“Can you trust us now?”  

“No. I’m not sure why but I just can’t.” 

Confused would be an understatement to describe how I felt. We had just finished an amazing week-long summer children’s camp for refugees. Our leader poured out praise and congratulations for an incredible week of ministry. For months we had been working on our relationship with him and was hoping that after months of faithfulness and submission, whatever was hindering our communication would come to light and be resolved. It was not. It seemed like it only got worse as time went on. 

As we have processed the events of that year, confusion and hurt was at the forefront but we also realized so much more was going on “behind the scenes.” We were not fighting the man, but the spirits, unknowingly to him, that were influencing him and twisting our communications. No amount of meetings could straighten out what was going on. It was not until we grasped the truth that we were under extreme spiritual warfare that understanding stepped in. We were able to see the conflict as it was—actions of the spirits behind confusion, distrust, lies, twisting of words, intimidation, and insecurity. What a tangled web it was.  

Do you ever have conversations where you walk away thinking, “What just happened?” Have you ever felt that your words were completely twisted beyond recognition? Have you ever had unexplainable changes in attitude, thinking, or actions? These may be incidents of spiritual warfare. It is those times when suddenly doors are closed that were previously wide open or relationships tank for no apparent reason. We are not alone in our ministry efforts. Just as much as we want to succeed, the Enemy is just as determined to see us not. He isn’t going to lose without a fight and he has an army at his disposal. Fortunately for us, we have an even stronger Ally. Father God and all His angel armies are on our side to help battle the spiritual forces against us. We are not alone. You do not have to fight alone. He fights with and for us. He works behind the scenes.