God is real. This truth is so simple, yet it’s so amazing to experience how real He is when on an international, overseas mission trip. Last year, when I went to Romania for the first time, God showed me how real He is and how powerful, compassionate, gracious, loving, mighty, and awesome He is. These truths came to the forefront of my mind as I went back to Romania this year, and I wondered what new things God would teach me. God taught me that He is not the only real invisible force in this world. The devil is real too.
God worked in incredible ways while we were in Romania this year, but the devil was not happy one bit with the movement of God that was taking place on his turf. The bible names the devil as the “god of this world” in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and he likes his world dark. Our team went to spread light and to share the gospel with Gypsy people who don’t know the good news of Jesus Christ. We shared and watched as the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of the villagers we came in contact with, and we were amazed as we saw God radically save people from an eternity in the pits of hell. Then the devil kicked into high gear and we watched in shock as spiritual warfare took place in a very visible way.
I was part of a team that led a youth rally for kids ages 10 to early 20s. We held the rally at a church where God is preached, but God is still teaching them new things. Some of the deacons believe that youth cannot be saved, and some of the deacons believe that the church should be a place of reverence (no loud games or playfulness). On the second night of the youth rally, a couple of the deacons complained about what we were doing and we were asked not to come back to the church for the other two nights. Disappointed, we left and decided to continue the youth rally at one of the villages. On the third night, we attempted to share the gospel like we had been doing, but distractions hindered us from being heard. Fights broke out among the youth, among married couples, and among parents and their children. Theft took place and all around us there was yelling and shrieking to the point where no one paid attention to the lesson we tried to bring. We ended up leaving, so that we could minister to people who wanted to hear the message we had to share. Many thoughts entered my head: “I can’t believe our time was wasted.” “I wanted to share the gospel with those kids.” “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” “I can’t believe God would allow this to happen.” Then God knocked some sense into me that night.
Every thought that entered my head begin with the word “I.” I had been making the mission trip about me, when in reality I was there to serve God and minister to people for the sake of spreading HIS gospel. God taught us to wait patiently for Him. So that night we prayed, I asked for forgiveness and waited on the LORD. The next day was an incredible day of ministry as every person on the mission trip was united under one single purpose: to glorify God and let His name be spread among the nations.
Life is not about us. It’s so easy to get caught up in the distractions of this world, the temptations of the flesh, and the deceit of the devil. Don’t believe the father of lies when he tells you that it’s about you. God is in control and we are on this earth to glorify Him. And we can do that by proclaiming His name among the nations. The devil may be real, but God is real and much more powerful than the devil could ever hope to be.
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