(Every year I spend 3 to 5 weeks in India leading pastors’ conferences and ministering to people and churches. I teach about spiritual warfare, which is very real in India, as this blog shows. Prayers for my ministry there would be greatly appreciated. For more information see India.ChristianTrainingOnline.org) Spiritual Warfare in India 6
Hello! It’s been awhile. The ministry here has been wonderful, but it’s been very difficult. Each year seems to get a bit harder as God stretches me more. In addition, I ate some bad food and for several was as sick to my stomach as I can remember being. An India doctor gave me a shot and some pills and things have been improving. The infection hit my throat as well and I am only now able to talk anywhere like normal. We continued the conference schedule but came back to Hyderabad last night for a few days rest. We haven’t cancelled any conferences, just combined some.
The morning sessions are about what God expects of pastors, priorities for time and ministry. The afternoons are the spiritual warfare sessions, followed by group and individual prayer. They are given spiritual warfare handbooks to take and use (the ones translated into Telugu last year). I didn’t know what to expect from these but it’s been interesting to say the least. Showing them the power and authority they have over the demonic is great, leading them in a group prayer for deliverance is thrilling. However we have experienced Luke 4:31-37 a couple times.
Two days ago a pastor fell to the floor and shook all over, he moaned and cried out. It was right after the deliverance prayer. This had been happening to him for awhile. Then yesterday while a was talking a young lady on the woman’s side started pointing at me, screaming and pushing towards me while I was talking about Jesus commanding the demons out in Mark 5. I later found out she was screaming “Don’t tell them that! That can’t know that! Stop talking! Don’t be letting them know these things!” She really went wild!
The women tried to hold her and stop her, people started praying against what was happening. One of the larger men pushed through the woman, grabbed her by a large handful of hair on the top of her head and physically dragged her to the center isle and then down to the front where I was standing. He dropped her and she hit her head on the concrete pretty hard but never seemed to notice. Everyone was gathering around crying out to Jesus. I knelt by her and put my left hand on the top of her head and my right on the side of her head for she was jerking and shaking and I didn’t want her to hit her head again. She stopped screaming and was moaning and jerking. I tried to open her eyes to look at her and better command the demons but she kept closing them. Others were touching her and everyone praying out loud. They call on Jesus for help and mercy and are just learning the authority then have to command the demons to be gone. I held her and kept praying for awhile. Finally she calmed down and lay still.
When I stood up I noticed a deep red blotch the size of a quarter on my palm, thinking it might have been from some makeup she had on her hairline (not uncommon here). But later I realized it was my blood. Somehow I had a scratch there and it really bled. Strange…..
She went back to her seat, obviously drained and dazed. She barely seemed to be with it at all. I combined the last 2 sessions so we could get to the prayer for everyone and that went well. Afterwards I sought her out, played hands on her head and prayed for her again.
I was surprised to see here stay afterwards. She was one of the 7 from the church who I was to baptize that afternoon. Moses talked to them; I said a bit but couldn’t talk much. She clearly was a new believer who wanted to follow Jesus in baptism. We drove to the river, chased some water buffalo out of the way, and went in to baptize. She was the 6th one baptized. It felt very right having her take that step of faith and public commitment.
The woman after her, the last one, put her hands over her face when she came up out of the water. She started shaking and screaming as well. Falling down in deep very rocky water is not good so we prayed and got her to the shore. She came out of it quickly then.
Back at the church we talked, took pictures, a special meal was served to those baptized and we had more group and individual prayers. Pray for these young women. Ramulamma is the name of the first and Mangamma the second. I won’t send pictures but will show pictures when I get back. (Or I can email you some when I get back). For a white person to do public baptisms here is very unacceptable and will probably lead to arrest. A large bribe is expected in order to be released.
So please pray for me and these people. It’s not uncommon for someone to start shaking when I lay hands on them to pray. Demonizing is so much more out in the open here. It’s not like at home where they put on this culturally acceptable veneer to stay unnoticed. It is really a land of darkness with generations of those who have welcomed and wanted their powers. Pray for the Christians here to grow and have victory and for the Spiritual Warfare Handbooks and the pastor conferences teachings to take root and spread. Pray God raises up men here who are gifted in this area to minister and train in powerful ways. Thanks! I’ll write more prayer requests tomorrow – don’t stop praying!!! (Wednesday, January 26, 2011)
Luke 10:17-20 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Does it scare you to think about spiritual warfare and praying against demons? Do you struggle with fear (worry, ‘concern’ or whatever you call it)? That is one of Satan’s biggest tools to defeat us. Our only defense is to quote Scripture, as Jesus did when tempted and as Paul says we are to do with our sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). Here are some you can use: : Proverbs 3:25; Isaiah 14:3; Psalm 34:4; Joshua 1:9; 10:8;23:9-11; Leviticus 26:8; Exodus 14:13; I Samuel 17:45-47; II Samuel 22:33-35,40-41; Philippians 4:6-7; 4:13; 2 Timothy 1:7 Exodus 14:13;
(If I can answer questions or offer personal counsel, or if you would like a free copy of my Spiritual Warfare Handbook, email me at Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org or download it from http://sw.christiantrainingonline.org/. My next book, Spiritual Warfare in the Bible, which is a more advanced treatment of spiritual warfare, is also available for free.)