[Cal]

This letter is a breakthrough, not just personally for Joanna and Greg, but in the fight against the LIE that is the "Lord's Recovery."

Joanna obviously loves the Lord with all her heart. She is also very intelligent and a gifted writer. Her letter is well-thought-out, well-written, clear, and convincing. It is not emotional or histrionic. It sincerely and effectively exposes a deeply twisted and evil system.

The insidiousness of the LR has always been based in that it combines good and even breakthrough teachings with very dark means of control. The good stuff convinces followers to turn over control, the dark stuff consolidates and enforces that control relentlessly and mercilessly.

Joanna's letter reminds me of how powerful the deception is, and how subtlety and effectively Satan can twist the minds of well-meaning people he fools into leaving the word of God for someone's "interpreted word."

Keep in mind that we, God's people, are in a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. The evil, controlling aspects of the LR, those things that make it an aberrant, abusive and damaging spiritual group are not, ultimately, intended to glorify Witness Lee, enrich the leadership, spread the "Recovery" or fulfill God's purpose, or any other reasons the deceived and controlled leadership puts forth.

They are intended to imprison strong seekers of the Lord and keep them from God's very best for them.

SATAN ENSNARES LAZY CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD.
HE ENSNARES SEEKING CHRISTIANS IN CONTROLLING GROUPS.

Satan knows that strong seekers, when they truly discover God's plan for them, will be his ultimate demise. He know he must stop them, and that the world cannot entice them. So he created controlling groups to ensnare them.

The controlling LR system has been engineered by Satan, our real enemy--the one we are called to resist, in life, ministry and especially in PRAYER.

Make no mistake. This is a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. It will not be won just by talking. We must pray. Each one of us, if we care about this issue, must fight the spiritual battle in prayer.

The leaders and sycophants of the LR are deceived, but they are not our enemies. Our real enemies are the evil, invisible spiritual forces behind the deception, and the indispensable way to defeat them is PRAYER. A lot of other things can help: Argument, testimony, encouragement, support, even my silly little MOTA comic. But without prayer everything else will not be enough. Satan never goes down without a fight, and the fight is engaged in prayer.

May we all commit ourselves to pray more about this issue.

Blessings to Joanna and her family, and to all others who refuse to be imprisoned by the enemy's wiles.