We are not alone. We are being watched. Sometimes it's a simple passive look or stare and sometimes it's an active attack as every move we make is being carefully documented. As much as we want to believe that we are the only intelligent beings in this world, beings who are in complete control of our lives and what is happening around us, the truth is that we aren't. I know that's hard to believe but when you take a long hard look at our world today it makes sense. Think about all of the problems that we encounter on a daily basis. Although crime rates and drug and alcohol abuse has declined in many areas of our country they continue to be a cause for concern. Still not convinced? Think about the extreme poverty, endless wars and political turmoil that is happening overseas in many parts of the world. For the Christians, think about the struggle, both inwardly and outwardly, to love unconditionally, give unceasingly, speak and think untainted and just plain fulfill the calling that God has given us. Why do these things exist? Because of the fall things are not as they should be. On top of this, we have an enemy who is an expert at taking advantage of his environment. During my time in Malaysia I experienced these things first hand. Much like Romania and Moldova, I got a closer look at how much influence the Devil has in this world. Politically, Malaysia is a nation that is ruled by the iron fist of Islamic Sharia Law. Culturally, it's small scale version of the United States with many small indigenous tribes dominated by a few large ethnic groups. Religiously and spiritually, it's a major battleground. Christians make up a small percentage of the population. They are constantly engaged in spiritual warfare and most of the time that my team and I were there we encountered it as well, usually in and around places of worship. Some were physical encounters, such as one of my teammates feeling her ankle get grabbed as she and one of our teammates walked through a Hindu temple near our house and a member of the team that we were with having difficulty breathing every time she walked by the Islamic mosque near our home. Others were more spiritual in nature. The aforementioned Hindu temple was decorated with hundreds of statues representing each of their gods. As a team we visited there several times to pray. Every time I went I felt like I was being watched, as if the statues that adorned the temple were alive. Creepy, I know, but very real and, without a plan and protection, very dangerous. Like every battle situation there is an element of risk but we can walk through it confidently knowing that we are covered by the blood of the Lamb.
Anytime you walk into battle it is important to have a strategy and stick to it the best that you can. Sometimes circumstances may dictate the use of improvisation. The good thing about walking into situations like what I found in Malaysia is that even though I may not know exactly how the details are going to play out I know what the result will be at the end. There's an old gospel song that says, "I've read the back of the book". As Christians we know how the story goes and that it has a very happy ending. To close the canon of Scripture, the apostle John writes the following words of encouragement:
"And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever…Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new'…'Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.'" Revelation 20:7-10, 21:1-5a, 22:12-13 [ESV, emphasis added]
I encourage you to let these words resonate deep within you. When Jesus said, "it is finished" he meant it. Game over. Our enemy is defeated. We win.
