Good vs Evil

I have heard a number of people talk about how there is a spiritual realm to this world that we do not see.  In it there is a fight between good and evil.  The Bible talks about how there are forces up against us that we don't see.  Some people carry this thought too far and blame everything on external forces around them when sometimes troubles are just part of life.  My mistake is more that I ignore the fight going on around me and as a result I fail to adequately prepare myself to face these things.

The Bible warns us to be prepared to face these trials.

Ephesians 6:10-12 declares, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Notice that it is God's power that keeps us strong not our own.

I had the coolest Christmas ever this year.  We got to hand out Christmas boxes to children that have very little.  We got to hand out food hampers to families that had little or no food.  I can not think of a better way to spend the holidays than what we did in Romania this year.  I had my family with me and it was an amazing thing to share with them.

An interesting part of our trip though was on Christmas eve.  We had been having a great time helping and serving so far but for some reason that night I was left with this feeling of dread that I could not shake.  I didn't really talk to anyone about it and I'm not sure if I ever will, if you are reading this then obviously I made this post public.  For hours after everyone else was in bed I was filled with feelings of anger, sadness, despair, and a loneliness that I don't think I have ever experienced before.  At 3 AM I almost decided to go for a jog but being in a foreign country with dogs outside that seem to rule the night I couldn't even go do that.  I was stuck there and all I could do was pray.

I ended up getting about an hour of sleep that night.  The next day was Christmas and I was worried about how this day would go.  When I got out of bed Vanessa had put on a Christmas tree picture on the laptop and had a couple of gifts there for everyone.  Charity seemed to want to sit with me a lot and unknowingly was a tremendous amount of comfort.  Whenever we walked anywhere she would come grab my hand and we would walk together.

We continued to serve and help while we were there in Romania and had an amazing time playing with the kids at the Hope Center on boxing day, delivering more food, praying with people in their homes.  It was a great trip and I believe we were some form of encouragement to the people there.

I am still dealing with the effects of Christmas eve.  I am still trying to process what was going on there and my confidence (arrogance) is a little shaken.  

I end this entry with a warning.  Our church is sending some youth on another missions trip soon.  We need to cover them in prayer.  We need to make sure they are prepared for the trip before they go.  One of the girls from our church going can quote more Bible verses than anyone I know.  When Jesus was tempted he responded with quoting the scriptures and she will be able to do this.  We just need to be a support to them as they go.  We need to teach our children to draw near to God as that is the only protection they will have.

I doubt this entry will ever be made public as I am still trying to make sense of it all but if you do read it be encouraged to draw near to God.  It is his power that will keep you strong in times of trouble.  The things of this world will fail.