One of the things that makes us unique as human beings is our mind. We have the ability to reason. We have a consciousness. We have intuition. Of all of these it is our intuition that is, arguably, the most practical and the one that we use the most often. If you've ever been in a situation and thought something like 'something here isn't right' or 'I should be doing this and not that' that's your intuition talking. Over the course of my life I've met many people who have a very strong intuition and there have been many times where I've felt my own intuition kick in. The downside is that, like everything else about our human experience, our intuition is fundamentally flawed. We are aware of things only in an earthly sense such as getting out of a potentially dangerous situation as quickly as possible. When we come to Christ our sixth sense, as some call it, becomes renewed and begins to serve a greater heavenly purpose. If we pay close enough attention we can begin to sense events in the spiritual realm. We begin to realize that there truly is a war going on and that in some places that war is more intense than others, sometimes intense enough to be felt by our supernatural sixth sense. This intensity is sometimes referred to as a spiritual climate or spiritual atmosphere. In some places it is very light but in others it is incredibly heavy. Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, is a major hub for human trafficking and, as a result, is saturated by a spirit of lust. How can I tell you ask? First and foremost, I can feel it. I can feel the weight. I can feel the battle and struggle going on. I know what you're thinking, 'what you mean, you can feel it'. There's not really a way that I can explain it other than the spiritual intuition that I've been talking about. There have been many times over the course of The World Race when I have felt those types of sensations but it was by far the heaviest during my time in this area of the world, especially Thailand and Malaysia. Secondly and equally as important, I can see it. It can see the evidence in the bars of Bangla Road, the back rooms of massage parlors, the statues of Hindu temples and calls to prayer of Islamic mosques. The Enemy has people trapped and caused led them to believe that rescue will never come.
The United States is no different. (I can hear your gasps but before you stop reading please let me explain) While I feel like the spiritual atmosphere of our nation is much lighter than many places around the world it is not exempt from the attacks of the Enemy. It is not exempt from the war for souls that is happening everyday from Wall Street across the Heartland to the waters of the Pacific. The attacks look much different but the motives are the same. They are also more dangerous because they are often so subtle that we don't recognize that we are falling into the trap. The Devil's greatest weapons are distraction and distortion and many people in the United States and Southeast Asia have been too easily tricked by these methods. That's where you and I come in. Our job is to redirect the distracted and redefine the distorted. There are men and women at home and abroad who desperately want out of the life that they are in but aren't sure how to do it. I want to encourage you to seek out these people wherever they may be, even if it means taking a step of faith. The cost to us is much less than the cost to them.
