We have been in Thailand for almost 2 weeks now and God has already started to do some amazing work. He started this amazing work on our first day of ministry!!
On Tuesday, January 6th, our afternoon portion at the school was cancelled so we headed home. We were a little bummed about this and decided to hang out downstairs at the community center, where we are living, when a guy from the area stopped by. Normally his mother does not allow him to come to the community center to hangout with pastor and his wife but since there is a team visiting he is allowed to. We were sitting around, listening to worship music when Rachel got words from God to share to this young man. Before I know it, I am witnessing him being delivered from several different evil spirits. At the end of the deliverance, Rachel felt that we were suppose to pray over him for the baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking tongues. The 4 of us who were down there laid hands on him and began to pray. As we prayed for him, I also was praying for myself.
Lord I don’t want to be the one holding him back. If it is your will, Father, give me the gift of tongues so that your presence will not be denied. I am ready.
I took a deep breath and what felt like a huge ball came in through my nose and sat on my chest. The tongues started coming to me but nothing was coming out of my mouth. Seconds later Christina placed her hand on my head and my prayers flowed out like I had been speaking it for a long time. The more we prayed for this young man the more my spirit cried out in tongues.
Exactly a week later, team Restored decided to walk around the community and pray; pray for the people, for the land, and for God to shine His light. We made our way to the Buddhist monastery. I had no clue what we were about to walk into.
When we walked into the gates, I automatically started to feel oppression. My heart broke for these men who do not know the truth of Jesus. That everyday they worship many different types of Buddha and for what? My heart broke seeing the statues and then what I saw next opened my eye.
Serpent statues. All around us. On the buildings, on the stairs. Everywhere. (I had to go the next day to get pictures!) I knew that this was the work of the enemy and that he was everywhere.
My spirit went from sad for these men to doing battle against the enemy in this place. There was one building I was particularly drawn to that night. I didn’t know what it was about that building but the darkness inside knew that we were there. As I was staring at this building I started to pray in tongues over it and the rest of the land and then God gave me a song. “There is power in the name of Jesus” over and over again.
We continued to walk around praying over each building, each monk we saw, and we were on our way out when God place my attention to this tree. It was not an ordinary tree. This was a tree that God used to show us what Buddhism has on Thailand. 3 of us stopped and stared at the tree. At the time, I didn’t even know the other 2 had stopped and noticed the same thing that I had. Rachel shared what God was telling her about this tree. It was the same exact thing Sarah and I had received.
This tree was a prophetic tree. The trunk was covered by the roots and as soon as it started to branch off at the top the roots stopped twisting around it. There is a demonic face it and faces of people trapped behind the roots twisting around it. The trunk is how Buddhism is on Thailand. It is so intertwined into their life it’s their identity. It’s strangling them and they don’t know anything different. But the top of the tree was Christianity. No longer help back from the root. Free with free leafs; life. Soon, Thailand is going to be like this tree. Once strangled by Buddhism will be no more. They will be freed and will have more life.
But God didn’t stop there. As we continued to make our way out, right beside the entrance of the temple was a cross. A cross that had light shining from behind it. Light pouring into the monastery.
We are in the middle of a spiritual battle between good and evil; light and dark. We are living in a war zone. God wants us to fight with Him. To be His soldiers of light but the enemy also wants us; to join the dark side. When we let evil spirits like anger, rage, self loathing, depression, addiction ect. take root in our life we are allowing the enemy to have a foothold.
There is a war going on. I have chosen to fight for freedom, for light, for truth, with the One True God.
Thank you for all of the support and prayers!!! I am fully funded and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you, my supporter!!!
