Spirits

It is easy to look at the human suffering both inside and outside the hospital and to think that our biggest battle is against flesh and blood - that we should strive to overcome the physical causes that bring so much pain.  And we should.  But God is teaching us many new things about the reality of the spiritual battle we are fighting (Ephesians 5:12).

Before we talk about the spirits that mean men harm, let's talk about the Holy Spirit of the one true God.  Jesus promised that the Spirit would be our Counselor - that He would be with us forever, teach us all things, and remind us of everything that Jesus said to us.  The world will not see Him or know Him, but God's children know Him and He will live in us (John 14:15-26).  And He will give us power to be witnesses for Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).  We have even been promised that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say when we must defend what we believe (Luke 12:11-12.)

As God's children, we have been promised an amazing spiritual connection - being inhabited by and empowered by the Spirit of God Himself!  How amazing to consider that we are the chosen ones of a God who wants to live inside us and to work out His good will through us (Ephesians 2:10).   So many of us know about God but have had only a glimpse of what He wants to do through us by His Spirit (I thank the men in my life who are committed to helping me know the true power of the Holy Spirit).

And all around us are people who are searching for a means of power to fight both flesh and blood battles as well as spiritual battles.  Some have never heard the name of Jesus Christ and many have no idea about the power of His Spirit.  This became real to me in a new way at the hospital last week - a woman came in with a physical complaint that we could not explain from a medical perspective.  As we talked more, she expressed her concerns that her problems may be caused by the evil spirit that often manifested itself to her.  And she gave graphic details about how this spirit tormented her and was disrupting her family life.  She was very open about her fears and her need for help.  The Hausa evangelists told her about the power of prayer in Jesus' name and prayed for her.

This week she returned for more prayer.   She explained that the spirit had visited her again but was not able to torment her in the same way and that it expressed anger about this change.  We invited her to come back at any time for prayer and told her about the local church where she can learn more about Jesus.



At the end of the day I sat and held hands in a circle of prayer with a Fulani man and a Hausa man who work at the hospital.  What a joy and a blessing it was to sit with these men from other tribes and tongues to pray in the name of Jesus Christ for Mariama (and another woman - Zalahatou).  We thanked God for His power over all things and for intervening in Mariama's life.  And we prayed that these women would become His children so that they would see their entire world: physical, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, as being under the power of Jesus Christ.

As we finished praying, Daouda reminded us that we must continue in the fight - we must continue to pray and not assume an instant and complete victory.  We were reminded of Matthew 12:43-45 when Jesus describes an evil spirit leaving a person and returning with its companions when that person's spiritual "house" was left unoccupied.  Please join us in praying that these women (and so many other men and women here) will be filled with the one true Spirit of God.

Praises:

1. We serve a loving God who wants to fill us with His Spirit 

2. The power of God is above any evil force in this world

3. We can pray to the same Father with our brothers and sisters from different tribes and tongues

4. God continues to fulfill His promise to bring worshippers to Himself from every tribe and tongue

5. Through prayer, we can join God in His plan, no matter where we are

Prayers:

1. For Mariama, Zalahatou, and so many others who need the truth and the power found only in Jesus

2. For churches all over the world to be awakened to see that God will continue His advance of reaping the harvest of nations.  He will do it - it is just a question of whether we will enjoy the blessings of joining Him.  Pray that people won't stay on the bench while God keeps moving on.

3. For wisdom in sharing the truth in a different culture

4. For the Christians here, a small minority, to have real vision and power to share the truth with their families and neighbors

5. For strength, trust, and balance to deal with each day's trials