Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing.

If you are a regular reader of Adventist Frontiers, you know that spiritual warfare is a major theme of this magazine. Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God” describes the daily reality of many of our missionaries as they engage in direct physical confrontation with demonic forces. (See pages 10 and 24.)

Why does Satan fight so desperately to keep remote, isolated people groups in spiritual darkness? I believe it is because these people groups are the sand in the hourglass of his existence. He is painfully aware of Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 24:14 foretelling the end of his reign: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

So Satan clutches these unreached people groups like a drowning man. Desperate to forestall the fulfillment of prophecy, he erects powerful fortifications of false belief, oppression and ignorance around entire people groups and guards the walls jealously.

From Satan’s perspective, there is no greater human menace than AFM missionaries who methodically target and infiltrate these cut-off communities and, heart by heart, set holy fire to the dark strongholds from within.

Our missionaries live in Satan’s crosshairs, and they absolutely depend on your constant prayers for their protection, strength and success. No work is more offensive to Satan than theirs, for it shortens his very life as it speeds the return of our Savior.

And though this world, with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.

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