Dear Friends of the Harvest:
I just got back from preaching another Revival in Cuba, and after spending another set of fruitful days in Cuba, I am convinced that I need to ask you all to do something absolutely vital: I’m asking you to pray fervently that the people of Cuba—nationwide--would choose to serve Jesus Christ at this pivotal time in their history! Let me explain…
This is the 3rd year in a row that I have had the privilege of preaching Revivals in Cuba, and all 3 years have really been fantastic! But this year was different. As most of you know, this year the U.S. and Cuba began restoring relationships with each other. And we could feel the difference as soon as we landed. For the 3rd year in a row, I ministered together with my friend, Evangelist Robert Murdoch of Epicenter Ministries International. And we could both feel a greater sense of freedom in Cuba, even before we exited the airport!
But with that freedom, comes temptations. A tidal wave of temptations! It was really impressed on my spirit as I was preaching on this trip that Satan is getting ready to storm Cuba with a great temptation toward the sin of greed. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24…
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
And so it is. In the next few months, I believe, Cuba will be flooded with economic abundance, the such of which they have not seen since the Revolution, as the nations of the West begin a bidding war as to who will begin rebuilding Cuba’s infrastructure. As they do, money will begin to flow into Cuba, and the people there will begin to be tempted toward the same sin that has served to devastate many in the other nations of the West: The sin of greed, the love of money.
I preached strongly against this sin while I was there this trip. I warned those listening in no uncertain terms that we are to chase after and pursue Jesus, the Kingdom of God and the Great Commission, and not money and wealth. This message was always very well received, and many repented and pledged themselves to pursue Jesus and not money. But you need to pray that the people of Cuba will not be swept away in Satan’s tidal wave of temptation toward greed that is about to hit Cuba’s shores.
Another major temptation that is quickly coming to Cuba is a sin that has sunk many individuals—and even nations—in the West in the past 20 years. That’s right: The temptation to use the internet to view pornography. Until very recently, internet use in Cuba was highly regulated, so much so that for the average person, it was almost impossible to access the internet. But in these past few months of greater freedoms, this too is beginning to open up. Within the next year, I believe, we will see fairly widespread internet access among the Cuban people. Obviously, the internet is neutral morally: It can be used both for God’s purposes and the enemy’s. However, as we know from the example in my 2 nations of Canada and the U.S. alone, for many—especially men—the temptation to use the internet for perverse purposes has produced a moral and spiritual epidemic of lust, from which it is hard to imagine our cultures will ever escape.
So far, the Cuban people have been protected from this. But the tidal wave of temptation to view pornography is already hitting the shores of Cuba now, and will only intensify in the coming months. That is why I am asking you to pray for the Cuban people now: That as individuals, churches, denominations—yes, the entire Cuban culture—they would seek the Holy Spirit’s power to say “no” to this addictive behavior and say “yes” to Jesus and the true freedom that He offers!
I preached strongly also against this sin, along with its sister sins of easy divorce, abortion, homosexuality, and sexual sins of all kinds, which have helped spiritually decimate once-great nations of the West. Again, the Cuban people were very receptive to this message. There was much repentance, and consecration of their lives to pursuing holiness and purity. But please pray that as individuals and as a nation, these precious people would do better at standing strong against these sins than the rest of the nations in the West have.
My favorite moment of the trip was at the end of the Altar Call at the Sunday morning service. I had been staying that week with a precious family in their home: A husband, his wife and their young son. They were so good to me! I didn’t believe they were believers—yet!—but I used the small amount of Spanish I knew to try to talk to them about Jesus. I invited them to church that day to hear me preach. The church was so packed that I didn’t even know if they had come, but then I looked over during the Altar Call, and—yes!—there they were! The whole family! My family! I was overjoyed! I ran over to them and put my arms around them as they repented publicly of their sins and trusted Jesus as Savior. It was household salvation—and what a beautiful thing to behold! Before they left church, the discipleship team of the church got their contact information to begin helping them grow as new believers. Please pray for them, my friends, that all 3 of them would both grow and stay strong in Jesus!
So Cuba is a country at a Crossroads. As it begins to change, the Cuban people could pursue Jesus or money; they could become slaves of Christ or slaves to lust and other related sins. Please pray that they will choose Jesus! I’m asking you, truly, to pray against the spirits of greed and pornography that have done so much damage to other nations in the West, so that Cuba’s future and destiny may be different. Pray that Cuba will indeed become a light to the nations!
For the Lost,
Dr. Kevin Wagner, D.Min.