Having grown up in the mission field, I was acquainted with some of its trials before coming to Cambodia as a student missionary. The adversary of souls has been working hard against the project here. He caused multiple people to get sick with different ailments in the same week. He caused at least 11 different challenges in the same week, and those are only the ones I know about. These ran the gamut from loss of water in our apartment to direct demonic harassment. More than ever in my life, I have had to lean heavily on prayer.

Even when I lived in the mission field with my family, we never experienced attacks as strong as what the enemy has given us here. He knows that his time is short, and that if we fully commit ourselves to God, our efforts in God’s strength will bring the end of this sinful world even sooner. He fears God, so if we trust and rest in Jesus, we need not fear him. But if we do not give ourselves over to God fully, Satan still has access to us in a variety of ways. I have seen this played out here, and it is not pretty. People fight God because they fear what will happen when they fully give Him their lives. They fear that they will become social outcasts or that their family will abandon them, or maybe they fear that their money and possessions will disappear. It all comes down to fear. Fear is the primary evidence that they do not fully trust God or believe in Him. The Bible tells us, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Matt. 10:29). Also, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

It is time that we closely examine our fears. What is lost when we resist God? Are our fears reasonable? God provides for us, and His blessings will more than make up for the things we fear losing when we fully commit to Him.

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