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. -- Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
Spiritual warfare is not completely foreign to me -- twice in the past, on separate occasions in China and Thailand, I've been gripped by inexplicable feelings of raw urgency and fear that I had never experienced before or afterwards. I've heard many testimonies from friends who had gone on missions trips in other Muslim or Buddhist countries which are just mind-blowingly crazy. And yet, in America, with our fast-paced lifestyle chock full of distractions, this "struggle" becomes rather abstract and distant for us, for Satan attacks us in so many much more subtle ways compared to those in poorer lands. But still, sometimes I'm reminded that we need to be praying for His protection...
As I shared earlier, we sent out the Mongolia team Friday night, and they arrived Saturday night Pacific time, around 11:30 PM or so. I went to bed Saturday night, and then probably while the team was enjoying their first Mongolian dinner, I woke up around 4 AM or so Pacific time, with a severe case of nasal congestion. It was perplexing, as I was fine when I went to bed, and I hadn't had a case of allergies for the past few weeks at least.
I tried to go back to sleep, and was briefly successful but then, in my slumber, I started feeling a feeling of asphyxiation, of being unable to breathe. I felt concious that I had to somehow wake myself up in order to get fresh air, but I was unable to for what seemed like several minutes. The condition is in fact what those with sleep apnea experience -- but for me, I only infrequently experience such episodes, so it is not a chronic condition that I have. After that, I sat awake, a bit chilled -- not because of the temperature. All I could do at that point was to say a brief silent prayer, before I resumed my slumber.
The nasal congestion and the other breathing difficulties was completely gone when I woke up for church that morning.
A coincidence -- or something more?
Sometimes we attribute things to spiritual warfare which are more mundane, and I hesitate to post this on the Mongolia team blog, but sometimes, we are reminded that indeed, there are "powers of this dark world" out there.
In any case, please pray for the rest of the team members out there too and their physical and spiritual health. Who knows what they're going through, in the heart of darkness out there?
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