Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:8-9
The kids were sitting in a circle as I taught them how to play Duck-Duck-Goose. Up above were evil spirits swirling around. There was one spirit that passed from child to child whispering lies into their ears. Each kid had a label written on them that described the lies or evils they were going through: sexual abuse, worthless, and poverty.
It was clear as day. As if it was happening. And to a degree, it is happening.
God gave me this vision as I was praying for energy and a good attitude to get through the day. You see, as we arrived at our ministry this month, my team found ourselves severely exhausted, no motivation to serve, no joy in what we were doing, and simply a heaviness that sat upon all of us. It was highly unusual so we began to sense there was something going on that we couldn’t see. We quickly agreed that we were under a spiritual attack.
God used this vision to not only confirm that we were in fact in the midst of a great spiritual battle, but He also reminded me how to fight.
Immediately after the vision, God reminded me of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “for though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” The Holy Spirit revealed that after acknowledging we were under a spiritual attack, my team prayed once and moved on. We quickly got in a routine of fighting for more sleep and chasing down fruit for energy. This, God made clear, is not how you win a spiritual battle. In bringing to mind this scripture, God reminded me we don’t fight spiritual battles with weapons of the flesh.
I shared this vision & insight with my team and that night we agreed to spend the end of every day in prayer. After the first prayer session many of us immediately felt much lighter, energized, and had clearer minds. Go figure, it worked! We were casting down strongholds trough the spiritual weapons God has given us.
I wish I could say that the spiritual battle ended there. We still pray every night and have come up against:
- Adults who also live at the school were awakened one night by the dogs barking. They went outside and saw what they described as a “ghost” and “witch,”
- Random sicknesses, nightmares, and sleepless nights among the team,
- Students under distress (e.g. breaking down in tears during class).
In the midst of all of this, God reopened my eyes to the spiritual reality we find ourselves in, not only here, but all over the world. Satan is real and his power is real. He seeks to attack anything that bears the light of Jesus. That includes this school (one of only a few Christian schools in the country) and Christians who attempt to spread the love of Christ where he has reigned for so long. It’s tempting to be afraid, but this month is another example that the power of Jesus is greater than any power in the heavens or on earth. We speak & fight in Jesus’ name and all is well.
Although frustrating and even scary at times, I am grateful for this month. It sent me and my team straight into the arms of Jesus, unified us, & forced us to step into our authority as disciples of Christ. It stirred up a fire in my heart to pray harder and love harder. If we are getting this much spiritual resistance in this place, in this case, it’s because God has invited us into his mighty plan to fully redeem Cambodia. And to do so in part, through this school and these kids. All of the attacks just pushed me to fight harder as I refused to be a part of anything less than God’s best, God’s plans for any place.
So, we’ll continue to walk in our armor and shine our light brighter. I mean, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Love,
Sha’terika
Please be in prayer for our squad as we move into Malaysia. In addition to the struggles of my team, our squad has dealt with multiple hospital visitations, leaving ministry sites due to safety, and similar feelings of weariness as us. Also, keep Agape School in your prayers as they are doing an incredible work in loving kids who come from hard lives and are desperate for love. Thank you for your continued support of all of us. I am grateful for your prayers. I know that’s what helped us to persevere and fight to love!
MAKE A DONATION: I still need $3,477 to cover the cost for this trip. If you are able to support me financially, click SUPPORT ME” on the left to make a tax-deductible donation. Or, cut out the small online processing fee by mailing a check to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Checks should be made out to “Adventures in Missions”
***Put “PERKINSSHATERIKA” in the memo line of the check!!!!!***
