Clay pots are common vessels that most families in Bancoumana use to store drinking water. They are made primarily by women who make them for commercial purposes.

Our neighbor, Mr. Keita, keeps one pot in his house dedicated to his practice of magic, which he uses to target people with evil. From an early age, children are taught and believe that magic is fun unless used with bad intentions.

Our small worship group is one of his primary targets. He wants us kicked out of the house we rent for worship service. Our prayers and songs of praise disturb the spirits Mr. Keita serves. Recently, he has attempted several times to discourage certain people from attending prayer meetings. But when he sees us, he pretends all is well.

Eventually, we started seeing him with the clay pot, rendered black by frequent exposure to fire and smoke. Sometimes, we saw him chanting over the pot while it was placed on the fire. Soon, many owls — often used in magic rites and ceremonies — started sitting on our rooftop at night and making strange sounds. We then realized that we could be engaged in a spiritual battle.

We started praying and fasting about anything targeted at us. A few weeks passed, and we learned that the house owner told him to vacate the building under his care because he had transformed it into his shrine. We also noticed that the owls’ activities drastically decreased. God was at work. Exodus 7:8-12 reveals the absolute limitation of Satan against the power of God; there is no comparison.

Very recently, Mr. Keita became embroiled in a serious dispute with his wife and beat her. When we saw them next, she started insulting him in front of us and revealed that he had the habit of chanting our names at night. He could not utter a word to express the contrary. God is amazing! He protects His servants, and He reveals hidden things to them. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Bible says, “No weapon fashioned against us shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17) as long as we remain faithful to the Lord. Warfare prayers are mighty, for God is on our side. Always!

God commanded the Israelites not to practice dark magic, amongst other abominations (Deuteronomy 18:10). There are many Mr. Keita’s in Bancoumana. Please pray for God to change their hearts and that they repent of their occult activities and surrender their lives to Christ.

• Twitter