. We needed to get back into some more serious spiritual warfare. "I think we need to do some more praying," I suggested. The others readily agreed.

For the next hour and a half, the four of us continued to battle against the forces of darkness together. At one point Dan grabbed his Bible, opened it to Luke 10:17 and read the verse out loud: "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He[Jesus] replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy: nothing will harm you." Dan closed his Bible and looked at us intently, "I believe we need to claim that Scripture for ourselves. Jesus said nothing would harm us. Do we really believe it?"

We started to quote Scripture. "Nothing can harm us. Satan, you are a defeated foe." Faith began to rise in our hearts and our intercessions became increasingly defiant. We knew that the demonic forces were finally in retreat. But we also had a sense that they had not gone very far. They were still hovering outside. "Let's pray for the protection of those in the pastor's home," I urged. Finally around 4am we knew the battle had been won.

Despite my interrupted night, I woke a couple of hours later feeling surprisingly alert. My first thought was for those in the church house. Had they experienced any of the spiritual opposition we had? I decided to go and check. A rather bleary eyed Ugandan answered the door. "How did you sleep?" I asked.

"Not very well."

"Neither did we. We've been in spiritual warfare most of the night." I explained.

"We've been battling since early morning," the Ugandan answered. "It started at about 4am. In fact, some are still praying."

The resistance had been fierce; but as the next week was to prove, a spiritual breakthrough had been accomplished not only in Soroti, but also in surrounding villages.

pg 111 -
From this whole episode, I learned a key principle: feverish activity, no matter how sincere, and intense intercession, no matter how prolonged, are not enough. There are times when spiritual boundaries have to be crossed and evil barriers brought down before release can be experienced. It is the prayer of the fervent RIGHTEOUS man that accomplishes much.

pg 139 -
When Jesus gives an instruction, then if we, like Peter, are willing to step out of the boat in obedience, God will perform the impossible. He will enable us to do what we cannot: walk on the water. No matter how impossible it is humanly speaking, nothing is too difficult for God.

>>> later in the book, Rudi found out that we can pray for whatever we need - even a wake up call!

pg 180 -
…I was so weary, I could not take another step. But I still had a good number of books [Bibles] to deliver. I did not want to give up now. I decided therefore to take a few hours' rest. I worked out that if I woke at 4am, I would have enough time to deliver the last of my books before sunrise. There was just one problem with this plan. I did not have an alarm clock. I could not risk asking the hotel to give me a wake-up call. That would arouse too much suspicion. But my feet were blistered and my back ached. I had no more energy to keep going. If I was supposed to deliver the rest of the books, then God himself would have to give me a wake-up call. As my head hit the pillow, I prayed, "Lord, you wake me at four." I fell immediately into a deep sleep. I was so weary, I did not even dream. The next thing I remember was the penetrating crow of a rooster. I woke with a start and fumbling for my watch, looked at the time. It was exactly four o'clock!

>>> earlier in his story, Rudi mentions that just before he and his partner were to begin secretly placing Bibles around the city his partner became quite ill, and had to return home, leaving Rudi to do the work on his own. While telling a School Of Evangelism class about this mission they had a question for him … here is how he tells it in the book:

I looked around the SOE classroom of students who, sitting in the safety of the Rest Haven Holiday Retreat, had been hanging on my every word. "What happened to Simon Malya?" one of them asked.

"By the time his plane got back to Dar-es-Salaam, the nausea had lifted and it never returned." I answered.

"Which proves that his sickness probably did have a spiritual cause?" one of the girls commented.

"I believe so. In fact that was a key lesson both Simon and I learned that day. When we are about the Lord's business and get sick, it's crucial to find out the real cause. It may be physical. More often than no, however, what we are suffering is a direct satanic attack and we need to push through. If we are willing to resist, there is no obstacle that we cannot overcome, just as there is no border that cannot be crossed." I said, bringing my lecture to a close and challenging them to a new level of commitment.

pg 185-
"If we aren't prepared to take risks, the Lord will never be able to prove himself to us."

>>>After reading from his devotional after just waking up, he turned part of his reading into a prayer…

pg 206 -
I shut the Daily Light [devotional] and turned what I had just read into prayer. "Lord, you go before me today. I don't know what lies ahead, but your Word tells me if you are for me, no man can be against me. Thank you that you are my salvation. I will be strong and courageous. I will not fear."

>>>After a narrow escape from what could have been a long prison sentence, Rudi had this prayer:

pg 223 -
"thank you, Lord. Thank you for the privilege of allowing me to suffer just a little for you. But thank you too, for making a way of escape for me." I was reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:13: "God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

>>> Prayer from afar … prayers of those back at home play an important part of those others out in the mission field

pg 226 -
Constantly people would tell me how they had been praying for me, especially during my recent trip through Zambia. One close prayer warrior, a German lady, told how she had been praying by herself one day and had a vision of me surrounded by a ring of soldiers. Realizing I was in some kind of danger, she called her husband. Together they knelt in prayer and interceded on my behalf. They continued for several hours late into the night, until they sensed the burden lift and knew their prayers had broken through and I had been released without harm. They were greatly encouraged when they heard the details of my arrest and realized the part their prayers had played in paving the way for my freedom.

>>> Prayer support is very important while on a mission

pg 236 -
Above everything else in my preparations, I solicited prayer support. I knew God himself had miraculously opened this tiny diplomatic hole in the normally impenetrable Bamboo Curtain. But all my efforts could be wasted if I did not have ongoing prayer covering for the whole time I was there.

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