CaN u iMaGiNe?

So, I am going to paint a picture of something that happened to me this past week. Honestly, it’s a bit hard to believe. If things easily frighten you, you probably shouldn’t read anymore. But truthfully, this event confirmed – as if I didn’t already know – that Satan is constantly working to stop our positive influence on the world. He’s at work. You should never forget it.

So, the day we went to feed the village, we played with the kids in the morning. Between that time and the feeding (12:30 and 2:00), we basically hung out in the school to give families time to eat lunch and rest in their homes as is customary in Dominican culture. Thus, very few people were around. We decided to eat our sandwiches in a classroom during which some of the boys from the group gave a devotion. Their focus was on perseverance and the importance of Christian’s being able to persevere and lean on Christ during hard times.

During their talk a lady came up to the door. She was dressed in a yellow skirt and white shirt. It was odd that she was there at that hour. Since I was the one sitting closest to the door, she asked me what we were doing. I told her just eating and talking. She asked me to translate what the boys were saying. So, I began to translate. I remember translating, “He’s saying that we need to focus on God in hard times even though we might want to pull away from him. He also said that Satan is trying to keep us away from God so he will put doubt in our minds…” Then, in the middle of me talking to her, she left… without saying anything. She crossed the room right in front of the boys.

I thought she was quite odd, but honestly didn’t pay her much attention.
That afternoon, the group made an invitation to accept Christ. About 15 people wanted to accept Him. We told them that we wanted them to go into another classroom so that we could get their phone numbers and names for the missionary so that he could keep up with them. I was asked to translate. When I walked into the room, I saw that the lady was there. I thought it odd, but again didn’t pay her much attention. The group was so joyful. They sang, prayed. It was quite a moment! After getting all of their information, we told everyone who had a ticket to go get their food in the other room. The one lady from before stayed. She didn’t have a ticket. She asked me if I remembered her. (I can’t imagine how I could’ve forgotten her… After all, she had walked away from me when I was mid-sentence translating.)

She told me she didn’t have a ticket.

I told her that I would try to see if we could get her a ticket.
She told me she didn’t want me to get it wrong. She had not come for the food.
I told her to sit tight and I would ask the missionary if there were any extra bags of food. I left, got the missionary and when I returned, she was gone. (Again, strange… but I didn’t think anything of it.)

I went around the building looking for her and saw her by the gate. She started walking towards me and I tried to tell her that we might have a bag if she came inside… but it was like she saw right past me and kept walking.
Instead of forcing it, I just went inside and helped with the cleanup.
Later that night, I was coughing pretty badly. One of the ladies in my group woke me up to give me some allergy medicine and a water to help me.
When I closed my eyes, I saw the woman.

She stuck out her tongue.

It was forked… like a snake.

Me seeing that image made me realize who she was. EVIL. The devil. Among all of those people who were so happy to receive the word of the Lord, the evil one had been there. She hadn’t come for the word.
Later when I told people the various encounters I had had with the woman, people starting revealing encounters that they had had too, but had never mentioned.
One told me how she had thrown a ball at a man saying, “I was aiming at your head.”
Others told me how she had creeped them out just by her just being there that day at lunch.

On the first day we were there, part of the team had gone to the baseball field to play with the kids. The people knew that we were Christians there to share the gospel. Supposedly on that day a lady had gone to the field and placed a red scarf on home plate… they said she was demon possessed.

Later that week, I found out that it was the same lady.

The truth is that GOD IS GOOD. SO GOOD. While various people had encounters with her throughout the week. And, while she could’ve been a huge distraction to the group and the ministry that they had come to share with the people in the village, she was there, but didn’t in any way influence the team negatively.
Even though she was there… and even though she was noticed… people continued praising God and telling people the Gospel.

Let us remember that Satan always wants to take away our joy. He will do his best to destroy God’s kingdom, but God will prevail. He already did by sending His son to die for us! Satan has already lost. Put your hopes in Him. The most powerful one!

GoD iS GooD!

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints — and for me... (Ephesians 6:10-20 NKJV)