The spiritual fight in the mission field is deeper and more far-reaching than anything we can imagine. God wants to save as many as possible. Meanwhile, the devil is inflicting on people as much pain, suffering and death as he can. A lot of people in Guinea-Bissau are victims of Satan’s attacks, especially when they desire to give their lives to Jesus. We go to great efforts to show Jesus to people, but the devil also is making efforts to turn these people from Christ. Our hope and assurance is to know that God is the Champion in this conflict.

During our furlough in the United States, I received a WhatsApp message from a young man who is studying in our Bible class in Guinea-Bissau. “Pastor, please help me, pray for me. I am having terrible dreams. I can’t sleep. Please help me.” The spiritual pressure is very intense. That is why many give up on following Jesus. They are terrified of evil actions, which, in some cases, lead to illnesses, material losses and even death.

I promised the young man that I would pray and guided him to read the Bible and go to church. After that, I called Vanilson, one of our local leaders on the Geba Animists of Guinea-Bissau Project. I asked Vanilson to go to this young man’s house, pray with him and show him God’s promises in the Bible, how Jesus loves him and is able to destroy evil forces. Vanilson followed through.

A few days later, the young man sent me a new message. “Thank you for your prayers and our conversation. I am really happy now, and I am sure that God is freeing me from the evil forces. I was very happy to receive Vanilson in my house. It was special for me. Thank you!”

From this event, we see two important points. Firstly, local members and leaders can be a powerful tool when they are trained and guided. It is gratifying to see disciple-making producing fruits and promoting the growth of God’s kingdom. Praise be the Lord for that miracle, for Vanilson’s life and for many others who are working for Christ in Guinea-Bissau. The second point is that many are experiencing the liberating power of God in their lives. We have seen His incomparable power with our own eyes. The evil chains of bondage can never win against our awesome God!

“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

These words of the apostle Paul are true and show us that we cannot stop; we cannot give up. Let us go forward, for God the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son are working!

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