I’ve decided that
it’s finally time to write a blog about this. I’ve noticed a lot more spiritual
warfare here in Cambodia than I have in the other places I’ve been. Maybe it’s
because there is more here than other places I’ve visited. Maybe it’s simply
because I’m more attuned to it. Basically, I’m telling all of you that it’s
real. There are angels and demons and spirits of good and evil. They exist and
are at work in this world whether you believe it or not.
The place where I
felt it the most was the border between Thailand and Cambodia. It was chaotic
and confusing and crushing… I had such a difficult time even praying
straight! It was really messing with my mood. Most people would chalk it up to
being hot and tired, and a long travel day (we got up at 5:15am, left YWAM in
Bangkok at 6am, and had been on the road since then. We hit the border at 11,
walked a quarter of a mile in our packs then stood in line for an hour and a
half, walked another quarter of a mile, then stood in line again before we
squeezed onto two more buses that took us to the next bus station. The total
time for the border crossing was calculated to be nearly four hours) but I know
much of it was due to the spiritual warfare there. Or not necessarily even war because there was
very little good there for the evil to be warring with. Everyone’s spirits
felt… destitute. Distrustful and dishonest and desolate. It was cold and
unfeeling and deceptive with very little, if any, love. The more I tried to
pray, the less I felt like I was able to. Every evil feeling and impulse in me
seemed to be magnified and made harder to fight against; it was a struggle not
to be snappy and mean. The further from the chaos at the border I got, the
clearer my head and better my mood got.
My
next big spiritual encounter came the first night at our ministry compound. I
woke up around two thirty in the morning to a huge downpour. I couldn’t fall
back asleep but I think I dozed off and on until a little after four. I prayed
when I was conscious and I’m not sure if I was semi-conscious and it was my
imagination or if it was a vision from God or me actually seeing/sensing what
was happening. Here’s the background on it – the compound we’re living in has
been rented for five years by Teen Challenge to run a rehab program for women
on the street to come get clean. Since it’s a rental property, they’re not
allowed to remove them (although there is no food on them; they’re stuffed with
plastic bags and not used). So, that night during the monsoon-like rain, I
imagined/saw spirits flocking to it to try to get out of the rain. Not just
demons, but the spirits of evil, spirits of discord, and even spirits of
different Khmer people who had been slaughtered during the genocide. The rain
had driven them out of the nearby swamps and villages where they resided to try
to find shelter. When they reached the spirit house, they couldn’t enter
because it was stuffed with the bags so they turned and saw me and tried to
enter the room where some of my teammates and I were sleeping. I commanded them
not to enter and prayed down legions of angels and God’s protection and set a
barrier around us but I could still see/feel them pressing in. When I prayed
for angels, I saw them coming in the distance with arcing blue swords made of
flaming light. It was crazy. I was praying protection over the building we were
in, the compound, and praying for the girls on my team and anyone else whom God
brought to mind. Eventually, the rain ceased and I drifted off to sleep.
Every day that my
team was there, we prayed for the people in the compound and spent time reading
the Bible to them and trying to model God’s love by loving them in practical
ways. We went on prayer walks, covering the land and the people we passed with
prayer and praise. And nearly every night, God woke me up multiple times to
pray for people and against evil. During the few weeks that I spent at the
compound, I both sensed and saw a shift in the atmosphere and the attitudes of
all those who inhabited the center and the nearby village. At the beginning,
there was a ton of fighting and arguing. We’d hear beatings with bamboo sticks
being meted out, the venomous yells of insults hurled at individuals,
ear-shattering screams and curses from small children… an air of contempt and
selfishness draped itself over nearly everyone. As time passed, God began to
answer our prayers and reveal to me that love truly is the answer to
everything. Inside the compound, the three little kids began behaving better –
Jem turned into a gentleman and took responsibility and became more respectful,
Som Nyung behaved better, and little Pisay was slightly more docile and didn’t
scream curses and insults at everyone every five minutes. The women slowly
became more loving and understanding, working together and bonding and looking
out for each other. In the village, people went from staring at us with
distrust to yelling hello and smiling and waving every time we walked past.
Soon, they were talking to us and every afternoon, a large group of boys would
come by to play soccer.
No, I don’t have crazy stories about casting
out demons or coming face to face with an angel and being scared speechless
(yet!). But I am here to tell you that the spiritual world is alive and
thriving so watch out! Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not
there. I think one reason we don’t see a whole lot or hear about much spiritual
warfare in the US is because the devil has been able to deceive most Americans,
even Christians, into thinking it doesn’t exist. But it does. Remember that
God’s Word is your shield and the Holy Spirit is your sword. Ask God to teach
you how to wield them with discernment so that you recognize good and evil and
know how to react.
