I’ve just returned from a Prayer Journey to Japan. On a dark and stormy night, we hiked up to the Shinraku-ji Buddhist Temple near the town of Komoro. The gusty wind and dark shadows only served to accentuate the forces we imagined. Maybe we weren’t imagining. Eph. 6:12 reads, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” I’ll never forget that prayer service as long as I live. It felt as if we were going up against dark forces — forces that had ruled Komoro for centuries.
I’m finding that this whole concept — that of facing the powers of the dark side, in the storms of life — can either build our faith (as we realize the opposing side is fairly powerless in the face of how great God is) or test it (if we’re convinced otherwise). So I’m wondering: Is there a possibility that you have a testimony of facing one of those dark forces in a prayer time, at one time or another? And if so, would you be willing to share it — in confidence, if you like? Just click “Comment” below and you’ll be guided through the sign-on process. We won’t distribute your address to ANYONE. But even better, if you work hard you should be able to write up your testimony as an anonymous contributor. Please write these as if they will be used for a national publication informing people of effective prayer-walking and “praying onsite with insight.” Just click Comment to get started. As readers share their testimonies, you’ll be able to read them along with the rest of us, instantly. (Note: Be careful about sharing URL’s in your answer (especially multiple ones). That tends to trip the alarm that maybe you’re a spammer.)
8RE: demons
It was my first ministry after Seminary, Autumn, in fact just after Halloween, but a Halloween party was istigation. Atthe party I mentioned what the Bible says about false prophets, naming a current popular lady as just such a one. One of the kids took particular exception and not happy. On way to her house a couple days later to talk things through I started feeling the most inncredible oppression. I reviewed possible links/causes. I was in a great new ministry in a beautiful growing city. I was happy? So what was going on? I thought, the only otehr possibility was demonic. Knowing God is powerful over demons, and using carfully rehursed language, problem levithy is in appropriate, but reflects the languge not the genuine seriousness, I just said, “Satan get lost.” It was voiced with a genuine trust, not flippant. I only remevber from teh telling, but the immediate change was polls apart from depression.
Ben Alxander would be a good person to consult if still alive. Raised a rationlaist it took timme to see the very real world of demons. Working with Australian Aboriginals helped heaps – they were only too aware of the very real power of demons. One friend had been a witch doctor, had his eyes burned out when he chose to follow Christ.
I was converted in 1985 when I was at university. Before that, I had had some interest in occultism, and I owned a certain spiritist book. After my conversion, I had some idea about getting rid of that book, but I decided to keep it, thinking it might be useful as a reference if ever I wanted to explain to somebody how absurd occultism is. I guess though, the real reason was that I didn’t want to destroy a beautifully-looking, almost brand new book, which was moreover a birthday present of my parents (on my request). So that book was sitting there at my parent’s house, and I was studying in another town and had forgotten about it.
About one year later, I was at a conference of the German IFES. The last day, we had a service, and the preaching was about some passage from Acts 20 I don’t remember. But when I opened my Bible, a number on the same page stuck out of the text, it was Acts 19:19 “A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to 50,000 drachmas.”
And that hit me. Not only did I remember that book, but worse, I felt a sudden spiritual oppression that blocked me completely. I was unable to follow the preaching anymore, I only knew that I had given Satan a stronghold over me by keeping the book. I had just spent the past weekend at my parents and wasn’t planning to return there before one month. Was I supposed to go earlier to dispose of that book?
But my immediate problem was how to get rid of that oppression. Was I possessed? Of course I tried to pray, but nothing changed. Nobody around me was aware of my struggle.
Then the sermon was over, and we had a common prayer time. We prayed for several IFES groups and for things that had been mentioned during the conference week. And I made the amazing experience that whenever someone prayed for us as we were gathered there, the pressure that was on me would gradually lift a bit. Then somebody else would pray for an IFES group somewhere, and during that time, nothing moved for me. I was completely unable to play aloud, my only hope was of course that the prayer time would last long enough to set me entirely free from that oppression. Well, and that was what happened: Eventually, during the prayer of someone for us (thus including myself), the ‘level of oppression’, mechanically speaking, dropped to zero, and I was free!
Now I also had peace to wait for several weeks. When I was next time at my parents’ house, I explained to them why I needed to make a little fire in the garden. “Well, it’s your book, do what you want.”