Luke 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren”.
What must this have been like for Jesus Christ? Here is one of his closest disciples, someone that he has spent three years with, and now near the time he is going to suffer and die, he sees that Peter will be shifted. Not only that he knows that Peter will deny him.
Someone that he has invested in is about to go through great trials! Even to the point that he wants to deny Christ! Satan loves to shift people. But here Christ moved beyond His human feelings, and acts accord to His divine character. He prays instead of pouts.
Christ knew that Satan desired to have Peter, but praise be to God, what once is purchased by the blood of Christ is His forever! Though he cannot have him, he still wants to shack him. But even in this time of sad prophesy Christ prays for the good. Though Satan would sift, Christ prayed for good to come from it.
See, the wheat must be sifted if the chaff is to be removed, and then all that is left is the grain. Only God can take a trail and turn it into a triumph. The author of faith speaks faith to Peter, “But, I am praying for you, that your faith will not fail, and after you are converted (changed, recovered, turned back), you will strengthen the brother.” He speaks faith and hope. Not only will he make it, but after he will be able to use this time of trouble to teach and help others.
Two things make a difference in the time of shifting. First, faith, that Christ knows and is pray for us and others. Second, prayer, seeking to be an intercessor for others that are being shifted.
I was much in despair this last night and this morning. But God brought this story to mind. Last night I had a small taste of what Christ must have felt like. Knowing that sifting is coming and happening to ones that are loved is not easy. The heart cries out, and Satan whispers, “They are mine, I will shift them and leave nothing but chaff.” At times the soul sinks in emotions and fear! But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a strong mind.
Maybe the struggle is not just for the shifted, but for the Christian learning to trust and pray as he watches. These last weeks I have been reading about spiritual warfare, and it was impressed on me that the path of greatest blessing and growth is the hard path up, not the easy path down. So I prayed one of those prays, that is scary to think about after. I told the Lord that if the way needed to be made harder so that we might have more faith, then His will be done. I think it has been heard and answered.
Thursday night right before service, a young boy of about six years was playing around the Bible study tent. He is the younger brother of one of our younger converts. Christiana has been converted, baptized and attends many services. I ask the boy were his sister was, to which he said, “Christiana has started going to a new church!” This was a shock. Recently her mother has been seeking for ways to keep her young girls at home. She seems more concerned about having someone at the house to cook the food and tend the other children then she if with the eldest girls having a chance to learn about God. For this reason she has told us that Christiana younger sister cannot attend services and must stay with her so that she can help her on Sundays. This started about a month ago. But, I do not think that story was given to us completely. Since that time Christian has not attended services either. The girl was not be allowed to attend, under the pretense that the distance is to far. So she has done the only thing her young Christian mind could think of, she has decided to attend a ‘church’ just a few houses away.
To say just a little, I was crest fallen Thursday. I know so things about the group she has joined. Their times of worship are filled with traditional invoking, pagan practices, and false teaching. A member of the place once told me that the pastor had preached that Jesus had to get baptized because he needed his sins washed away! So to think that not only had she started attended there, but was to join them of her own free will was hard to take!
But the sifting did not stop there. We have received other news. Mary a faithful growing convert is moving for some time. Her father lives in the north, and has called the family to come to stay with him. The mother and all the sisters will be going. The father makes them attend Catholic while in the north. Mary says that, Lord willing, she and a brother will be able to attend in a month and a half, so that she can continue work. But, the thing that grieves us is that her unsaved younger sister that has been attending the service will not be returning!
Also Thursday morning a mother of three boys that allows the boys to attend our services told me that she is tired of raising her children and will be sending them to her family in another region. They have not converted yet, and are not easy to live with being young teenage boys and full of energy. But, our hopes were that they where close to being converted. She says that if something does not change within the month all five children will be shipped off. The youngest is just two years old. (Her family is traditional in belief).
I have to admit; Thursday though the service went well, was not easy. I sat at home wondering. Six people going. Six! The work when done right here is slow. Many come, some stay, few convert and grow! God is working, but the effect takes time. To think that they might all be going was hard.
But these things have helped me. 1. It was a reminded that he must climb or die. No work, person or group can stand still on the mountains. They either climb or die. 2. Pray was Christ answer to sifting. No matter the feelings that seem to flood the mind, they are not the answer. These people need prayer. I have be reminded again and again lately that this work must go forward on it knees. Pray is the way we must fight. Not just those here, but those that are also at home. They must pray!
“God I throw my hope, dreams, and visions on you today! All that you build will stand. No matter how long it my take, may I trust you that your hand is moving to fulfill your own plan. Help me to allow the tests to make me dependant on you. Use hardship to build my dependence on your power and your power only. Help us to learn that we in time might strengthen the brother. Amen.”
Showing posts with label spiritual warfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual warfare. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Spiritual Warfare
In this modern world were everything has become distance and impersonal, even warfare is effected. Long gone are the days of hand to hand combat, and looking the enemy in the eyes. These days, battles seem to be fought by pushing a button, dropping a bomb, and at the most personally pulling a trigger. These forms of sterile combat seem to distance the warrior from the reality and brutality of war. And so seems the case of the average Christian experience.
In Christian experience today the battle is seldom face to face. No longer does the average missionary stand toe to toe with a witch doctor and the powers of hell. He does not seem to see the physical manifestations of the warfare. For this reason to some, out of sight is out of mind! Since they do not see it, they refuse to see that there really is a war going on. But as any soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan knows, just becomes a person cannot see the snipers bullets does not mean that they can not kill them.
These last two weeks have been a good reminder of this conflict. I have been reading a book written by a former China Inland Mission missionary, which talks about the spiritual warfare that a Christian must fight. Then as if on queue the bullets began to fly.
I have learned a few things about warfare in the last few years. It seems as if Satan likes the path of least resistance. By this I mean, he loves to work with the less direct forms of conflict first, and does not move to more obvious forms of attack unless necessary.
The best way to describe what I am talking about would be tell some stories that my pastor told me while I was growing up. My pastor served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. This is what he told me. He said that the Vietcong preferred to stay hidden. They knew that they could not match the US forces in direct combat, so they used other means. Many times they loved to use the environment. Vietnam is mostly covered with rain forest, small villages, and rice paddies. This helped the Vietcong greatly. They would use the surrounds to aid their fight. At times they would lay bubby traps in trails, rice paddies, or in the jungle, hoping that the enemy soldier would die in these traps, before they would even have to face them.
The Vietcong also would use the local population. Pastor told me of the times when they would enter the villages. The children would run to meet them. Most of the G.I.s would give out candy from their k-rations. But, after a while this became a problem. Sometimes the Vietcong would give the young children grenades so that when they would come up to the soldier they would explode and kill everyone. He put it this way, “The problem was a person never knew if the mama san that smiled at them in the day, was the one shooting an AK-47 at them at night!”
This is how the devil likes to work, subtle things, little distractions that hinder the work, or stop the advance. This last two weeks have shown us a lot of these environmental attacks.
Rainy season has started here. Well, at least in season, if not in reality. We understand that the rains are a blessing and necessary. But they also bring a hardship. Most of the people that attend our services have to walk long distances. For this reason it is very hard to attend while it is raining. The rain here is not like the light droplets of America, when it rains here it is like a hurricane. For a better description click here. I have come to learn that rain and low attendance are just a part of life. But the last three weeks have been difficult. The rains have not been coming on most days. During these weeks it has not rained at other times of the week. It will only rain about 45 minutes before service time. Most times it will rain until 10 minutes after starting time. This rain affectively stopped most if not all people from attending services. These circumstances have taught us to pray more specifically.
Music is also another weapon used very greatly here. The average American church has a great opportunity to change the environment that it is placed in. In most places in Michigan where I come from, a bar cannot be built within a quarter mile of a church building. In America sound ordinances and community laws keep the outside distractions to a minimum. But this is not the case here.
Many Sunday are a fight in regard to noise. Smaller churches in Ghana use school building. In the classroom block that our Bible Studies are located in, there is another ‘church’. Also down the hill another ‘church’ has a large building. Like most churches in Ghana, these groups have one goal: noise. Many classrooms on Sunday will have about ten to twenty people inside, but outside near the entrances will be speakers. These are connected to the microphones, drums, keyboards. These speakers tend to be quite large, able to service an entire baseball stadium. Much of the noise begins once the majority of the people arrive and this continues until the services are concluded. Our group has learned to pray that the people in these groups either arrive early or late. So that the noise will begin and end before or after our Study has been held.
This Sunday, I was quite please that the school campus was very quite. Then just as the service was started … it began. I have learned to handle the rhythmic sounds of the tongue speaking, and the off key noises of the chants, but this was different. It was a heavy, thumping, driving beat! It was so loud that it seemed to fill everything. It was followed by lusty Twi music. This had a much more powerful spirit! (We found out later that a few houses down a family was going to have a wedding and the sound guys had come early and where testing the systems). I do not know if the reader has ever been to a rock concert, but it is quiet difficult to have church and a rock concert at the same time. All we could do was pray. The rain the night before had slowed the arrive
al of the most people. So we had a few minutes to pray. Thankfully by the time that the first ten people arrived the volume had reduced and our singing was able to help. Finally by preaching time all the battle seemed over and the teaching time went well.
Children, believe it our night can also be a weapon. In all our Bible studies we encourage children to come. Most of our Bible Studies my wife holds a separate service for the kids. But there are times, when they are not welcome.
Back in college, I came on a trip to Ghana. The pastor that our group was helping lived near a shrine and a local fetish priestess. The priestess had a rather large number of children. During our two weeks there, our group was able to meet them. Many of them where quiet nice and we all hoped to bring them to services and help them to become believers in Christ. But, then the first Thursday night came. The priestess was not happy about our work in the village, and was very angry that some people had converted.
That night our group was holding services near the pastor’s house, and as the services began, the children from the shrine came in. At first all was well, but then the fighting began. As the people began to sing, the children started to cause problems. One or two began to run around the tent. A few later on began to scream and wail. During the preaching one boy began to make growling noises that were quit beastly.
After the services many of the people were afraid. They knew that the spirits had entered the children. The pastor told us that many times the priestess would asks the spirit to possess the children, and then send them to the services to disrupt. It was a very powerful lesson!
Though I have never had anyone tell me that a fetish person is sending children in our studies, at times a person wonders. This Sunday, it happened as in times past. The services and preaching will be going on well, when the children will come. Not the normal group that attend, but children that we have not seen before. They will stand at the windows and laugh, open and close the shutters. So times they will run through the back of the school room shouting. They will throw things in windows. At times people will be sent to chase the bad ones away, but each time they return after a few minutes. The only thing that seems to work is patience and prayer.
These distractions seem to be the most used weapons in Satan’s arsenal. Our services have been visited by drunks, rabid dogs, crazy people, people filming a movie, and even angry watchmen with machetes. But over all the answer to them has been patience and prayer.
Reading this book it has been a good reminder. Though as of yet, we have not faced any direct fights with the agents of evil, we have faced battles with circumstance and troubles. Through each sickness, problem, and hardship that is not from God, we have learned that prayer is key.
What missionaries need today are support groups. Groups that support through effective, specific, Spirit led pray. Though many missionaries do not face the brutalities of hand to hand combat, they are still at war. They still need prayers.
In Christian experience today the battle is seldom face to face. No longer does the average missionary stand toe to toe with a witch doctor and the powers of hell. He does not seem to see the physical manifestations of the warfare. For this reason to some, out of sight is out of mind! Since they do not see it, they refuse to see that there really is a war going on. But as any soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan knows, just becomes a person cannot see the snipers bullets does not mean that they can not kill them.
These last two weeks have been a good reminder of this conflict. I have been reading a book written by a former China Inland Mission missionary, which talks about the spiritual warfare that a Christian must fight. Then as if on queue the bullets began to fly.
I have learned a few things about warfare in the last few years. It seems as if Satan likes the path of least resistance. By this I mean, he loves to work with the less direct forms of conflict first, and does not move to more obvious forms of attack unless necessary.
The best way to describe what I am talking about would be tell some stories that my pastor told me while I was growing up. My pastor served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. This is what he told me. He said that the Vietcong preferred to stay hidden. They knew that they could not match the US forces in direct combat, so they used other means. Many times they loved to use the environment. Vietnam is mostly covered with rain forest, small villages, and rice paddies. This helped the Vietcong greatly. They would use the surrounds to aid their fight. At times they would lay bubby traps in trails, rice paddies, or in the jungle, hoping that the enemy soldier would die in these traps, before they would even have to face them.
The Vietcong also would use the local population. Pastor told me of the times when they would enter the villages. The children would run to meet them. Most of the G.I.s would give out candy from their k-rations. But, after a while this became a problem. Sometimes the Vietcong would give the young children grenades so that when they would come up to the soldier they would explode and kill everyone. He put it this way, “The problem was a person never knew if the mama san that smiled at them in the day, was the one shooting an AK-47 at them at night!”
This is how the devil likes to work, subtle things, little distractions that hinder the work, or stop the advance. This last two weeks have shown us a lot of these environmental attacks.
Rainy season has started here. Well, at least in season, if not in reality. We understand that the rains are a blessing and necessary. But they also bring a hardship. Most of the people that attend our services have to walk long distances. For this reason it is very hard to attend while it is raining. The rain here is not like the light droplets of America, when it rains here it is like a hurricane. For a better description click here. I have come to learn that rain and low attendance are just a part of life. But the last three weeks have been difficult. The rains have not been coming on most days. During these weeks it has not rained at other times of the week. It will only rain about 45 minutes before service time. Most times it will rain until 10 minutes after starting time. This rain affectively stopped most if not all people from attending services. These circumstances have taught us to pray more specifically.
Music is also another weapon used very greatly here. The average American church has a great opportunity to change the environment that it is placed in. In most places in Michigan where I come from, a bar cannot be built within a quarter mile of a church building. In America sound ordinances and community laws keep the outside distractions to a minimum. But this is not the case here.
Many Sunday are a fight in regard to noise. Smaller churches in Ghana use school building. In the classroom block that our Bible Studies are located in, there is another ‘church’. Also down the hill another ‘church’ has a large building. Like most churches in Ghana, these groups have one goal: noise. Many classrooms on Sunday will have about ten to twenty people inside, but outside near the entrances will be speakers. These are connected to the microphones, drums, keyboards. These speakers tend to be quite large, able to service an entire baseball stadium. Much of the noise begins once the majority of the people arrive and this continues until the services are concluded. Our group has learned to pray that the people in these groups either arrive early or late. So that the noise will begin and end before or after our Study has been held.
This Sunday, I was quite please that the school campus was very quite. Then just as the service was started … it began. I have learned to handle the rhythmic sounds of the tongue speaking, and the off key noises of the chants, but this was different. It was a heavy, thumping, driving beat! It was so loud that it seemed to fill everything. It was followed by lusty Twi music. This had a much more powerful spirit! (We found out later that a few houses down a family was going to have a wedding and the sound guys had come early and where testing the systems). I do not know if the reader has ever been to a rock concert, but it is quiet difficult to have church and a rock concert at the same time. All we could do was pray. The rain the night before had slowed the arrive
al of the most people. So we had a few minutes to pray. Thankfully by the time that the first ten people arrived the volume had reduced and our singing was able to help. Finally by preaching time all the battle seemed over and the teaching time went well.
Children, believe it our night can also be a weapon. In all our Bible studies we encourage children to come. Most of our Bible Studies my wife holds a separate service for the kids. But there are times, when they are not welcome.
Back in college, I came on a trip to Ghana. The pastor that our group was helping lived near a shrine and a local fetish priestess. The priestess had a rather large number of children. During our two weeks there, our group was able to meet them. Many of them where quiet nice and we all hoped to bring them to services and help them to become believers in Christ. But, then the first Thursday night came. The priestess was not happy about our work in the village, and was very angry that some people had converted.
That night our group was holding services near the pastor’s house, and as the services began, the children from the shrine came in. At first all was well, but then the fighting began. As the people began to sing, the children started to cause problems. One or two began to run around the tent. A few later on began to scream and wail. During the preaching one boy began to make growling noises that were quit beastly.
After the services many of the people were afraid. They knew that the spirits had entered the children. The pastor told us that many times the priestess would asks the spirit to possess the children, and then send them to the services to disrupt. It was a very powerful lesson!
Though I have never had anyone tell me that a fetish person is sending children in our studies, at times a person wonders. This Sunday, it happened as in times past. The services and preaching will be going on well, when the children will come. Not the normal group that attend, but children that we have not seen before. They will stand at the windows and laugh, open and close the shutters. So times they will run through the back of the school room shouting. They will throw things in windows. At times people will be sent to chase the bad ones away, but each time they return after a few minutes. The only thing that seems to work is patience and prayer.
These distractions seem to be the most used weapons in Satan’s arsenal. Our services have been visited by drunks, rabid dogs, crazy people, people filming a movie, and even angry watchmen with machetes. But over all the answer to them has been patience and prayer.
Reading this book it has been a good reminder. Though as of yet, we have not faced any direct fights with the agents of evil, we have faced battles with circumstance and troubles. Through each sickness, problem, and hardship that is not from God, we have learned that prayer is key.
What missionaries need today are support groups. Groups that support through effective, specific, Spirit led pray. Though many missionaries do not face the brutalities of hand to hand combat, they are still at war. They still need prayers.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Spiritual Battles
Friday afternoon Andrew and I where out on visitation when the time came to visit with a family that attends the Bible Studies. The husband and wife have both been saved and have been growing in the Lord.
Once we arrived at the house, the husband greeted us and spoke with us a little before trying to head off to work. The family stays in a single room. It is a concrete slab floor, with walls made out of strap wood. The husband has worked hard to make this place a home. They use a car battery for electricity. He has placed lights and a radio and television inside. They have a small couch and even a bed. But, back to the story, as we talked with the husband he told us that his wife was sick.
After a few more minutes of talking, as the husband was heading off to work, his wife came outside. Clearly she had been crying. The husband came back over and they both sat with Andrew and I on a bench outside. The wife proceeded to tell us about the problems that they where having.
Basically the family has been under great spiritual warfare of late, and has also been burdened with family members that have asked for a lot of help, but have provided very little help themselves. After some time of encouragement and teaching an appointment was made for the husband and wife, so that they could council with my wife and I another time.
The interesting thing that I want to point out though is a statement that the wife made when we all where talking together. She told us that she had been suffering from night mares. Lately when she would go to sleep she would start to dream. In her dreams she would see people trying to split up her family by causing division. When she would start to pray in the dream the people would change forms and become mermaids. This might sounds really strange to a non-Africa reader. But here in our traditional beliefs one of the evil gods of the people groups are mermaids. In Akan belief, the head of these demons is called Mama Water. Many people belief that these wicked forces can be used by family members that want to hurt people or family members that they do not like. These dreams have caused times of great fear for these young Christians. Some people would like to just laugh at the whole notion, but weather a person believe it our not, to the young convert this conflict is real. ( Not matter what the reader thinks, we do know that Satan does hate people and does not want Christian families to stay together).
After some time of comfort, Andrew and I gave them some verses to encourage them. Also we explained to them that God does not give a spirit of fear and that they should pray together before they sleep at night and ask God to allow them to have good dreams. After a few more hours of consoling the following day, the family problems seem to be getting better and the dreams have not returned.
On thing that I have learned since arriving on the fields is that spiritual warfare is real. Satan will use our own fears and weakness if he can. But no matter the path he takes, he wants to hinder God’s work. Helping to disciple young Christians has given me a constant reminder of how diligent a person most be in pray.
Once we arrived at the house, the husband greeted us and spoke with us a little before trying to head off to work. The family stays in a single room. It is a concrete slab floor, with walls made out of strap wood. The husband has worked hard to make this place a home. They use a car battery for electricity. He has placed lights and a radio and television inside. They have a small couch and even a bed. But, back to the story, as we talked with the husband he told us that his wife was sick.
After a few more minutes of talking, as the husband was heading off to work, his wife came outside. Clearly she had been crying. The husband came back over and they both sat with Andrew and I on a bench outside. The wife proceeded to tell us about the problems that they where having.
Basically the family has been under great spiritual warfare of late, and has also been burdened with family members that have asked for a lot of help, but have provided very little help themselves. After some time of encouragement and teaching an appointment was made for the husband and wife, so that they could council with my wife and I another time.
The interesting thing that I want to point out though is a statement that the wife made when we all where talking together. She told us that she had been suffering from night mares. Lately when she would go to sleep she would start to dream. In her dreams she would see people trying to split up her family by causing division. When she would start to pray in the dream the people would change forms and become mermaids. This might sounds really strange to a non-Africa reader. But here in our traditional beliefs one of the evil gods of the people groups are mermaids. In Akan belief, the head of these demons is called Mama Water. Many people belief that these wicked forces can be used by family members that want to hurt people or family members that they do not like. These dreams have caused times of great fear for these young Christians. Some people would like to just laugh at the whole notion, but weather a person believe it our not, to the young convert this conflict is real. ( Not matter what the reader thinks, we do know that Satan does hate people and does not want Christian families to stay together).
After some time of comfort, Andrew and I gave them some verses to encourage them. Also we explained to them that God does not give a spirit of fear and that they should pray together before they sleep at night and ask God to allow them to have good dreams. After a few more hours of consoling the following day, the family problems seem to be getting better and the dreams have not returned.
On thing that I have learned since arriving on the fields is that spiritual warfare is real. Satan will use our own fears and weakness if he can. But no matter the path he takes, he wants to hinder God’s work. Helping to disciple young Christians has given me a constant reminder of how diligent a person most be in pray.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare- This term has come to mean more and more as the years pass. For most people working in the 'Christianized' parts of the world, these words are relocated to a very small box. Even growing up in a family that read many missionary stories, and learning from parents that had an holy appreciation for the subject, I have to admit I did not understand the extent to which spiritual warfare happens in our world.
I am not saying that we do not have our share of spiritual wickedness or warfare in the states, but in the United States everything is neatly labeled, classified, and swiped under the rug of modern society. Here in Africa, everything is raw. Just like our foods, or spiritual conflicts, have not been refined, repackaged, and made into bit sized, palatable pieces.
One of the thing that I have come to love about Africa is it natural, robust flavor. But, with this undiluted ascept comes the more intense forms of spiritual warfare. This is what the missionary comes to face. He needs to accept it as God presents it in the Bible.
God allows these conflicts to strengthen the brother, increase our faith, and allowed Christ to be glorified. But, if we do not take these times of conflict seriously, or on the other hand, make them larger than the power of God, then the war will be lost, and opportunities squandered.
The occasion of this writing has arisen from a few reminders that we have been given about the need for prayer and spiritual power in the work here.
As we arrived at the Bible study on Sunday, we where meet with the oppressive sounds that where coming from another meeting in our school building. The people at the other meeting had been saving money for a speaker system, and had purchased it this last week. (If the reader has the mental picture of a small radio and cd player in mind when he reads these words, he is greatly mistaken. Rather he should picture speakers that would be suited for a rock concert of 45,000 people, and these speakers being used for a small room with about 10 people). The affects were instantaneous. The sounds begin to reverberate off the ears, the hearts begins to palpitate, and the pulse quickens. The soul cries out in frustration, and warfare beginnings. I have been amazed with the reactions of the flesh at these times. The spirit of the whole compound in filled with the oppressive undulating music and noise.
In our six years since we have arrived in Africa we have learned to deal with these conflicts. The Christian has to pray, (many times asking God to allow the electricity to be cut, so the noise will stop), asking God to work despite the difficulty. I have learned that when a missionary enters a service with this kind of conflict raging, and he is weak spiritually, it is close to impossible to see any work for the Lord done.
So, we had to try to sing in the spirit over the noise, and preach very loud to be heard over the music. We are blessed that the people have not started to use this new system for their times of speaking in tongues. For a missionary in Africa, that knows the Lord, the times that people here 'speak in tongues', can be very oppressive. Tongues speaking sounds like a hum of a large bee hive, which is the mixed up sounds of mumbling, screaming, and groaning. Many times the hum is intermingled with loud roars of the most beastly nature. Many times when I have passed groups of tongues speakers, I have felt the hair on my flesh stand up. The spiritual presents is quite oppressive.
This is all stated for this reason. The missionary must face many spiritual conflicts, and prayer and faith are the only things that will lead to victory.
The other reminder that we received this week was from one our our new converts Dora. Dora was raised traditionally, and after coming to Christ, her family told her that her son would die from disease, because they had forsaken the gods. Dora's son's name is Amos, and he is about 7 years of age. She has be praying for him, and it seems as if the family has been pray to their gods against her son also.
In the last month every weekend Dora son has become seriously ill. He has been vomenting, having fevers and suffering from sicknesses. At first my wife and I supposed that he was suffer from the cold rainy season, as so many other children seem to do in June through August. But after our meeting with Dora, this last week, we believe it might be more. We do not seek to give satan more than he is do, but I know that the family is seeking every spiritual means possible to destroy Dora's testimony with her family. If he where to get sick and die, or if he stays sick and keeps Dora from church, then they win a great victory.
These battle for the faith, hearts, and minds of African people cannot be won with education and information. They must be won with prayer and His working in clear ways in each person's situation. So, please pray for Dora, and her son. Pray that God touches his body, and shows to everyone involved His love, and might! Also pray for the Sunday Bible that God will give liberty inspite of the oppresive attacks.
(Note- all the pictures in this blog are taken from a Baptist photographer's website- each is from Ghana- if the reader likes the photos, they can be purchased from his site at http://gallery.williamhaun.com/main.php)
I am not saying that we do not have our share of spiritual wickedness or warfare in the states, but in the United States everything is neatly labeled, classified, and swiped under the rug of modern society. Here in Africa, everything is raw. Just like our foods, or spiritual conflicts, have not been refined, repackaged, and made into bit sized, palatable pieces.
One of the thing that I have come to love about Africa is it natural, robust flavor. But, with this undiluted ascept comes the more intense forms of spiritual warfare. This is what the missionary comes to face. He needs to accept it as God presents it in the Bible.
God allows these conflicts to strengthen the brother, increase our faith, and allowed Christ to be glorified. But, if we do not take these times of conflict seriously, or on the other hand, make them larger than the power of God, then the war will be lost, and opportunities squandered.
The occasion of this writing has arisen from a few reminders that we have been given about the need for prayer and spiritual power in the work here.
As we arrived at the Bible study on Sunday, we where meet with the oppressive sounds that where coming from another meeting in our school building. The people at the other meeting had been saving money for a speaker system, and had purchased it this last week. (If the reader has the mental picture of a small radio and cd player in mind when he reads these words, he is greatly mistaken. Rather he should picture speakers that would be suited for a rock concert of 45,000 people, and these speakers being used for a small room with about 10 people). The affects were instantaneous. The sounds begin to reverberate off the ears, the hearts begins to palpitate, and the pulse quickens. The soul cries out in frustration, and warfare beginnings. I have been amazed with the reactions of the flesh at these times. The spirit of the whole compound in filled with the oppressive undulating music and noise.
In our six years since we have arrived in Africa we have learned to deal with these conflicts. The Christian has to pray, (many times asking God to allow the electricity to be cut, so the noise will stop), asking God to work despite the difficulty. I have learned that when a missionary enters a service with this kind of conflict raging, and he is weak spiritually, it is close to impossible to see any work for the Lord done.
So, we had to try to sing in the spirit over the noise, and preach very loud to be heard over the music. We are blessed that the people have not started to use this new system for their times of speaking in tongues. For a missionary in Africa, that knows the Lord, the times that people here 'speak in tongues', can be very oppressive. Tongues speaking sounds like a hum of a large bee hive, which is the mixed up sounds of mumbling, screaming, and groaning. Many times the hum is intermingled with loud roars of the most beastly nature. Many times when I have passed groups of tongues speakers, I have felt the hair on my flesh stand up. The spiritual presents is quite oppressive.
This is all stated for this reason. The missionary must face many spiritual conflicts, and prayer and faith are the only things that will lead to victory.
The other reminder that we received this week was from one our our new converts Dora. Dora was raised traditionally, and after coming to Christ, her family told her that her son would die from disease, because they had forsaken the gods. Dora's son's name is Amos, and he is about 7 years of age. She has be praying for him, and it seems as if the family has been pray to their gods against her son also.
In the last month every weekend Dora son has become seriously ill. He has been vomenting, having fevers and suffering from sicknesses. At first my wife and I supposed that he was suffer from the cold rainy season, as so many other children seem to do in June through August. But after our meeting with Dora, this last week, we believe it might be more. We do not seek to give satan more than he is do, but I know that the family is seeking every spiritual means possible to destroy Dora's testimony with her family. If he where to get sick and die, or if he stays sick and keeps Dora from church, then they win a great victory.
These battle for the faith, hearts, and minds of African people cannot be won with education and information. They must be won with prayer and His working in clear ways in each person's situation. So, please pray for Dora, and her son. Pray that God touches his body, and shows to everyone involved His love, and might! Also pray for the Sunday Bible that God will give liberty inspite of the oppresive attacks.
(Note- all the pictures in this blog are taken from a Baptist photographer's website- each is from Ghana- if the reader likes the photos, they can be purchased from his site at http://gallery.williamhaun.com/main.php)
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